Redmire Pool

[liphook]

All very well but why did they bother knowing full well that it was going to end up for sale.
Bit of a waste of time if you ask me.

Because it needed doing. Waters created by damming a stream act as silt traps so periodically require dredging or digging out. My understanding is that the owners undertook the works at considerable cost (and as sympathetically as possible) to breathe life back into the pool. Not a profiteering investment as the outlay will not be reflected by any significant increase in sale value. It's historic value to many carp anglers and indeed angling in general is not lost on them it would appear. Good landowners understand that in reality they are just temporary custodians and have an inherent sense of duty to hand things over in as good as, if not better, state than they received them. This island needs more of these kind in my opinion. I think it's a fitting effort and applaud all involved

 

[mikench]

As I have already said , each to their own. It is or was a pool with some carp in it and they happened to be obese.

 

[Philip]

As I have already said , each to their own. It is or was a pool with some carp in it and they happened to be obese.

Captured on bait more subtle than yours Mike !

 

[Philip]

The fact that the surviving carp from the bach of fifty were not fished for until after their growing cycle had ceased was another major factor in making Redmire pretty unique.

I recon thats absolutely spot on. The first 10 years in particular I recon are key for Carp. If a good stock can get past that without any pressure in a good environment then you have the recipe for very big fish on your hands. They will form big frames which they can then pack weight onto. Pressure them in the early growing years and you will basically stunt the growing cycle.

 

[mikench]

Captured on bait more subtle than yours Mike !

Glugged spam is anything but subtle Philip. . The carp I catch seem to like it.

 

[Molehill]

To fully appreciate Redmire, I think you need to have been around in the 60s and early 70s and have lived the excitement and wonder the catches provided on an almost weekly basis.
I have in front of me Jack Hilton's "quest for carp" (I bought it when it came out) and in the back is a list of notable carp caught. I also wrote for the summer of 72 all the catches reported in Angling Times, Redmire seemed to feature every week and nobody knew what monster would be caught next.
The times were exciting, Redmire was a legend and an aura surrounded it.

I am not trying to run the place down or the work being done, but those days have gone, the myth is gone, it is another empty lake being dug out and restocked. I'm sure it may do well, anglers may still flock there because of its past, best of luck to them.

But for me it would hold no draw (if I was interested in carp), the past is gone, it is another lake now.

 

[sam vimes]

I despair at the miserable attitude of some on here! A dedicated team have spent hundreds of hours restoring this water and carefully holding, sorting and ultimately replacing the original stock. I've never been to Redmire and have never felt compelled to but for some its their angling mecca. Show a bit of respect for your brother anglers and give credit where credit is due

There's absolutely no disrespect to anyone in being uninterested in going to Redmire. To suggest otherwise is just as ridiculous as suggesting that someone is disrespectful to all curry chefs because an individual doesn't want to eat a curry. Good luck to those that are interested. Even more luck to those that have done, or are going to do, something to bring it back to something close to its former glory. Still won't be for me, but that's my prerogative.

 

[liphook]

Live and let live is what I'm asking. Nowhere did I mention disrespect. I've stated that I've not been to Redmire and don't feel compelled to. My experience of clubs, syndicates etc tells me that those quick to criticise are those least likely to actually contribute at work parties etc. Its akin to the "glass half empty syndrome' and the generally hard of thinking approach of numpties and n'er do wells

 

[sam vimes]

Live and let live is what I'm asking. Nowhere did I mention disrespect. I've stated that I've not been to Redmire and don't feel compelled to. My experience of clubs, syndicates etc tells me that those quick to criticise are those least likely to actually contribute at work parties etc. Its akin to the "glass half empty syndrome' and the generally hard of thinking approach of numpties and n'er do wells

Sorry, you are barking up the wrong tree. Semantics maybe, but you did suggest that people should "Show a bit of respect". That rather suggests you felt that people were being disrespectful. As to the rest of your nonesense, you haven't got a clue who you are adressing. You've no idea what people's involvement in clubs or syndicates might be. Being uninterested in Redmire is not a criticism of anyone anyway.

Live and let live is on the money. Being uninterested in Redmire in no way precludes that. I'm not stopping anyone feeling differently. As you have suggested, live and let live by not telling people how they should think.

 

[liphook]

I'm not barking up any tree and likewise you've no idea who you are addressing, this is after all an internet forum. I haven't disrespected anyone and have no intention of doing so. It would be nice to think that we can all leave it at that. I have my opinions and life experiences and you have yours. Respect is the key word

 

[steve2]

My experience of clubs, syndicates etc tells me that those quick to criticise are those least likely to actually contribute at work parties etc. Its akin to the "glass half empty syndrome' and the generally hard of thinking approach of numpties and n'er do wells

Having run clubs on and off and attended work parties for over 50 years I will assume you are not talking about me.

 

[theartist]

Liphook is getting some stick but he does have a point even if the work party argument is moot, we see it on forums everywhere even on here, it's like the Jeremy Wade thread where someones asking for some questions yet how long is it before there's a post dissing him for not being good on tv.

The worst is the obit threads for someone passed, how many times do you get a " I didn't really like him much but R.I.P" Or the equivalant of

If someones doing a positive post about something they hold dear then maybe it's probably best to just ignore it if you don't agree, How can anyone not see Redmire is special to carp anglers no matter what it is now, or what it is likely to be, it could be a RSPB reserve one day full of bird faeces who knows, but then you'll probably get the same people lamenting over it's passing. Give the Carpers a break, they're not that bad are they?

Rant over.

 

[nottskev]

I don’t know anything about Redmire, beyond the press stories over the years and the homage in A Passion For Angling. I know it’s a real place with a real angling history – but I’m inclined to think its importance, if it has some, is in the realm of angling’s collective imagination, as a symbol of certain angling values. The secret, atmospheric pool…the huge fish, uncaught and barely fished for…the intrepid band of anglers breaking new ground, inventing the tackle and the methods. And so on. It’s a great story, and I don’t knock it. Surely there’s a bit of all coarse anglers that relates to these “mist-rising-from- the-lily pad-covered lake” scenes. There’s a fair bit of nostalgia and the retro-fashion for the traditional in there too, but, as someone has said already, cherishing a bit of heritage is more appealing than putting some newly-created super-water at the centre of the world of fishing. Even so, I can’t imagine myself ever being interested enough to want to visit or fish there, any more than I’m likely to begin dressing as an Edwardian gentleman and fishing with self-consciously ancient gear. I hope Redmire Pool has sympathetic owners and is well looked after, but I’m much more concerned about whether my local waters will survive and thrive.

 

[Keith M]

Nostalga is not what it used to be

Keith

 

[Philip]

I would think anyone not really that interested in Carp probably wont ever really see the fuss over Redmire. However for anyone interested in the specimen scene its always going to be of historical significance not just for the fish it produced but also being basically the catalyst for Walker becoming the legend he is.

When you think about the timescale between Walker and Yates fish that alone is quite incredible for such a small pool to come back and produce an even bigger record fish when waters like Yately were very much already on the map by that time.

 

[barbelboi]

The carp were late spawning in 1954 and Walker netted a carp a lot larger than his record. It had been muscled into the shallows in late June of that year by a couple of male fish and became stranded on it’s side. He netted the fish, weighed it (heavy with spawn obviously) 58lb, and returned it to deeper water. I believe that before this day there were sightings of carp that were considered somewhat larger than that one.

 

[Philip]

I believe that before this day there were sightings of carp that were considered somewhat larger than that one.

Later as well there were various reports of a "giant" Common including a photo of it in weed taken from a boat by Eddie Price that a few anglers supposedly saw including Jack Hilton & even Rod Hutchinson who was allegedly a gibbering wreck for weeks after....

The stories of course were part of the Mystique. The photo however is very much real.

 

[bennygesserit]

Are there any new Redmires ?
Any hidden gems ?

I suspect not but I am just a happy splodger

 

[Hugh Bailey]

Later as well there were various reports of a "giant" Common including a photo of it in weed taken from a boat by Eddie Price that a few anglers supposedly saw including Jack Hilton & even Rod Hutchinson who was allegedly a gibbering wreck for weeks after....

The stories of course were part of the Mystique. The photo however is very much real.

Chris Yates mentions the massive common too as does Jack Hilton. As a kid in the 60s/70s I read everything there was to read about carp - and there wasn't too much. Around where I lived (cycling distance) there was only 1 pool with carp (since filled in) and the general opinion was they were too difficult /impossible to catch. Mike's skepticism on this thread may be influenced by the current easy availability of carp fishing - in the 60s it just wasn't like that.

 

[103841]

Chris Yates mentions the massive common too as does Jack Hilton. As a kid in the 60s/70s I read everything there was to read about carp - and there wasn't too much. Around where I lived (cycling distance) there was only 1 pool with carp (since filled in) and the general opinion was they were too difficult /impossible to catch. Mike's skepticism on this thread may be influenced by the current easy availability of carp fishing - in the 60s it just wasn't like that.

That sums it up so well. I cannot think we will ever have a venue that created the magic and mystery of those Redmire days, modern communication with instant access, often uncensored, requiring little in the way literary skills detracts from all that.

Some still try with success to paint a picture that is a joy to behold, I read this only just a few moments ago.

The Owl and the Pike – Postcards from the English Outback