The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Albert Edward Hobbs was born near Henley, Oxfordshire in 1871. He was an architect and a surveyor in the town for some fifty years and served on the town council. He kept the local rainfall records, and was a president of the Henley Fishing Club. Albert died aged 92.

A few years ago John Beer via Trout & Salmon mag organised a visit to Henley to look at some of Hobb's stuffed trout, we met in a modern pub aptly named after the man where John and Vaughn Lewis spoke about the man and his catches, one thought was that at least some of the big fish were origionaly 'stockies' which had came down from tributaries and found good feeding in the weir pools and grown on to massive proportions. After the talk we were taken to a hotel in the town where many of Hobb's cased fish were stored and could by special arrangement be viewed.

What an eye opener !! quite huge fish and lots of them, Hobbs was an architect for Breakspears Ales and I understand used this particular hotel to store some of his trophy's , it was only good fortune some years ago that prevented many of them going to the tip ! Hobb's places of work along the Thames valley and his contact with the professional anglers and weir/lock keepers gave him the opportunity to get the 'nod' when large fish were spotted so he could to some extent be 'guided' to his quarry. Whatever misgivings we now have about not returning his captures and having them cased Hobbs was a man of his time and as determined to catch specimen fish as many of us do now.

After this mind blowing viewing John took us to a nearby pub for lunch which had a fine collection of cased fish of more modest proportions and varied species, a day to remember.

Dave