freeline-25 - Page 141



A Rewarding Return to Theale Lagoon
T
he following week they
did start spawning,
and I was slightly at a
loose end again as I felt
I was just beginning to
get to grips with the
lake. Theale Lagoon is a pit that keeps
on calling me back time and time.
Again the lake has a massive hold on
me and what lives within that glassy
underwater world is always in my
dreams. I will never be able to forget
the place till I bank that mystery
uncaught beast I hooked all those
years before.
I had organized an overnighter to
catch up with good friend and top
angler, Joe Mercer. Again rain was
pouring down that evening, and as I
pulled up by the side of over 350 acres
of water with the wind howling, the
place did look a tad daunting after the
quietness of the club lake. I waded
out two rods that evening, placing
them down the margins in holes in
the weed. The conditions were bangon for this area, and I couldn’t help
but feel something was going to happen. It was to be my first night down
to the lake for months, so I wasn’t
expecting any miracles to occur. After
a meal of a chicken balti with pilau
rice, washed down with a couple of
cold Coronas, it wasn’t long before it
was time to go to the land of nod as
Joe had work early in the morning.
In the early hours the Neville was
s c r e e c h i n g a w a y, a n d I a l m o s t
couldn’t believe what was happening.
I ran down to the rod, flew up in the
air and landed in a puddle of mud
next to the spool that was emptying
at a rather alarming rate. As with
most big pit fish, stopping of the first
run was the main part. The fish, after
taking 30 yards of line on its first run,
found sanctuary in a weedbed. After
applying steady pressure the fish was
soon moving, and without too much
fuss I was soon peering into the net
with what looked to be a cracking
30lb mirror. The fish looked incredible
in the first rays of sunlight. That
morning we were treated to one of
the most amazing acts of nature there
is, and the sunrise was among one of
the finest I had ever witnessed. A big
grin shone across my face as I closed
the gate – the Lagoon had been kind
to me again.
The following week a good friend
Lewis was to join me for a night on
the Lagoon. I obviously opted for the
same swim while Lewis settled into a
swim 50 yards or so down the bank.
The weed on the big pit gets cut by a
large weed cutter boat. The only
problem with this is the weed floats,
and if you’re fishing where the wind is
blowing obviously you end up with a
bit of a nightmare. It took me probably
two hours to clear the floating weed
and position the rods to the short
spots in the margins. Again the everfaithful Active-8 was placed over the
hookbaits the same as the week
before. Around 11pm we retired to our
brollies for the night. A westerly
breeze had picked up blowing into
the small bay I was fishing. I soon
drifted off dreaming of what big dark
carp would be drifting in on the fresh
wind.
I woke at first light and was gutted
as the bobbins hadn’t moved and
seemed glued to the position I had set
them the evening before. I rolled back
over in a bit of a hump, but suddenly
a bleep had me rolling back over and
peering at the innocent looking rod.
Suddenly I saw the line flick and the
alarm bleeped again, then the rod tip
pulled down and the alarm absolutely
belted off. I was on the rod in seconds,
but the problem I could see was dur-
(Top) Rods waded out on a wet,
moody afternoon on the big pit. Nice
to be back.
(Right) The 29lb’er on the big pit first
night back after months away from
the place.
FREE LINE 141

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