On this day in 1985

[Nobby]

Beautiful carp that 44lb common.....does anyone know what happened after that capture?..did he continue on Redmire?

As a kid I just loved his arseley bombs...brilliant just to go down to the local tackle shop and buy a couple and play with them. I was maybe wrong but aged about 12 I rode my bike out with some and a spool of Drennan specialist to an old bridge near Bakewell in Derbyshire (long ride that). Caught some lovely trout before some keeper caught me... sounds bad but this was before I was taken fishing properly. Anyway...fond memories of the 1oz arseley : )

As I understand it Walker took the fish and offered it to London Zoo, who initially refused the offer. Walker told them he would offer it to their great rival Bristol Zoo, and they capitilated.


Clarissa, as she came to be known, lived for many years at London Zoo, though invariablky at a lower weight. When she finally died she was mounted in a glass case and was last heard of in a Midlands tackle shop.

However, I saw her, or a replica of her, at the Redditch Tackle Fair this Spring.

[Kingfisher]

I'm reading Walker's "Stillwater Angling". I'll raise a glass whilst reading it tonight.

[Trevor]

Beautiful carp that 44lb common.....does anyone know what happened after that capture?..did he continue on Redmire?

As a kid I just loved his arseley bombs...brilliant just to go down to the local tackle shop and buy a couple and play with them. I was maybe wrong but aged about 12 I rode my bike out with some and a spool of Drennan specialist to an old bridge near Bakewell in Derbyshire (long ride that). Caught some lovely trout before some keeper caught me... sounds bad but this was before I was taken fishing properly. Anyway...fond memories of the 1oz arseley : )

As I understand it Walker took the fish and offered it to London Zoo, who initially refused the offer. Walker told them he would offer it to their great rival Bristol Zoo, and they capitilated.


Clarissa, as she came to be known, lived for many years at London Zoo, though invariablky at a lower weight. When she finally died she was mounted in a glass case and was last heard of in a Midlands tackle shop.

However, I saw her, or a replica of her, at the Redditch Tackle Fair this Spring.

I think she lived until 1972, and the tackle shop is in Coventry (WH Lane & Son?).
I saw that cased fish at Redditch as well. Does anyone know if it's the real McCoy?

To Richard Walker

[Barbulus]

Certainly a remarkable and influencial man. I had not appreciated just how long ago he "passed away". Goodness. Where did those years go ? I think I know exactly which "red" to open for dinner later........

[J.T]

Will be raising a glass to the great man this evening, here's to you sir.

[Stathamender]

Apparently when he rang London Zoo the morning after catching Clarissa, the person he spoke to misheard him and said they weren't interested as they already had carp bigger than 14lb. Walker repeated that it was a 40lb carp and was told that this wasn't possible as the current British record was much less than this. At this point Walker, who had had no sleep for some time and was, in any case, not one to suffer fools at all, let alone gladly, exploded with some choice language to the effect that it was b**** the case and he b**** knew it was because he'd just caught the b***** and b***** weighed it.

Indeed Clarissa is on show, or at least used to be, at the W H Lane and Son shop in Coventry. The 'Son' was, of course, the late great Billy Lane junior whose book on float fishing is still essential reading for any thinking angler. He was greatly respected by Dick Walker and the book stands on my bookshelves next to Still Water Angling.

One of the things about Dick Walker's writing is that sometimes you are not quite sure if he's being serious or sending you up. I recall his recommendation of bee-keepers' veils as camouflage for carp anglers (it would certainly improve the appearance of some of the carp anglers I see out and about these days). I remember as a youth following his advice when bream fishing on Barton Broad and covering my face with a curtain of reed leaves with the narrow ends stuck under the brim of my bush hat (which I bought because it looked like his). Unfortunately no photograph of this survives. I have also experimented with mud smeared on my face.

More than one drink will be lowered in memory of Mr Walker tonight at Stathamender Towers.

[Dave Burr]

Well, I sat in the garden and read No Need to Lie again. What a wonderful book and to think I first read it almost fifty years ago. It also contains what is possibly my favourite fishing picture of all.



I'm not sure what it is about this image but I used to spend ages looking at it, doubtless wishing that one day it would be me. Its just so evocative.

[NiceRoach]

[Capebreton]

........gin and tonic coming up in his honour

[Beresford]

I remember the day. He died before his time sadly.