Chapter Four

Ann
During the following winter I worked longer hours and fished less
but I was spending what time I could, walking around our club
waters. Whilst doing this I kept notes on swims I would like to
fish and any information and help the guys there would offer me.
I met some of them on a regular basis and soon built up a
friendship with them. I started to carry a tea cup as often they
would offer me a hot drink while we chatted. Some I found lived
in the same town as me and we swapped details so as to be able
to keep in touch more easily. Again few of them had their own
transport so my van was getting me offers of shared trips. Later
on in the next season I started offering to take people out on a
Friday night and back on Sunday afternoon and thats really
when my knowledge started to grow fishing with those guys.
Work meant I could not fish weekends and I promised myself I
would somehow be fishing weekends next season no matter
what. I cursed my job but what I lost on the fishing I soon gained
in life.
I met my wife Ann whilst working on the door at a local disco. I
had to ask her to leave as she was slightly drunk. She was not
causing any problem but I guess the manager was having an off
night as he often did and just picked her out. Anyway she left
quietly and returned the next week and slowly we chatted more
and became friends. A few weeks later I mentioned I was not
working on that Saturday night and so after my shift on Friday I
was going fishing for the weekend. She said it sounded great
and wanted to try fishing as she had never even held a rod. You
really should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking that and
if you are not thinking that you are not a fisherman. I explained
to her about sleeping on a bed chair, the distance to the toilets,
but she seemed un-phased so I told her to wear old clothes and
be prepared to get dirty...oh come on now...get real. Ann turned
up as arranged and off we went. I still had not caught a Carp and

had decided to try a lake I had walked around several times over
the previous months. We arrived at the lake and I knew she was
going to bring me luck. There had been a swim that when I
looked around this set of lakes I fell in love with and it was
empty. I quickly setup while Ann settled in making a cup of tea.
The swim I was in was a quite hard area to fish.
It was windy and I was casting about 50 yards to a ten foot gap
between two patches of trees. I was trying to cast through the
gap and then pull back to leave my baits on the bar that ran
between the trees.
I had seen fish moving there before and felt confident. In front of
me was clear water but this was enclosed by huge patches of
water lilies and reed beds. Being useless at casting, It took me
many attempts, but eventually I managed to get a bait where I
wanted it, and put out a few free offerings. I was fishing two rods
and the other rod I cast to the side of a large lily patch.

We settled down and drank tea and it was a really clear night so
we stayed up late just chatting. I had bought another bed chair
and a spare cover. I thought if I cut a thick piece of foam to the
shape of the bed chair and then put the second cover over the
top it would be comfy for Ann. She loved that chair and kept it
for years afterwards. We settled in for the night and I drifted off
only to be
Jolted out of my sleep by a screaming run on the rod I had cast
between the

islands. The fish had picked up the bait and was running directly
away from me. I wound down and struck and the rod arched
over. I was really panicking now as the fish raced through the
narrow gap, between the islands. I was worried it would swim
left or right behind either patch of trees. I really needed to coax
this fish gently and slowly through the gap and then I would
have it in reasonably clear water. It came back as gentle as you
like and I was not even sure it was a Carp as the Tench in this
lake could be large I was told, and fought really well. I remember
being thankful, it was behaving so nicely as it came over the
gravel bar between the trees. It was about now the fish realised
it was hooked and it decided to imitate a torpedo. In an instant it
kited hard to my left towards a large Lilly patch. I laid the rod
over hard and crammed on the side pressure. I had to stop it
getting in behind the Lilly patch, so when it looked like it was
almost there, I just locked up and kept constant pressure.
Eventually the pressure eased and I managed to get back some
line and again I slowly and gently brought the fish towards me. It
was all going well again until it saw the net and then it turned its
head and made straight towards a large bed of reeds. By now I
knew I had a record Tench or a Carp on my line, but any hopes of
my landing it to find out which disappeared as it buried itself in
the reeds. I had no idea what to do but I had read that if you put
your rod back and leave slack line it might break free by itself or
at least shake the hook. I was more worried about the fish
getting damaged than landing it so brute force was not an
option. I placed the rod back in the rest pulling the bobbin (this
had been called a monkey climber and was now called a bobbin)
to the bottom of the pole and let off some slack line. For about
fifteen minutes the bobbin would rise a few inches then drop and
then repeat this sequence. Ann by now was standing beside me
looking on with interest. I looked at my watch, four am. I
explained what had happened and she asked if there was
anything she could do to help. I have this feeling she meant like
keeping out of my way or making a cup of tea.

I think you will have to go in after it I said. Now at this stage I

figured I was going to find out what Ann was made of one way or
the other. What do you mean she said. I explained that I
thought the poor fish was stuck in those reeds and we really
needed to rescue it. If she would swim out she could maybe free
it and save its life.OK she said and went to change into her
shorts and a tee shirt. It was light enough to see by now and I
asked her to go around to the back off the reeds and work
towards me until she found the fish. In she went (Ann was and is
still a very powerful swimmer) every now and then she stopped
swimming as she was in the shallow water over the gravel bars.
Eventually she arrived behind the reeds and climbed onto the
bar. Slowly moving towards me guided by my hand signals she
suddenly stopped dead. I can see it, its enormous she said
and about then I wished I had been wearing incontinent pants. I
tried to act calm and asked her to see if she could see where the
line was snagged. As she started to move the reeds the Carp
smashed its way through the reeds away from her and towards
me. Amazingly it came straight out of the reeds, and swam
straight towards me. I guess it had worn itself out because I
netted it very easily. My hands were shaking so badly I struggled
to get the hook out of the Carps mouth, which was stuck
perfectly just inside the bottom lip. By now Ann was back
shivering and drying herself but she had real excitement in her
voice. I weighed it and it was a very low double, beautiful and
unmarked. I could not believe a fish of that size had just beaten
me up like that. I began to imagine what would happen if I ever
caught say a 20lb+ fish. I told you it was big didnt I said Ann.
I walked to the Bivvy and came out with a magazine opened at
the page picturing a 27lb fish and handed it to her. Ann asked if
fish of that size were in this lake. I told her I thought there were
but as I had never fished here before I was just going by
rumours. Because I noticed the Carp seemed tired I sacked it in
a quiet spot in some weed to recover. I was hoping that it would
still be docile by the time I released it as I read sometimes they
get frisky. I recast to the same spot and again put the second

rod out just short of a large patch of lilies. I had seen lots of
movement so imagining that all my free baits had gone I took
the time to put out a lot more over both my rods.
I was really feeling on top of the world, it did not matter to be
how big that fish was, I had broke my duck. Its funny but I
actually started to think I could now catch some more, amazing
how your confidence can change so quickly.

Now tidied and composed I took the Carp out of the sack and
after taking a photo or two, released him back into his watery
home.
I had brought some bacon and eggs with me and started a
celebration breakfast. The alarm on the lily patch rod now

started bleeping very slowly. I dropped the pan on the cooker

and ran to the rod.
I asked Ann to carry on with the breakfast and she asked if I had
a cook book. Oh yes, Ann was not fully kitchen trained but she
carried on cooking and laughed saying, whatever happened it
was my fault and not to blame her. The bobbin rose slowly then
dropped, rose again and dropped just like the fish trapped in the
reed bed earlier. This pattern continued for about five minutes
and then the bobbin climbed and kept going in a slow run. I
picked the rod up, closed the bail arm and as the line tightened
and struck.
The fish did not head for any of the obvious obstructions but
raced out into the open water. It did not go very far and swam
around not seeming to care about the hook. After a few minutes
I had it on the surface on its side and slid it quietly and calmly
into the waiting net. Another low double, I could not believe it,
nearly two seasons without a Carp and now I had landed two in
less than an hour. Ann was as genuinely excited as I was and
took a photo as I slipped him back into the water.

Ann, by now, had finished making breakfast which tasted like a

feast. During Saturday the weather showed how changeable it
could get and in an hour went from beautiful sunshine to a
monsoon. The rain came down so hard you could not see more
than a few feet and I was really glad I had invested in my Bivvy.
This series of photos were taken over only a 30 minute period.

The alarms remained silent all Saturday although I saw many

fish moving over my baits. Ann and I spent the day chatting
about everything and really got to know each other. We drunk
endless cups of tea and in the evening Ann went into town
returning with a very welcome hot takeaway.
Sunday morning was sunny and hot but the storm had turned
our swim into a mud bath. Although we had no action for 24
hours I was really happy having caught my first Carp. I recast to
the same area, fired out a bunch of free offerings and made
breakfast. Mid morning I had a really slow run on the rod I had
cast between the islands. By the time I reached the rod the
handle was turning slowly so I guessed the fish was hooked. I
struck and the fish bowed to the pressure and swam towards
me. I was gaining line slowly and there was only light resistance
from the fish. At this point I assumed I had hooked a small Tench
or maybe even a Bream. It came in very easily until I was about
to net it and only then made a wild dash for cover. It still was
nothing spectacular and I still thought it was a Tench even

though I still had not yet seen the fish. After playing it for a few
minutes I landed another low double Carp, I was ecstatic.
Ann helped me weigh and photograph the fish and I decided to
end the session.

I was in a daze as we packed up, Ann told me not to worry, as

we would get the big one next time. I think I knew then that I
had found my fishing partner. Ann went on every fishing trip
after that and as we met more anglers they began to befriend
her. People began recognising my van Betsy as Ann called her
and around seven oclock each night crowds would gather in our
swim. Ann would ask me what I wanted from the Chip shop and
take everyones orders. In this way we became friendly with
many people who perhaps otherwise would have kept distant.

I must admit that I really liked wherever possible to have the

comforts of home with me when fishing. For many years I always
had a caravanette as a vehicle and although many laughed
when I arrived at the disco for work driving it, when the weather
was cold or wet many friends were glad of its warmth and
shelter.
I am not sure how they got to be called Betsy but I think
thats what Ann started calling my vans.
They were all based on the Bedford CF and had the a cooker,
fridge and fold up bed. Now I was not the only person who liked
his comfort. I remember turning up at one lake and I thought it
was a ghost town. Every swim I visited looking for life had rods
ready to cast but no fisherman. Eventually I heard noise in a
swim and found 30-40 people crammed around a portable colour
TV, Bar B Que in full swing watching England play football. I also
remember on one occasion some friends creeping into a swim
where some guy had been camping for a while whilst he was
asleep. They planted plastic flowers, laid imitation grass, an
armchair and left milk bottles with a note for the milkman in
them. The guy I most remember for home comforts was
nicknamed Gucci and you will see why when you get to my
memories of him. Ann and I had some great fishing trips in those
old vans. I can still remember waking up one winter morning
with icicles on the inside of the van and the tea in the teapot
frozen solid from the previous night. All that meant nothing once
we had started breakfast and made hot tea. It is surprising how
many friends you have in the morning once you start cooking.
The last van I owned had a great anti theft device. The gearstick
had never been attached permanently so when I left the van I
just took it with me. The scariest moment I ever had in the van
occurred during the freak hurricanes that swept the country. Ann
and I were returning from a weekends fishing trip and the
weather became so bad we pulled in at a lay by for the night. I
remember getting up after about an hour concerned that I had
left the van sticking out a little into the road. I started the van
and reversed back about four feet for safety. During the night

the van bounced and Ann and I wondered what had happened. I
looked outside and a huge oak tree had come down and passed
in front of the van just where it was originally parked. I can only
shudder to think what would have happened if I had left Betsy
in the original parking place. We eventually married and have
had a great life so far always together in work and play. We have
travelled throughout Europe and even been lucky enough to live
in Florida. I nearly lost her recently through illness but now fully
recovered we intend to make the most of whatever we have left.
Even as we speak we are planning a move back to Spain where
we lived some years ago. I am looking forward to reuniting with
some old friends and some great fishing there with my best
friend, Annie.