Richard Walker (angler)
- This article deals with Richard Stuart Walker, English angler. For other Richard Walkers, see: Richard Walker (disambiguation).
Richard Stuart Walker (29 May 1918 – 2 August 1985) was an English angler.
One of the first to apply scientific thought to angling, 'Dick' Walker wrote many books on the sport. He also wrote for the angling press, most notably for the Angling Times. He held the record for a carp in the UK for 28 years with a fish of 44 pounds (20 kg) caught at Redmire pool in Herefordshire.[1]
Biography
Walker was born at 32 Fishponds Road in Hitchin, Hertfordshire in 1918; he lived there until 1928. His father was a professional soldier and his mother an employee of the Post Office. He started fishing at an early age, being taught by his grandfather in Hertford. He was educated at the Friends' School in Saffron Walden and St Christopher School in Letchworth. He went to Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University, but his studies were interrupted by the Second World War, during which he worked for the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. He flew regularly over Germany and was deafened in one ear by a shell which exploded just outside the aircraft.
After the war he joined Lloyds and Co, manufacturers of high quality grass cutting machinery as technical director.
His inventions included the electronic bite alarm and the arlesey bomb weight, and he was instrumental in the development of the carbon-fibre fishing rod. Considered by many to be one of the best fishermen of the twentieth century, his books are now collector's items. One of his personally handmade Mark IV carp split cane rods is worth some thousands of pounds.
He lived by the river Ivel in Biggleswade from 1978 until his death in 1985 after a long battle with cancer. A biography by Professor Barrie Rickards was published in 2007.
A blue plaque was unveiled on his birthplace in June 2011.[2]
Walker's record carp
On 13 September 1952, Walker landed the then record carp at Redmire Pool. After the fish's capture he decided to contact London Zoo to verify its weight. After collection the fish was transported to the zoo's aquarium and put on public display. Walker had named the carp Ravioli but the fish was renamed Clarissa. Walker's record held to 1980.[3]
Published works
- The Book of the Flemish Giant Rabbit
- Rod Building for Amateurs
- Still-Water Angling
- Drop Me a Line
- Walker's Pitch
- How Fish Feed
- Carp Fishing
- Kapitale Fische Reiche Beute (Walker's Pitch)
- No Need to Lie
- Fly Dressing Innovations
- Successful Angling
- Dick Walker's Angling
- The Shell Book of Angling (Editor)
- Dick Walker's Modern Fly Dressings
- Catching Fish
- Pesca Deportiva (Successful Angling in Spanish)
- Dick Walker's Trout Fishing
- Dick Walker's Coarse Fishing
- The Best of Dick Walker's Coarse Fishing
- Dick Walker's Trout Fishing on Rivers and Stillwaters
- The Carp Catchers' Club
- The Stone Walker Letters
- Spin Me a Line
- Walker's Pitch II
- Be My Guest
References
- ↑ Keith Elliott. "Angling:Holy waters of Redmire". The Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ↑ 'Angling legend Dick Walker is honoured with a blue plaque' Biggleswade Chronicle 2 June 2011
- ↑ "Richard Walker". Canal & River Trust. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
