Although I am not a typical carp fisherman and don’t do long sessions from behind a pair of matching rods with the associated electronics, I have always had a hankering after a radio controlled bait boat. Until last night at our monthly curry night when I heard the following story. I’m not sure if I got the exact details as it was being told at the other end of a noisy table but this is the jist of it.
A chap had just bought an expensive radio controlled bait boat and took it to his local carp lake to show it off to his fishing mates. He had carefully checked the club rules, there were many of them and they were strictly enforced by bailiffs and bait boats were allowed. He chose a swim opposite an island with over hanging trees and intending use his new boat to place his baits and some free offerings right under the branches. With a great flourish he launched his boat, loaded it with his baited rigs and drove it across the lake to the admiration of his mates.
He dropped his first rig at the open end of the island and then manoeuvered it along the island to the over hanging branches to drop off his other rig. He wanted to get his baited rig right under the branches and with some effort managed to do just that, giving a running commentry to his mates as he did so. When he tried to reverse his boat from underneath the branches he found that the aerial on top had caught in the branches and the boat was stuck fast.
This was a brand new boat and even the basic model can cost nearly £500 so he found himself in a dilemma, he donned his breast waders and tried to wade out to retieve the boat. He was soon shipping water over the top of the waders and to the ammusement of his pals he had to return to the bank in ignomy. The next move was to collect some wood and make a raft, this again caused great hilarity amongst his mates and against their advice he paddled of towards the island. The raft caught in some weeds and his frantic efforts to paddle free caused the break up of his handiwork and he slipped into the water. With his audience rolling about on the bank in fits of hilarity, he used the remains of the raft as a bouyancy aid to swim back to the bank. Did I tell you our boatman couldn’t swim?
Back on shore and soaked to the skin one of his mates volunteered to drive to the local camping shop and buy and inflatable dinghy, this he did and our hero was handed a bill for £58 on the delivery of the dinghy. It was duly inflated and the bait boat was recovered. The laughter had died down and the group was well into the self congratulation stage when the bailiff turned up and administerd a formal warning to our hero for swimming in the clubs waters (against the rules).
No, I don’t think I’ll get a bait boat.
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