The Year of the Cat
by Paul Richardson

As usual, I was looking forward to my trip to the Dream Lakes and Friday 13th had arrived, (unlucky for some) and my journey from the icy region commonly known as the North East of England, Middlesbrough to be exact, was underway. The journey down to Dover, my meeting point with the other 7 reprobates, was an uneventful one. Even the largest car park in the country (the M25) was it’s usual annoying self. I ask you, what’s the point of owning a car that will easily do 130mph when you must do "ZERO" on a three laned motorway. There’s "southern" for you. Not much traffic "Way up North". Traffic jam………what’s one of them then. Ooop’s, sorry about that, I was digressing.

Down to Dover and park the car. Straight into "The Primrose" for some much needed liquid refreshment. Back to the Relyon car park by 21-45, load the coach up and the jobs a good ‘un. Onto the ferry and more necessary refreshment before boarding the coach for the 5 hour trip into France.

Before you know it, (for those who managed to grab some kip) here we are at the Dream Lake, home for our next 7 days.

Into the lodge we ambled for a quick cuppa and then out to unload the trailer. At this point you may be tired but it is amazing how everyone is awake at the all-important draw.
(Please dear God of Carp, let me pick a swim that is stacked up 3 deep with fish. Out came my name and, no problems, thought process nil, I’ll go into "Ladies Lair".

Sticker on the board, load up a wheelbarra’ and away we go to the chosen swim. At this point I would love to say that I had fish "crashing out" all over the place but it just wasn’t so. I looked out to the point of the spit and just thought to myself "that’ll do nicely". Up with the bivvy, lob everything inside, as you never know when rain may/will come down that valley from the West.

Next, set up the goalposts and indicators; make sure they are level, (well, you’ve got to look the part even if you ain’t). Phew, it’s warm now and it’s only 09-00!!

Put rods together and onto set-up, landing net handy, unhooking mat and weigh sling on the alert and voila, sorted. An alarm sounds out. Not a "Delk", a Fox to my left. I go up and arrive to see Craig bent into a strong fighting fish.

We hadn’t even got our bait yet but Craig had "found" a boilie, (heaven only knows how old it was) in his rucksack and slung/cast it out just short of the bar. Into the net it went, 24lb Common and I hadn’t even had my 10 ‘o’ clock bacon butty yet. "Bloomin’ Ada, gis a chance Craig" I shouted and we all just started laughing.

We returned the fish and went for a well-deserved cuppa and a butty………nice one. Whilst having this delicacy we all, (8 of us) said "how about bunging in a tenner and the biggest FISH of the week takes it, just for a laugh". We all agreed and that was it…game on.

At this point I won’t bore you with the "he caught this and my mate to my left caught that", just some truly great fish that do come to mind. Phil was to my right and was truly "haulin". The 30’s just kept on coming out to play for him. Monday was "Big Fish" day and Phil had knocked out 2 of the high 30’s, 1 Mirror and the other a stunning Common. Simon was fishing much further up the East Bank then took the "biggest fish" title with a 42lber. Ooh Err Missus, it’s starting to get a bit good now.

The fight was well and truly on for the biggest fish. In the Red corner, wearing his "duffed up" trainers was Simon with a 42+ to his name and in the Blue corner, wearing a "Captain Birdseye" waterproof suit was Phil, catching 30’s and 40’s galore. We needed more corners as we were all into some decent (only decent by Dream Lake standards) fish. Brian the "hand pump", (you’ll have to ask him about the name), then put a 36+ onto the bank. This guy has got his extension box glued to his lughole as he is as deaf as a post, especially in the dark??? (He can’t see what you are saying he says) He is not the best person to tell jokes to in the social gatherings of an evening. His bivvy is so BIG that you have taken 5 steps from his bed before you even get out into daylight. It’s like a Bungalow, Mahoosive honest!!

Bloomin’ Eck, I was getting a tad carried away then. Anyway the fish were coming out and this carried on into the Tuesday when I caught my usual couple of 20+ fish around 12-00 to 13-00.

We went to tea talking about the fish both landed and lost, (mine was a massive fish that slipped the hook at the vital moment…honest). I noticed that the lads were getting back to their respective swims faster; some of them not even staying on for the pudding, jam roly-poly as well.

I thought they must have lost the plot so I had 2, just to make sure it wasn’t wasted you understand. I pushed myself back to my swim, past "hand pump" who had already got his rods positioned and was ready for a take.

I cast my rods to the usual places, 2 on the bar at about 95yards and the other in the gully at about 87 yards; (if you want it in metres then you work it out. I’ll bet you still weigh your fish in lbs and ounces don’t ya). I had just got my bottle of wine open when Phil’s alarm sounded, (it was a "Delk" you see, that’s how I know it was him). I picked up my receiver and went around to see Phil bent into a good heavy lump). It was a good 15 minutes later that he landed a beautiful Common, which went 37+. A gorgeous fish. Back to my bivvy I started when a Fox went off and I knew it wasn’t mine.

I went straight passed my rods, pushing like hell through all the gravel, (I’m in a wheelchair for most of my fishing you see) until I reached Brian who said he had hooked a "MONSTER". "Course you av son," I said laughing. 10 minutes later he landed the biggest Common I had ever seen in the flesh!! Brian struggled up the bank and onto the unhooking mat. I looked at this magnificent fish in total awe, congratulated Brian and I sucked in some air. I said to Steve, another of our party, that I thought it was an upper 40. Steve got my "Reuben’s" from the bivvy and she weighed in at 47-04. It was an absolutely scale/fin perfect Common of GIGANTIC proportions. What a fish. Photo session went ahead without "Too much fuss"(Eh Lads) and the Hand pump had got a good claim on the biggest fish to boot. What a result.

Brian is a lovely bloke but I can honestly say that that fish didn’t half quieten him up for a while! He just could not take in the sheer size of the fish and the achievement he had just had happen to him. I said to him "Brig, it will take a Massive Carp or a Big Cat to beat that for the biggest fish in our party this week". He just looked at me and with a smile on his face said "I know"! With that we had a beer then the heavens opened up into a storm that was to last for 14 hours. Remember I mentioned earlier about the rain. It came from the west, with anger and stayed until it felt like it wanted to move on.

Awakening on Wednesday was a bit of an anti-climax as it was still lashing down with rain. I got up and made a brew. I unzipped the door and saw a branch laid by the side of my set-up and on top of my bait buckets. It must have come down in the storm and I was lucky that it had missed my rods. The rain eventually stopped at 09-15 and people started to emerge from their bivvys like snails from their shells. The day was overcast but this did not alter the pattern of fishing. Phil was still catching his 30’s; I was having a 20 or three and so on. Time was now gathering pace as the weeks holiday had gone past the halfway mark and we had a couple of things that 7 of our party wanted to do, namely, beat Brian’s fish for "biggest fish". Wednesday went and Thursday came.

Matty (Head Bailiff and Cook extraordinaire) asked me if I had stuck to my plan of piling in 5k of pellets and 2k of Dream Lake Specials (DLS) every morning just before or just after breakfast. I assured him that I had and then some! Matty then said something that I never will forget saying, " you will have a 40+ off that or even a Cat". I just laughed and muttered, "I hope so mate". I looked at the water for a while on my return to my swim. Phil had taken my prepared bucket of bait to pile in at the spots I asked him to.

I watched exactly where the bulk of the bait went and this made me decide to fish my right hand rod about 2 feet off a bush at 90 yards, just at the start of the gully. This meant that when all my rods were in position I had the left and right hand rods in the gully and my middle rod on top of the bar. Happy, I sat back and just watched the water, totally at peace with the world and myself. What a feeling. I popped around to see Brian and made us both a cuppa. My receiver gave 2 bleeps and then stopped, then another bleep and stopped. I was just putting my Tea down to go and have a look when it single toned signalling a fast moving fish. Brian was up and ran around and hit the rod. I got there just behind him after a very rapid push and took the rod. Brian said that it felt like he had struck into a big log, it was just solid. My heart was going like the clappers. What was to ensue was something that is very hard to put into words so please bear with me.

The "Log" was tearing line off a well-set Emblem Z 6000T clutch at a rapid rate of knots. I hooked this fish on my right hand rod. The fish had gone over my other 2 rods and was heading off for the other side of the lake, over the bar and towards the Lodge. I tightened up the clutch a little more (as much as I dared) but this did not slow the fish at all. I turned to Bri who had the walkie-talkie and told him that I thought it was a Cat. He relayed the message on and all went quiet except for my clutch, which was still screaming in protest at this abuse it was being put under. I eventually did stop the fish after it had taken me out a further 50 yards from where it had been hooked. This was serious "Head Banger" stuff. The fish just stayed beyond the bar with my 12’ 23/4 Armalite SP’s groaning and bent to the max. At this point, the sun was bright and I was getting flaming hot and sweating like a Pig at a Barbecue. I was absolutely roasting. Ten minutes had gone by and the fish had been pumped back to the gully just at the other side of the bar. I tried to bring it over the bar and whilst doing this, the Walkie-Talkie crackled into life. It was Steve’s voice asking what was going on and had I got it in? I just looked at Brian and then turned back to see a displacement of water on top of the bar. "It’s very definitely a Cat and I think it’s a big ‘un" I said. Brian relayed the message and the lads came down. I had gained another 10 yards on the fish and was feeling alright now, but then sweat was pouring out of me and my arms and back were starting to ache.

Bad news! At this point the fish woke up again and simply turned away from me and went back over the bar in quick bursts of speed. I shouted "No, don’t do this to me"(which when I think about it now was a waste of bleedin’ energy and breath). I stopped it and started to bring it back to the point where I hooked it in the first place!!! Start again. I quickly looked at my watch and noticed it was 15-10, 25 minutes after first hooking the fish. I watched as my line cut through the water and I turned around. What a bunch of mates. Some having a smoke, Brian with his Camcorder, Simon laid "relaxing" in the lovely HOT sun and Steve waiting with the net. "Bloody marvellous", I thought. My arms are getting ripped off, my back’s breaking and these lot are just "chillin’ out"! I pumped the fish hard and this was the first time I actually saw the fish. It was 40 yards out and the biggest Cat I had ever seen in my life. I guessed that it must be close to 6 feet long and did not dare guess the weight. It looked a creamy colour and I just thought to myself, keep it coming. Steve was still holding my net so I said "Steve, were gonna need a bigger net, get Brian’s". Steve must have thought the same, as he was already on his way around to get the 52" net. A strong stroke of its tail and the Catfish had weeded me about 35 yards out. I couldn’t believe it. I turned to Brian and just started winding and pumping. I was either going to get this fish in or it would beat me and deserve to win the fight by smashing me, (and I do mean ME).

The Cat by now was tired, I was absolutely creamed and the fight was by now a slow dogged affair. The Cat came up with weed floating about all over the lake in front of me 15 yards out. Come on you flippin’ fish, (I swore actually but I’ll save you that, use your imagination). It was now 10 yards and floundering. Steve was ready with the net and I wanted Oxygen! Wind down, pump up rod, wind down and pump up rod, it’s nearly there, keep it coming, at the net. "LIFT THE BLOOMIN’ THING STEVE", I almost snarled at him. Dead calm Steve said, "She’s there". I put my rod down, looked up to the sky, raised both my dead arms and screamed "YES"(using up my last remaining millilitre of Oxygen). I ached all over…………it mattered not one jot. "Look at the Bloody size of that" said Steve. I couldn’t move! Steve and Dave lifted it out of the water and I think it was only then that everyone realised the size of the thing. Oooh’s, Aaah’s and expletives were muttered. True acknowledgment of a big fish. I got up to the unhooking mat and this "thing" was truly awesome. I opened the 9" wide mouth and found the Nash Gata Size 4 Barbless hook 3" inside the rows of needle teeth, slid the hook out shakily and sighed. We managed to get it’s almost 6’ frame inside my weigh sling and Steve started to lift. Steve did a wonderfully funny commentary to this procedure which I can’t quite remember, something like "that’s 40, that’s 50, that’s 55 and I’m struggling, were not clear of the mat yet, that’s 60 and we have lift off". It went another pound which made it 61 exactly.

I WAS GOBSMACKED!!!
Preparation for the Photo session was made. Mats, water, more camera’s than they have in "Camera Mart’s" window and the Cat and Moi. Magnificent.

I’m not Rex Hunt, I don’t kiss fish but I did this one. YOU BEAUTY. I love fishing!

We returned the fish back to it’s home, I was congratulated by the lad’s and they wandered off and left me to wallow in my own private wonderment of it all. It was hard to take in, BELIEVE ME!

It was "funny" (weird funny, not ha- ha funny) after that. The time passed and I caught 1 more fish for a great holiday. We packed the gear away early on the Saturday morning and loaded up the coach, ready for our journey home. For me it is a long day. I have 5 hours on the coach in France, A 1 hour 15minutes ferry crossing where I can’t even have a drink! I then load my car at Dover and, on a clear run, have a 51/2 hour drive home to "unsunny" Middlesbrough.

What a journey. This time, I LOVED IT. Of course, I nearly forgot. The big bonus to this little tale is I took 70 notes off my "southern companions". As INXS once sang (almost) "SWEET, SWEET, SWEET, IT TASTED"!

Cheers
Paul "THE CAT" Richardson

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