A CARP angler has highlighted the risks associated with night fishing after he ended up in agony with a badly broken leg.
Chris Eggison was night fishing at A1 Pits in Nottinghamshire when his calamitous collision with gear cluttered around his swim. It resulted in him being rushed to Lincoln Hospital for surgery to a broken tibia and fibula.
The 48-year old from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, explained: “I arrived at the lakes at around 1pm and, seeing carp moving, started surface fishing with bread flake.
“I soon hooked into a pristine common carp of around 14 lb, and added another three before my pal Glen arrived.
“We intended to spend the night fishing – catching up, having some chill-out time moaning about the pressures of work and wives, what we might do if we became millionaires… and hopefully catching some carp.”
Calm Chris with a carp…before the ‘storm’!
Chris continued: “At around 11pm I was tired so opened up my bedchair and got laid out under the stars thinking I will tidy my peg in a short while – big mistake! It was probably the biggest mistake I have made to date….
“I was awoken at 2am by an absolute belting run. But for some really strange reason I climbed off the opposite side of my bedchair and noticed the gear I had left between me and the rods.
“The fish was really going for it so I panicked and tried to jump over the tackle box and landed next to the rod,” he told Angler’s Mail.
Shin bone ‘cracked and folded’
Chris added: “As I came down on the other side my left foot caught the edge of the box causing me to land at an odd angle, and as my weight came onto that leg I felt my shin bone crack and fold.
“I sat up and looked at my leg and this confirmed my biggest fear, it was pointing in a different direction from halfway down my shin-bone.
“After about five minutes Glen came up and asked me if I was going to strike the run. I told him from being laid on the floor that I had broken my leg and for him to take the fish.
“The fish was on but the hook pulled which although was a shame it was the last thing on my mind.
“While waiting for the ambulance I started shaking uncontrollably with shock, Glen made sure I was warm and kept me focused until they arrived which was around one hour after the incident.
“I was dreading the paramedics even going near my leg due to the pain, but they managed to get an air-cushioned sling under my leg and get me into the ambulance.
“I now have a titanium rod running down through my shin-bone and will have lost a good five months of being able to conduct normal tasks before I recover.
“At the time of the accident I was working as a manufacturing manager but had decided to leave that job anyway so am now unemployed.
“Ten weeks on I sit here and decided to share this story in an effort to drive home the importance of keeping your peg tidy. Sometimes the best lessons in life are the hardest!” he added.
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