I fished a little river once that was basically a rocky trout spate stream. However in one of the deeper pools I saw there were a few Carp swimming about and I thought it would be a bit of fun to try and stalk one out. However in order to get a bait to them I had to clamber up a big pile of rocks that overlooked the pool and due to all sort of obstacles like over hanging trees I only took a short 6 foot rod with me. The plan was that if I hooked a fish I would play it whilst climbing back down the rocks to my waiting net on the ground below. From the elevated position on top of the rocks I could clearly see into the pool and positioned some sweet corn were I could easily see it and sat back to watch events. After a few minutes a little Dark common ambled up and after a few inquisitory circles of the bait gobbled it down. I struck and was in. However the fish decided to dash up stream and through an over hanging tree…I was now playing the fish from high up on a rock with the line going through the tree branches. The best I could do each time was play the fish back through the tree till it was touching the bending tree branches but I just could not free the line. The fish would then race off again and I would play it back to the branches and then it would race off again. After several minutes of this it was clear no amount of tugging was going to release the line from the tree and clearly a plan “B” was going to be needed ! After deliberating the situation what I decided to do was try and climb down and wade up to the tree and release the line. The problem was the way down the rocks was on the opposite side of the rocks to the way up and was allot more difficult to do. I had a couple of attempts but it became clear I could not get down whilst holding the rod at the same time. I was well and truly stuck ! The carp was now knackered as well and was see sawing up and down in the current held by the line going through the tree.
Desperate measures were called for so what I decided to do was to throw my rod as far upstream as I could and then attempt to shimmy down the rocks and wade out to the offending branch as fast as I could, then free the line, pick up the rod, swim back past the rocks to the waiting net on the other side of them and then play the fish from there.
To cut a long story short, that’s exactly what I did. I half killed myself getting down the rocks and wading to the tree…I almost lost the rod as well as it was being washed downstream in the current and had to trace my way back to it along the line but clearly the angling gods were smiling down at me that day because once I got to the rod which was now back on the other side of the rocks and close to my net I wound down the loose line and amazingly found the fish still attached which I triumphantly netted.
It was only a small one but it remains one of my more memorable battles.