The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

A can of cider was raised in honour. This is quite timely seeing as I was reading about it in confessions the other night.

I will raise a glass shortly ( any excuse )
No, this is definitely something to toast that is significant.

As I'm off the booze one shall raise a pint of water

Loop Erimder wrote:As I'm off the booze one shall raise a pint of water

I'll see your pint of water Loop and raise you a can of cider.......Hic!

Thank you all for taking the time to think about Albert and his glorious fish. Not only was it a record but the other carp he caught that day made it a record catch of carp too.

A bottle of Banks ale decanted into my favorite pewter tankard was raised.

BB tonight.

Gaz

I love B.B.'s illustration of The Mapperley record fish about to take Albert's carefully presented paste I posted above. Had it turned away at the last minute or had Albert decided to re-cast at that very moment...A great moment captured in that wonderful etching.

Shaun,
Think you must have had more than one glass when you wrote this:

"Quite remarkable when you look back and see that at the time of Richard Walker's capture of Ravioli at 44lb in 1952 the U.K. had only produced one 40 lb plus carp, one 30lb plus carp, and one 25 lb plus carp. Never again will we see such a massive gap between our three largest carp."

What about poor old Pete Thomas with his 28-pounder caught a few month's before Walker's 44. Ray Parker also had a 25 from Holbrook Park in 1951, Bob Sinclair had a 25½ from Clacton in 1951, Dagenham produced a 25-12 for Harry Grief that nearly broke Buckley's record in 1948, George Draper also a 25-9 also from Dagenham in 1947 (my pal Bryan Culley has this cased fish) and a 25-pounder caught by A. Slade in 1951 (I have this cased fish).

Regarding the date Buckley caught his 26-pounder. I have much of Buckley's personal fishing effects, including a notebook where he relates the story of the capture. Saturday was his usual day for fishing. My History of Carp Fishing book gives the date of capture as the 24th, not the 25th. Most of the newspaper reports at the time of capture give the date as the 24th July, and a mounted photograph commissioned by FW Heald of the Trent Fishery Board at the time of capture also has the date of the 24th July printed on it (see History of Carp Fishing Revisited page 123). In Buckley's own notebook after the capture of his first two carp on Saturday 19th, he wrote:" I was unable to fish for these carp only on Saturdays, so I decided on the following week, July 24th, to have a day off to fish the lake again for these monsters. He then relates how he caught the 26lb record." I think there is little doubt that it was caught on the 24th July.

Kevin Clifford

Hi Kevin, long time no see, hope you are keeping well?

Glad I got the date right then as the 24th, probably a typo error that went unnoticed in A Century of Carp Fishing where it is down as the 25th.

You are totally right about the other 25lb fish and I guess a personal brain block must have set in. How could I forget Pete Thomas's fish for instance? I pestered him tell me the story a few times when he was our Hardy representative.

For some reason your History of Carp Fishing doesn't grace my book shelves. As part of my wrist slapping I'll order a copy and thanks so much for confirming the 24th is correct. Much appreciated and hopefully catch up soon perhaps on the river dangling for barbel, Dave mentioned you and Brian had joined him last Autumn on a guest session. Nice stretch that one and I'll probably be there after work.

Best wishes.

HI Kev,

Where in Dagenham did Harry Grief and George Draper's fish come from?

Was it the lake by the Fords Factory?

Gaz