LEGEND MAKERS

[BAZ (Angel of the North)]

I have often thought about something that Ron mentioned in one of his writings about Richard Walker. Okay, this is yet another “what if” question. But never the less, a very important one. Or more a case of a missed golden opportunity.


I think it happened around the time that Walker caught Clarissa at Redmire Pool. Walker himself said that at the time of the capture, there was only one other Carp as big, if not bigger than Clarissa in the Country. The place he was talking about was Lymm Dam in Cheshire. I know the reason why Walker wasn’t allowed to fish it, and with hindsight I think it was the biggest blunder that the council ever made as regards to Lymm Dam. And it was ultimately a council decision.

Just look at what Walker did for Redmire. Even today, bookings to fish this magical place are taken twelve months in advance. He created a legend. Cheshire could have had its very own Redmire if Walker would have been allowed to carry on and catch just that one fish. Little men in cloth caps eh?

As far as I know, Redmire doesn't get overstocked, and yet just look at the excitement it still causes. Legends are one thing which we are short of,

 

[Frothey]

Lots of "legendary" waters around, its just you have almost no chance of fishing them as they are dead-mans shoes syndicates.

 

[BAZ (Angel of the North)]

Frothey.

The Dam is vastly underused. It could have been so different if Walker had got his way. The back half of the Dam is full of half submerged tree trunks and sunken islands. I think that this is where another dream or legend could have been made. Wild and natural, just like it should be. Today it is just another day ticket water.

 

[Gav Barbus]

I thought a club had took lease from the old owners?I remember a thread a while back with some guy stating in no uncertain terms it was not day ticket and Lymm did not have the rights.

 

[Ged]

Lymm Anglers used to have fishing control of the Dam. Free to members but day tickets available. They gave it up a few years back but I don't know the reason why!

As far as I know, it is councel owned.

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Eric Hodson used to fish Lymm Dam a lot, and had a few good carp out of it too, well they were good for that time.

But I remember Eric telling me that there were one or two monsters in the water. I think The Monk would know a little bit more.

But what Eric also told me was that the fishing rights were owned by a match orientated club that frowned on anglers wanting to target the big ones. In those days when a man like Walker wrote about going out and catching big carp on 12 lbs bs lines, and number 2 hooks - and at night,it raised the hackles of the matchmen who to them, a 12oz roach caught on a 20 hook and 1 lb bottom represented the ultimate in angling achievement.

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I remember only too clearly the many matchmen who thought that Walker's way of angling was "splodging with semi-eel tackle."

I often wonderwhat the matchmen of old would think to the matchmen of todaywith their "Shock Sticks" with big hooks, heavy line and number 32 elastic. A few of them will be turningin their graves I can assure you.

 

[EC]

Great post Bazza, I think Frothey has hit the nail on the head tho regards accessibility.

I do think some waters can also attain legend status on a local level, maybe the Cheshire or shropshire meres for example?

Lymm Dam is on the Bay Malton AC card now I believe!

Lymm Dam

 

[Gav Barbus]

They seem to have acquired alot of waters off a certain club.
The canals seem to be the place for the unknown these days ,certainly for carp and tales of monster eels,They havegot to be the most unknown quantity .

 

[BAZ (Angel of the North)]

Ahh but it isn't just the big fish that makes the legend. People fish Redmire today, for the legend and not the big fish.

Think of Walker and a thousand and one images pass through your mind, it does mine anyway. I can't think of anybody else who could command such imagary. With the exception of C.Yates of course.

 

[Frothey]

funnily enough Baz, lots of semi-reliable rumours starting to appear about two big fish in Redmire........

 

[Neil Maidment]

Perhaps not quite "Legend" status but The Royalty had (has) three areas that certainly had cult status. People from all over the country and further afield would join waiting listsfor a day in......

1. The Parlour - a cracking little concrete box of an outlet but very often stuffed full of fishing dreams.
2. The Weir Compound - restricted access unless you knew someone whoknew someone who knew.... unbelievable numbers of Barbel.
3. The Bridge Pool - classicposing boat pool in the middle of Christchurch withthe Priory as a backdrop. Some of the finest Sea Trout fishing in the country and not bad trotting for Dace and Roach either.

I've fished and blanked in all three many times. I still rate The Bridge Pool as one of the finest days fishing available wether you catch or not!

 

[BAZ (Angel of the North)]

Sorry Gents, but it isn't the fish, size, or amount of fish that I am getting at here. It is the "people" that fished these waters that made them the legends they are today.

Now I don't want to get all flowery on you, but if you can sit on the bank surrounded by mist, with nothing but coot calls disturbing your solitude, it would be very easy to imagine somebody like Walker or Yates flicking a single swan shot quill float alongside a lily bed wouldn't it? I could quite happilly sit at a place such as this, thinking thoughts of these men of yore. If my float never moved for an hour, I would still reckon I was on a winning streak.

 

[Gav Barbus]

Love it,and that kind of scene is what hooked me for sure,the gentle twitches as carp cruise in over your feed and the hand twitching for the rod as you decide should I move from this unbearably uncomfy spot which I am lay or will that see the giants dissapear into the misty depths unseen for another day.

 

[Frothey]

i'd rather sit next to savay and dream of finding people upside down in puddles, with the echoes of "Sally, pride of the valley" drifting across the lake.......

 

[Graham Marsden (ACA)]

I've had a few carp from Lymm Dam (nothing particularly big) in the 60's. It was a hard water and I saw nothing exceptional the few times I fished it, but the thought that Walker wanted to fish it made all the difference.

If he actually had fished it then Baz could well be right. Lymm Dam would have increased its status no end.

It was Walker (with Fred Buller) in spite of not being a noted pike angler, who made LochLomond famous as a pike water. I fished it at the same timeas Walker and I did catch a 25-pounder and lost a much, much bigger fish.

Since then Walker's tales of monster pike in Lomond have been dismissed as sensationalism, but I often wonder if there were truly monster pike in the water, for unlike most of those who dismissed the idea, I had personal experience of hooking a fish on there that I'll never forget.

 

[BAZ (Angel of the North)]

I will tell you something that you didn't know Graham,and I don't want to embarrass you.

Remember the Fish -IN at Boundary two years ago? You didn't actually fish yourself, but you were there. Your name was being bandied about for months later, by the Carp anglers that were on there that day. I was asked a number of times are you comeing back? Two young lads who came chatting to us were going around other waters telling their mates they had seen you. A name certainly can make all the difference to a water.

The Dam is still a hard water. I know a couple of lads who have put the time in on there, taking notes etc of when and where fish came out. It was the back end of the Dam that held the secrets. But it is a difficult area to fish.

 

[Warren 'Hatrick' (Wol) Gaunt]

"i'd rather sit next to savay and dream of finding people upside down in puddles, with the echoes of "Sally, pride of the valley" drifting across the lake....... "

Froth, spent a good 2-3 hours with Roger and Kerry the other week when they came over to see me on Harefield. I got them talking about the old Savay days, was brilliant.

Kerry was telling me of one winter day when Roger slipped head first intoSavay and him and i think Rod Hutchinson dragged him outunconsciousand freezing, they thought he was a gonna. Anyway, cut a slightly longer story shorter they got Roger to come roundand when he opened his eyes he said slightly slurred, "i saw Sally down there, she was eating my boilies"

When i was on Harefield andwe were sat chatting away iask them them how things are going and Roger replied,

"well you see we got this fridge right and it does keep the Cider cold and tonight Kerrys doing a Chilli Con Carne, you must come see our fridge in the morning, we like our fridge dont we Kerry" no Carp Roger i replies, hows things going with the Carp "oh them, we've had i think five to 33lb last couple of days, yeah, or maybe six, you must come see our fridge though"

Savay- Legend

Roger and Kerry - Legends

 

[Frothey]

sooooooooooooooooo jealous!

Roger still got his chub?

 

[Graham Marsden (ACA)]

Baz: /forum/smilies/embarassed_smiley.gif

 

[Frothey]

that'll put the carp anglers off - the father (nearly wrote grandfather!)of bream fishing visiting a water /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif