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The Richard Walker interviews

By Martin James 17/08/2010 09:44:00

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Richard Walker died 25 years ago this month. A man who "...did more for angling than Izaak Walton ever did" - F.J.Taylor

More classic interviews from Martin James. Twenty five years after his death Dick Walker is still widely regarded as the Father of Modern Angling. This recording is a full thirty minutes of fascinating interviews. Features an interview with with RW's great friend Fred Taylor and with the great man himself. Subjects include the Clarissa capture, his books, tactics, his revolutionary tackle, baits - old and new, catching fish for the TV cameras, catching the 'impossible' Dagenham carp, the infamous trilby hat, carp intelligence, trout and stillwater fly fishing, the class attitudes and divisions within angling, dredging of our rivers, relations with water authorities and more... Unmissable stuff.

Ensure the sound on your machine is turned up.

These recordings were originally made by angling presenter Martin James for broadcast on his BBC Radio Lancashire angling show. Thanks to Martin for having the foresight and imagination to record this for angling posterity.

Geoff Maynard

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Comments (8 posted):

Cliff Hatton 2 on 26/08/2010 17:08:42

In the pitch black of a September morn, Walker felt his line running over the back of his hand and, at the right moment, engaged the pick-up and struck home the hook. Chris Yates, too, used his judgement to engage with his '51', did he not? There's no substitute for timing it right is there!

Ron The Hat Clay on 26/08/2010 17:32:48

In the pitch black of a September morn, Walker felt his line running over the back of his hand and, at the right moment, engaged the pick-up and struck home the hook That fish and that man changed the course of English angling, and probably, much of the way the sport was practiced in the rest of the world too. Whether angling was changed for the better is a matter of opinion of course. But even Walker himself, grew to hate, in no small way, what he had helped to create.

geoffmaynard on 26/08/2010 17:44:14

Yeah - I never liked the Polystickle either :)

Tee-Cee on 27/08/2010 06:14:19

What do you do if hair doesn't grow on the back of your hand...makes you wonder how far the fish had run before he struck......

Ron The Hat Clay on 27/08/2010 06:59:09

Yeah - I never liked the Polystickle either __________________ I have never caught a thing on a polystickle. However I have caught many trout on most of the other Walker patterns, especially Walker's Sedge and Daddy Longlegs.

Peter Jacobs on 27/08/2010 07:29:25

I have never caught a thing on a polystickle. I did, many years ago during my wasted time on large reservoirs before I discovered the wonders of river trout fishing . . . . . How about the good old 'maggot fly' or Baby Doll, ever caught on that?

geoffmaynard on 27/08/2010 09:00:38

I didn't know the Daddy was a Walker pattern. Must have been in the 70s :wh

Ron The Hat Clay on 27/08/2010 09:25:45

I did, many years ago during my wasted time on large reservoirs before I discovered the wonders of river trout fishing . . . . . How about the good old 'maggot fly' or Baby Doll, ever caught on that? __________________ Oh boy, do I detect a touch of river snobbery there Peter? I love the big ressies, nothing fights like an overwintered rainbow, and the big ressie browns are fine fish make no mistake about that. The "rat tailed maggot" was certainly a Richard Walker pattern, this thing being the larva of one of the drone flies. The Baby Doll? That was the invention of one - Brian Kench, a Grafham regular of the 70s. Dick had nowt to do with it. And yes I have caught on it, but today I prefer a cat's whisker! ---------- Post added at 02:25 ---------- Previous post was at 02:19 ---------- didn't know the Daddy was a Walker pattern. Must have been in the 70s __________________ Walker invented a pattern that had the legs, tied from knotted pheasant tail fibres trailing backwards, rather than stuck out at the side. This was a brilliant Walker idea that has gone around the world as is seen today in many of the "hopper" patterns. There were other Daddy patterns prior to Walker's, the only problem with them was that they didn't work as well.

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