Dick walkers personal bests

[Benno]

Does anyone know what his personal bests were not that it matters just interested really

[Mark]

The obvious one is common carp 44lb.

[Shaun Harrison]

One of the elite who caught record fish of more than one species. I think there were only 3 anglers that have achieved that, but I will certainly stand correcting.

[Chris Bettis]

Try to get hold of a copy of No Need To Lie. It will give a good idea of just how good an angler Dick Walker was. When you take into account how long ago those catches took place you will find out that he was just good, he was a one off. A book I think every angler should have in his/her bookcase and like Still Water Angling you will find you read it time and time again.

[Mark]

Try to get hold of a copy of No Need To Lie. It will give a good idea of just how good an angler Dick Walker was. When you take into account how long ago those catches took place you will find out that he was just good, he was a one off. A book I think every angler should have in his/her bookcase and like Still Water Angling you will find you read it time and time again.

Good advise Chris.

[Benno]

Thanks mate definitely want to get hold of a couple of his books seems like a bit of a genius

[Tengisgol]

Just from memory I know that Dick Walker caught a roach of 3lbs 4oz (R. Beane) and a dace of 1lbs 5oz (R. Cam?) but never caught a really big bream or tench. He did catch double figure barbel but didn't get a pike bigger than twenty something. He caught six pound chub from the Ouse but not sure that he got a seven. I don't think that he was one to get too hung up about these things, seeing a big fish as a matter of scientific interest and no more challenging to catch, necessarily, than a small fish. Genius? Most definitely.

[Dave Burr]

I'm pretty sure he never had a tench of 6lbs but back then a six was an absolute monster. He caught record Golden Orfe but didn't claim it/them as it was too easy a record to break.

But you cannot define a man's abilities by fish size alone. An average angler fishing the Great Ouse during its golden decade for example, could have upper double barbel, seven pound chub and four pound perch on their list whereas far better anglers fishing elsewhere would be lucky to reach half those weights. Plenty of petrol money can also give a false account of ability. Walker was a genius in approach, dedication and ability. That he happened to take the record carp doubtless promoted him to the top but that fish could have gone to Pete Thomas and in some alternate universe it doubtless did.

[Shaun Harrison]

Wasn't there a record rainbow trout he never claimed too - again because of the artificiality of it all?

[Shaun Harrison]

Might be worth your while reading a copy of his biography Benno which I felt was probably quite an eye opener for many.



His personal best list at the time would have been quite extraordinary, but re-printing it in this day and age, although respectable, would not really raise many eyebrows amongst big fish anglers and to show a list I feel would discredit his amazing achievements in angling, as sadly so many these days base success purely on numbers.

Like the man or not, he changed the way many angle for fish here in the U.K. and was really the first to show that big fish are no more difficult to catch than little fish, if of course you wish to pursue that avenue.

Eventually coarse angling became divided into separate clans.