THE SLOATH
Back in the early 90s I was doing some work for a good mate of mine local packington fishery manager Steve barker, and his mate fishery owner Ron Felton.
These two guys were top fishery managers and knew how to net fish out of pretty much any lake.
Two other guys turned up and it was Ade Joyce and P.J to help pull the nets as it is a very physical job.
So it was off to Eddstone Hall Lake to net some bream after about half hour driving we finally arrived at the lake got the boat out with Ronnie Felton in it and as Ronnie rowed across the lake the net was laid when the net was laid it was time to pull the net, but as we pulled the net it got snagged so out went Steve in chest waders to free it.
Ronnie shouted Lee climb up that tree and start shaking the branches that were hanging in the water to spook the fish from the margins.
So off I went up the tree me being a right dope went to high and shook the wrong branch. All I could hear was a load of abuse from everyone saying that I was on the wrong branch.
I panicked in all the commotion and lost my footing and ended up upside down and all I heard was a load of laughter and Steve shouting Sloath well! Started laughing mainly because I was nervous and then tried to imagine how a Sloath would hang on, well have you ever seen a Sloath in chest waders NO.
I couldn’t get out of this one and lost my grip and fell at least 20 feet down into the drink and landed on my back I got up really quick and looked round, to see if anyone was laughing this was an understatement. I looked across at Ronnie Felton in the boat and all you could see was his big belly quivering with laughter he had actually fell backwards into the boat funny eh!
Steve Barker was laughing that much he buckled over and lost his footing and sank in the silt and the water when over his chest waders. It was mid November and the water temp was freezing.
Ade and P.J were slumped knee deep in the silt in fits with laughter. Who could blame them I wish I had a camera at times we ended up staying there all day as me and Steve were soaked a had to strip off and towel down not a pretty sight on a cold winters morning if you could actually see our offensive body parts. We always carried spare clothing as this can happen quite often
The lake is quite a size and we didn’t make the last netting, so it was back again the next morning.
We arrived at the dam end of the lake me and P.J decided to sit on the dam wall and have a fag facing the water legs dangling over the wall not far off the water all I can remember is me saying have you got a light P.J so P.J went to pass the lighter so I took a lunge to grab it went too far and lost my balance and fell straight in and under and P.J managed to drag me out trying to control himself from laughing as I crawled over the wall like a drowned rat and scowling, the lake again echoed with the sounds of laughter, funny eh! At my expense.