The one that landed Clarissa

[Moorhen]

In case you haven't got a copy of "Drop me a line", when describing the MK's II and III Walker states "The taper on both joints is even from one end to the other i.e. the decrease in diameter per foot run is constant, though not the same on both joints". He gives these dimensions between flats at the ends of each blank starting with the butt : 5/8; 25/64 . Top joint : 3/8; 5/32 inch.
The first design was, therefore, very simple. To approximate the action of a more powerful MKIV would require an increase in diameter of around 10% in the first 2 feet or so of the butt and a similar reduction at the top of the tip section.
It is interesting that your rod has a test curve of 2 lbs. compared with the 1.5 lbs. Walker claimed for the MKIV. His rod lacked intermediates which may have had an effect. I have waggled a few MKIV's this morning. I have one without inters. which feels noticeably softer than those with. Having said that, I'm sure that if inters. made a difference DW would have known. I always regard TC's as approximate.
I hope this helps.

[Jardine]

A couple of weeks ago my wife handed me an envelope and said" you asked me to keep these for you". I looked at the brown envelope
" it was years ago" she continued. We had been clearing our old house and had been packing for days.
Inside the envelope were various fishing photos of me in the seventies and some black and white ones from the 80's.
I was quite excited as I hadn't seen these in years and put them on my desk, a few days later I went through them.
My memory is poor (and my fishing diaries are in London and I'm in Thailand) but I think that the following photos were taken in the early eighties on a small Sussex carp pool when I was fishing with my old friend Chris Yates. Chris Ball, a friend of CY whom I'd met on a few occasions was also there.
The first photo shows a posed photo of the two anglers with cane rods.I think that the rod that Chris Ball is holding could be the famous MK IV that landed Clarissa.I think that he had brought it down to show CY. I have seen the rod in real life and CY showed it to me before he took it back to Redmire to catch the carp in "A Passion For Angling". There are also a couple of pics of the carp that were caught that day.
Best regards
Mem

Update 30th June 2017

I am back in London now and have found my diary for that year, these photos were taken on Monday the 13 to of June 1982, the 30th anniversary of the capture of Walkers 44. Chris Yates and I had arrived the day before and fished overnight, Chris Ball joined us on the following day and used the Walker record breaking rod to catch this 8lb 3 oz mirror on a peanut. My carp weighed 5 3/4 lb and Chris Yates blanked.

Best regards
Mem




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[Bob Brookes]

Brilliant photo's which are 'new' to us. It is good to have the story behind them too, from someone who was involved. Thank you.

[Mark]

Lovely photos Mem.

[Nobby]

Chris, who is a member of this forum by the way Mem, seems to be examining the rod he's holding and I notice it's fitted with an Ambidex reel with the first version of the folding handle, which are quite rare. Didn't Chris take his record carp with just such a reel? Might that be Yatesey's record breaking rod he's holding?

I notice the other rod has a Hardy type screw-down reel clamp and a later swan-necked Ambidex. It has a very thin butt section and a very slow taper..I think it's a spinning rod.

I wonder if Chris Ball remembers the day?

[Paul D]

Wonderful Sir, many thanks for sharing.

[Beresford]

Chris, who is a member of this forum by the way Mem, seems to be examining the rod he's holding and I notice it's fitted with an Ambidex reel with the first version of the folding handle, which are quite rare. Didn't Chris take his record carp with just such a reel? Might that be Yatesey's record breaking rod he's holding?

I notice the other rod has a Hardy type screw-down reel clamp and a later swan-necked Ambidex. It has a very thin butt section and a very slow taper..I think it's a spinning rod.

I wonder if Chris Ball remembers the day?

I wonder if the rod Yates holds is the Hardy JJ that he referred to in a letter to Walker stating that he thought he had found a MkIV forefather that predated Walker's own design. Walker replied in classic style, writing that all Hardy's spinning rods were like carpet-beaters and that they didn't have the action of his MkIV design.

This story was printed as an article in Waterlog and it was a fascinating piece as Yates delved into his own cane collection.

I do think the rod CB is holding is a Walker rod whether it's the Ravioli rod, the Bishop rod or neither I couldn't say.

[Dave Burr]

CY was using a sea trout rod on Redmire for a while - it could be the one in the picture.

Great photo's though. We are lucky with the contributions to this site.

[Beresford]

Wasn't that the Hardy Victor? If so doesn't that rod have a short handle with a fixed reel seat. I sure there's a picture o him using the Victor in Casting at the Sun.

[Tinca Tinca]

Yes,Iam sure ,too that it was a Hardy Victor.Seatrout spinning rod,isn't it?