No one actually timed the fight, but the general feeling afterwards was that it went on for more than an hour and a half. The shark made countless long runs, with Ray pouring water on the reel to cool down the effects of friction from the revolving spool against the braking system. Every time Rick regained line the fish would come tantalisingly close, but always staying too deep to show itself. Then, presumably as it saw Freebooter’s hull each time, it turned and tore off in the opposite direction.
Finally, though, everyone on board saw the big swivel, which
I was fishing on the Spey, upstream from Aberlour, and had spent mostofthemorninghearingnewsviaSam,theghillie,thateveryoneelse bar me seemed to have caught fish. While not an unusual occurrence, it is always slightly worrying that other people are doing something I must be missing. I had just started fishing the head of what I’d been told was the least promising pool on the upper beat, with lunchtime beckoning, and was wondering what I was doing wrong. Sam had told me in the morning not to bother with Cascade flies; he hated them and was convinced a Willie Gunn
The postscript to this story is not such a happy one. A couple of years ago, John was visiting his elderly parents and, it being August after a period of heavy rain, decided to take a trip down memory lane and pay the Lyn a visit. With the river in flood, conditions looked ideal and, if THINGS AIN’T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
the river lived up to its reputation, it should be teeming with salmon and sea trout.
He arrived at the river at lunchtime, fully expecting there to be so many anglers that it would be difficult to park the car. The reality was that there w
Full List of areas covered on our Watford Fishing Lake Directory:
Abbots Langley, Albury, Aldbury, Aldenham, Allen’s Green, Anstey, Apsley, Ardeley, Ashwell, Aspenden, Aston, Aston End, Ayot St Lawrence, Ayot St Peter, Baker’s End, Baldock, Barkway, Barley, Barleycroft End, Batchworth, Batchworth Heath, Bayford, Bayfordbury, Bedmond, Bell Bar, Bendish, Bengeo, Benington, Berkhamsted, Bishop’s Stortford, Blackmore End, Borehamwood, Bourne End, Bovingdon, Boxmoor, Bragbury End, Bramfield, Braughing, Breachwood Green, Brent Pelham, Bricket Wood, Broadwater, Brookmans Park, Broxbourne, Buckland, Bucks Hill, Bull’s Green, Buntingford, Burnham Green, Bury Green, Bushey, Bushey Heath, Bygrave, Caldecote, Chandler’s Cross, Chapmore End, Charlton, Cheshunt, Cheverell’s Green, Childwick Green, Chipperfield, Chipping, Chiswell Green, Chorleywood, Church End, Churchgate, Clothall, Cockernhoe, Codicote, Cole Green, Collier’s End, Colney Heath, Colney Street, Cottered, Cromer, Cromer Hyde, Croxley Green, Cuffley, Dane End, Datchworth, Datchworth Green, Digswell, East End, Eastbury, Eastwick, Elstree, Epping Green, Essendon, Felden, Flamstead, Flamstead End, Flaunden, Frogmore, Furneux Pelham, Gaddesden Row, Gilston Park, Goff’s Oak, Gosmore, Graveley, Great Amwell, Great Gaddesden, Great Hormead, Great Offley, Great Wymondley, Green End, Green Street, Green Tye, Hadham Cross, Hadham Ford, Hailey, Hall’s Green, Hammond Street, Hare Street, Harmer Green, Harpenden, Hastoe, Hatching Green, Hatfield, Hatfield Hyde, Haultwick, Hay Street, Hebing End, Hemel Hempstead, Heronsgate, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hertingfordbury, Hexton, High Cross, High Wych, Hinxworth, Hitchin, Hoddesdon, Holwell, Hunsdon, Huntonbridge, Ickleford, Kelshall, Kimpton, Kings Langley, King’s Walden, Kinsbourne Green, Knebworth, Langley, Lemsford, Letchmore Heath, Letchworth, Letty Green, Leverstock Green, Ley Green, Lilley, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, Little Gaddesden, Little Hadham, Little Hormead, Little Wymondley, London Colney, Long Marston, Maple Cross, Markyate, Marshall’s Heath, Meesden, Merry Hill, Mill End, Much Hadham, Nasty, Nettleden, New Mill, Newgate Street, Newnham, Northaw, Northchurch, Norton, Nuthampstead, Oaklands, Old Knebworth, Park Street, Patmore Heath, Perry Green, Peter’s Green, Piccotts End, Pirton, Potten End, Potters Bar, Potters Crouch, Preston, Puckeridge, Puttenham, Radlett, Radwell, Redbourn, Reed, Rickmansworth, Ridge, Ringshall, Roe Green, Royston, Rushden, Rye Park, Sacombe, Sandon, Sandridge, Sarratt, Sawbridgeworth, Shenley, Shenleybury, Shephall, Smug Oak, South Mimms, South Oxhey, Spellbrook, Spitalbrook, St Albans, St Ippollitts, St Margarets, St Paul’s Walden, St Stephens, Stanborough, Standon, Stanstead Abbots, Stapleford, Stevenage, Stocking Pelham, Tewin, The Folly, The Node, Therfield, Thorley, Thorley Street, Throcking, Thundridge, Tonwell, Tring, Trowley Bottom, Turnford, Wadesmill, Walkern, Wallington, Walsworth, Waltham Cross, Ware, Wareside, Water End, Waterford, Watford, Watton-at-Stone, Welham Green, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, West Hyde, Westmill, Weston, Wheathampstead, Whelpley Hill, Whitwell, Widford, Wigginton, Wildhill, Willian, Wilstone, Wood End, Woodside, Woolmer Green, Wormley, Wrotham Park, Wyddial
