The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Could Woldale have broken the old 26lb carp record prior to the discovery of Redmire? It didn't as it happens, of course,- but was such an angling feat ever really on the cards?
I wonder about this, because Ingham seemed to change his mind about the existence of large fish in Woldale, but Walker did not, at least for several years: - and despite Ingham's long association with Woldale, the weight of evidence seems to be in Walker's favour.
Anyone who's read "Drop Me A Line" will know how impressed Walker was with Woldale and how both he and Ingham expected large fish. Walker even hooked, and lost, a very large carp there. He missed a big one too, on the strike. In 1950, he wrote to Ingham: "The one that took my worm was the biggest I've ever seen, except for the Arlesey monster - bigger than Pickle-Barrel, I think..."
Now the Pickle-Barrel reference is fascinating, because it was a known and weighed carp from Temple Pool, near Hitchin.
Walker even lost it at the net.
How large? Well there are firm figures to conjure with.
In a "History of Carp Fishing Revisited", Kevin Clifford supplies these interesting facts:
The two-acre, shallow Temple Pool was drained in 1942, when it revealed several big carp...20.5lb, 21.5lb and 25.5lb...They were returned when the lake was refilled..."
So assuming the big one was Pickle Barrel, that puts a ball park weight on the big Woldale carp seen by Walker.
While its true that the Woldale fish seemed to be all mid-doubles, I am sure that neither Walker nor Ingham would have made the mistake of treating a pool average as a pool maximum.
And yet, in the CCC letters, Ingham writes: "I have known Woldale a good many years...but I have never seen any which I would class as possible record-breakers..."
But was he merely throwing fellow anglers off the scent?
This is possible. Elsewhere, Ingham wrote of Woldale, that anglers believed that a break was inevitable when a big fish was hooked. He added: "I am sufficiently selfish to say this suits my purpose very well, and I do nothing to dispel the myth of uncatchability.."
Food for thought...

Very interesting FB Kindest regards . Woolly Bear .

Woolly Bear wrote:Very interesting FB Kindest regards . Woolly Bear .

Thank you, WB; - I think it is rather interesting, in that Walker, in 1950, said he "wouldn't mind betting" that Woldale held several fish over the then record of 26lb, and when we consider that Woldale was stocked in 1925, by 1950 the time was right for a few surprises. It's a shame that some of the big fish that took baits and/or were hooked were not landed. Carping history would have, perhaps, taken a different course. No one expected Redmire, - and if, say, Woldale had turned up a carp close to the Bob Richards fish in terms of size, would the CCC have been so keen to travel all the way to Herefordshire...?

Very interesting.... I'm sure Maurice would not have mislead the other CCC members deliberately and indeed the whole raison d'etre of the CCC was to share experience. However, I can quite believe the CCC and Maurice would nor have promoted Woldale or any other water on their radar to others outside their clique. Indeed Redmire was named by BB as a blind to stop other anglers finding their way to Bernithan Pool.

I'm sure the CCC would still have gone to Redmire though - surely they couldn't have overlooked Bob Richard's captures?

Skeff wrote:Very interesting.... I'm sure Maurice would not have mislead the other CCC members deliberately and indeed the whole raison d'etre of the CCC was to share experience. However, I can quite believe the CCC and Maurice would nor have promoted Woldale or any other water on their radar to others outside their clique. Indeed Redmire was named by BB as a blind to stop other anglers finding their way to Bernithan Pool.

I'm sure the CCC would still have gone to Redmire though - surely they couldn't have overlooked Bob Richard's captures?

I'm sure you're right Skeff on reflection, - the lure of Redmire would surely have been too great! Maurice's Woldale comments came early in the CCC history, and perhaps the 'open forum' nature of the CCC was to develop over time, despite the best intentions of the founders, including Maurice. Initially, I don't think he'd actually fished with some of the CCC members, and that could explain his caution here?

It is nice that Woldale still remains off of the radar of most.

It is such a lovely place to go and lose yourself in time although so terribly sad that the otters are now killing off the few carp struggling to survive.

Shaun Harrison wrote:It is nice that Woldale still remains off of the radar of most.

It is such a lovely place to go and lose yourself in time although so terribly sad that the otters are now killing off the few carp struggling to survive.

Oh, I didn't hear about the otters, - that's terrible news..

Yes, very sad indeed.... I have many great memories of fishing the shallows or tucking myself behind one of the big Chestnut trees.... And of landing one or two wonderful Leney mirrors and commons.

Very sad indeed.
Any possibility of an otter fence?

Unfortunately not, the place is left totally wild which is its magical attraction but thus its potential downfall as a carp fishery.