FarliesBirthday wrote:Julian wrote:FarliesBirthday wrote:A lovely find - but a little concerning that he saw monster roach in a river, then monster roach in Redmire...
I believe in the Redmire monsters, as it happens; but Yates is clearly someone who needs to find monsters to be enchanted..
Don't think he saw any monster roach in Redmire FB
He did have another angler witness one of his Redmire monsters - the mirror carp he called the Castle - I can't remember the other angler's name but they both watched the 'Castle' from up a tree together for quite some time.
He did also see and try to catch a monster chub in a river - I believe it was the River Mole.
Hmmm - I love the man's writings, but I just wonder now whether there was ever a Redmire "chess set": a few outsized fish, certainly; - the 'Bishop' the four foot common; and the big dark leather, which was seen by John Carver..wait a minute, perhaps he was right after all!
As for roach -
I am quite aware, Julian, that the article concerned river roach and there are no roach at all in Redmire 
Of course FB I know you are well aware there are no roach in Redmire - I was just taking the Michael because of your typo stating 'Monster roach in Redmire'
With regard to the monster carp CY saw in Redmire - yes the dark leather ( the 'black queen' ) was seen by others as well, as were the two identical commons that hung around together that he called the 'black knights'.
I believe Rod Hutchinson saw all the six ' chess' monsters together one day.
Having read CY's writings on these many times these are the approximate weights he ( and a few others ) estimated each of them to be :
Bishop ( seen frequently during the late 1970's up until it was caught in 1980) - approaching 50lbs
Dark Knights - mid 50lbs
Castle - around 60lbs
Black Queen - mid 60lbs
The King - somewhere between 70lbs and 90lbs - it appears that most (of the ten or more anglers who saw it ) thought around 80lb to 90lb at first but then reduced their estimates or what they were prepared to say publicly simply because it seemed too preposterous to be so big at that time.
It was also commented on its length being well over four feet by some, and at that time Walker had commented that it was not possible for a carp to reach 4ft in length, so those who had seen it were very cagey about publicly stating its estimated weight and length.
