november-2026-free-line-part-2 - Flipbook - Page 77
FREE LINE / FIELD JOURNAL
JAMES COTTEE
FIELD NOTES
I know crazy. This did give me a great excuse to walk the lake a lot more,
so that s what I did. We walked round most weeks just to keep an eye out for
signs of fish and also keep seeing the great work that the lads were carrying
out down there. It wasn t after too many walks around when we saw our
first fish top out from a corner of one of the islands and on the same lap
spotted fish mooching about in the shallow warmer water up the other end.
Months of walking went on with still no rod hours going in, and then before
we knew it, spring was upon us. I didn t fish in March, as work was busy,
and I was also off to France for a week of it. Stew closed the lake for
April with only a select few and the odd charity event being allowed to fish
the lake.
Thursday after work, when I returned for another lap before I could get
down the next day, it was the same, but this time I was armed with a
stalking rod. I mooched up to the shallows after seeing so many there the
previous day lapping up the afternoon sun. Perfect! There they were in the
exact same area as the day before. I stayed right back from the water under
the cover of the tree lined-bank whilst I set up the rod. Shortly I was ready
to go, and no sooner had I baited the hook and dropped it in close to a
couple of fish that were literally under my feet, the clouds had gathered, and
it started pissing it down! Typical soaking bloody wet and lost all sight of
any fish! I left shortly after with my tail between my legs, cussing myself for
not having the rod in the van the previous day.
I d left myself a nice little day s work on Friday so I could shoot a little early
and get down to the lake, hopefully before the other 45 members turned
up. I arrived to only four people fishing on the lake over 18 acres of water
perfect! I sat with a couple of lads, Callum and Nathan, who I had met
previously at the lake, watching the lake and talking about which ones we d
like to catch. After leaving them, I headed round to the shallows of course
where I had seen the fish the day before. Unfortunately there was someone
fishing up that end of the lake not too far away from where I d seen a load
lurking the day before.
FREE LINE
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