november-2026-free-line-part-2 - Flipbook - Page 54
FREE LINE / FIELD JOURNAL
STEVE CARTWRIGHT
FIELD NOTES
I know I got a few strange looks, as I owned a stretch limousine business at
the time and did drop in to fish occasionally in a 140" stretch pearlescent
pink limo, and some fat bloke got out and started fishing for the night.
Scroll forward 12 years, and here we are again The fish had been
thinned out with not so many in now, and it had been landscaped by the
leaseholder Greg, who had totally turned it around. This is a lake you
either know about or you don't; I personally call it the Secret Garden
secure, very green and very private.
I had booked three days off work from April 1st, as that s when my
ticket started, kinda gagging to get down there for a 60-hour session. The
weather, being April, was very up and down. At the time, we were seeing
high temperatures in the day, and it was freezing overnight, so unlike the
year before when I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, it was full-on winter
gear overnight in the main.
I knew it could be a moody water, and it was proving to be so, the first 36
hours passed without a bleep. I remember I posted on social media It ain't
happening, and when it ain t happening, it s time to go home, as you do.
So we are well into the second day now, clouds are gathering, it is
around 10.30am and down it comes! It starts raining well, actually it
was hailstones to begin with, and then the rain, but I am thinking damn,
I m going to have to pack away wet again. I totally hate packing away in
the rain.
Here I am sitting there, with it pouring down with rain and thinking to
myself, knowing my luck I am going to get a run now Yep, you guessed
it away went my right hand rod, which had been positioned at the
drop-off on the point of the island. It was an aggressive take, and after an
interesting few minutes, I saw the fish in question. To be honest, I was very
glad, being very wet at that point, as in front of me going in to the net was
a fish known as Zippy.
Now, I remember this fish being caught some 12 years back at 17lbs.
FREE LINE
54
