"Rumour has it that if any carp grew too large for the Nailsworth ponds, they would simply pop up to Woodchester with them and release them into the four lakes there. This may be true but the Surrey Trout Farm record books also hold a note of a formal order from The Nova Piscators Association in February 1962 for 100 seven-inch carp, purchased through the auspices of a local farmer, Eddie Price. This is the same Eddie Price who caught the largest mirror carp in the country at the time at 40lb 8oz from the Stile Pitch at Redmire, in September 1959. This fish grew on to become the Bishop, Chris Yates’ Fifty One pound Eight ounce record.
When I first fished Woodchester, the old boathouse had a list of carp caught from the pools written on one of the walls in pencil. The list stated the captors’ names, the date and the weights of their fish. Sadly, when the National Trust acquired the valley they restored the old boat house and white washed over this unique carp angling record, not realising its significance. Actually, to be fair, it was probably only of interest to a carp fishing anorak like me but it still seemed a shame."
Thanks for that Skeff. I was a member there from '95 through to 2004, a new arrival in the family meant that I didn't have enough time to fish there, so I re-started river fishing.
