They plonked the sheep on the pyre, Mark wishing he had had the forethought to tie a bandit-style handkerchief over his nose. Every mahseer in the neighbourhood must be able to smell this animal from miles away, and they would surely be forming a queue down below to eat their fill.
Gagan lit the pyre and the flames began to build round the interlocking timbers. ‘It is important that everything is as though this was a genuine cremation,’ he said. ‘The fish must not suspect anything is different. And now for your bait.’
Gagan produced a large lump of mutton,
It is difficult to describe the atmosphere on the landing stage, this far detached from the event, but there was a definite feeling at that moment that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. I was gripped by it, watching the tip of the big-game rod with the intensity that only an angler can understand. I was still staring when it was pulled sharply down and the ratchet went again, harder and for longer this time.
‘Weed, you reckon?’ said the straight-faced one as he grabbed the rod, flipped the reel into gear and struck at whatever it was with all
Full List of areas covered on our Walsall Fishing Lake Directory:
Abbots Bromley, Acton Trussell, Adbaston, Admaston, Allimore Green, Almington, Alrewas, Alsagers Bank, Alstonefield, Alton, Amington, Anslow, Anslow Gate, Armitage, Ashley, Aston, Aston-by-Stone, Audley, Bagnall, Baldwin’s Gate, Ball Haye Green, Balterley, Barlaston, Barton-under-Needwood, Basford Green, Beamhurst, Bednall, Beech, Betley, Bickford, Biddulph, Biddulph Moor, Bilbrook, Bishop’s Offley, Bishop’s Wood, Blackbrook, Blackwood Hill, Blithbury, Blore, Blount’s Green, Blymhill, Blythe Bridge, Blythe Marsh, Bobbington, Bonehill, Bradley, Bradley in the Moors, Bradnop, Bramshall, Branston, Brereton, Brewood, Bridgtown, Brineton, Brocton, Bromstead Heath, Brown Edge, Brown Lees, Brund, Burnhill Green, Burntwood, Burntwood Green, Burston, Burton upon Trent, Butt Lane, Butters Green, Butterton, Calton, Cannock, Cannock Wood, Canwell Hall, Castle Bank, Cauldon, Caverswall, Cellarhead, Chapel Chorlton, Chase Terrace, Chasetown, Chatcull, Cheadle, Chebsey, Checkley, Cheddleton, Cheslyn Hay, Chesterfield, Chesterton, Chorley, Church Eaton, Church Leigh, Clayton, Clifton Campville, Coalpit Hill, Codsall, Codsall Wood, Colton, Colwich, Comberford, Consall, Cookshill, Coppenhall, Cotes, Coton, Coton Clanford, Coton in the Clay, Cotwalton, Coven, Cranberry, Cresswell, Croxall, Croxden, Croxton, Croxtonbank, Danebridge, Denstone, Derrington, Dilhorne, Dosthill, Draycott in the Clay, Draycott in the Moors, Drayton Bassett, Drointon, Dunstall, Dunston, Eccleshall, Ecton, Edial, Edingale, Elford, Ellastone, Ellenhall, Elmhurst, Endon, Enville, Essington, Fairoak, Farewell, Farley, Fawfieldhead, Fazeley, Featherstone, Field, Flash, Fole, Forsbrook, Forton, Four Ashes, Four Crosses, Foxt, Fradley, Fradswell, Froghall, Fulford, Gailey, Gallowstree Elm, Garshall Green, Gayton, Gentleshaw, Gillow Heath, Glascote, Gnosall, Gnosall Heath, Gospel End, Gradbach, Gratwich, Great Bridgeford, Great Chatwell, Great Haywood, Great Wyrley, Greatgate, Grindley, Grindon, Hademore, Hadley End, Hales, Halfpenny Green, Halmer End, Hammerwich, Hamstall Ridware, Hanbury, Hanbury Woodend, Hanchurch, Handsacre, Hanging Bridge, Hardings Wood, Harlaston, Harriseahead, Hatherton, Haughton, Haunton, Hazelslade, Heath Hayes, Heaton, Hednesford, High Offley, High Onn, Hilderstone, Hill Chorlton, Hill Ridware, Hilliard’s Cross, Himley, Hints, Hixon, Hoar Cross, Hollington, Hollinsclough, Hookgate, Hopton, Hopwas, Horninglow, Horse Bridge, Horsebrook, Horton, Hulme End, Huntington, Hyde Lea, Ilam, Ingestre, Ipstones, Keele, Kettlebrook, Kiddemore Green, Kidsgrove, King’s Bromley, Kingsley, Kingstone, Kinver, Knighton, Knowl Wall, Knypersley, Landywood, Lane Green, Lapley, Lawnhead, Leek, Levedale, Leycett, Lichfield, Little Aston, Little Bridgeford, Little Hay, Little Haywood, Little Wyrley, Littleworth, Loggerheads, Long Compton, Longdon, Longnor, Longsdon, Lower Green, Lower Penn, Lower Tean, Madeley, Madeley Heath, Maer, Marchington, Marchington Woodlands, Marston, Mavesyn Ridware, Mayfield, Meerbrook, Meirheath, Middleton Green, Milford, Millmeece, Milwich, Mitton, Moddershall, Morrey, Mow Cop, Mucklestone, Near Cotton, Newborough, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newtown, Norbury, Norton Bridge, Norton Canes, Nurton, Oakamoor, Oaken, Onecote, Orgreave, Orslow, Oulton, Outlands, Pattingham, Penkridge, Pershall, Perton, Pipe Ridware, Podmore, Potter’s Cross, Pye Green, Ramshorn, Rangemore, Ranton, Red Street, Rileyhill, Rocester, Rolleston, Rough Close, Rudyard, Rugeley, Rushton Spencer, Salt, Sandon, Seighford, Seisdon, Shareshill, Shebdon, Sheen, Shenstone, Shenstone Woodend, Shut Heath, Silverdale, Six Ashes, Slindon, Stableford, Stafford, Standeford, Standon, Stanley, Stanton, Stone, Stonnall, Stourton, Stowe, Stramshall, Streethay, Streetly, Stretton, Sturbridge, Sugnall, Sutton, Swindon, Swinscoe, Swynnerton, Talke, Tamworth, Tatenhill, The Bratch, The Rowe, Thorncliff, Thornes, Thorpe Constantine, Tittensor, Tixall, Trescott, Trysull, Tutbury, Two Gates, Upper Elkstone, Upper Hulme, Upper Longdon, Upper Tean, Uttoxeter, Wall, Walton, Walton-on-the-Hill, Warslow, Waterfall, Waterhouses, Weeford, Weeping Cross, Werrington, Weston, Weston Jones, Weston-under-Lizard, Wetley Rocks, Wetton, Wetwood, Wheaton Aston, Whiston, Whitgreave, Whitmore, Whittington, Wigginton, Wilnecote, Wimblebury, Winkhill, Winshill, Withington, Wombourne, Woodhouses, Woodseaves, Wootton, Wrinehill, Yarlet, Yarnfield, Yoxall
