Dick Walker's views on carp rods

[Beresford]

What Walker doesn't note is that split cane and particularly his MkIV design is very good at throwing light freelined baits. In my experience of using a series of cane MkIVs and his design built by Hardy in fibreglass I'd take the cane for this reason, when fishing light baits.

With carp I do wonder why I can land those up to about 12lbs without too much bother but those I loose, tend to be those estimated to be in the 15lb + bracket. How does their greater fighting ability square with what Walker is saying here? He was a great man and a great inventor but I don't subscribe to the view that he was always right.

He is certainly right about trout smashing 10lb line when taking flies. Sometimes happens when fishing static nymphs.

[Wallys-Cast]

Maybe I am reading this wrong but I dont see how a carp of any size can be weightless just because it's in water, surely it weighs the same as the amount of water it displaces and therefore it takes more effort to move a larger amount than a small amount. A small submarine can be propelled by a small engine but a large one needs a larger engine and would take a lot more to stop it. Only in space could anything become weightless...

Wal.

[Santiago]

Since fish are about


If fish were made of lead they would have the weight of lead minus the weight of water they displace because of the force from the weight of displaced water. So because fish are almost as dense as water the upward force from the displaced water means fish are essentially weightless in water. To prove this to yourself try weighing a plastic bag full of water with your fishing scales; now place the bag of water in a bucket of water and weigh it. It will appear weightless. But if you were to then pull the bag through the water your scales will register a weight due to drag and drag is dependent on both size and shape!! Try it and see for yourselves; Walker was correct after all!

[Beresford]

Maybe I am reading this wrong but I dont see how a carp of any size can be weightless just because it's in water, surely it weighs the same as the amount of water it displaces and therefore it takes more effort to move a larger amount than a small amount. A small submarine can be propelled by a small engine but a large one needs a larger engine and would take a lot more to stop it. Only in space could anything become weightless...

Wal.

That would account for Yates' description of hooking a large carp that felt like a lawn roller slowly going down hill!

Snape must be able to answer this, he is a scientist.

[RBTraditional]

This conversation is beginning to remind me of Monty Pythons Witch sketch............"if she weighs the same as a duck.........." ............I think I will just open a beer!

[Santiago]

I'm a scientist and I've answered the question and even told you how to test it!! What more do you need?? Go fill those plastic bags!!!

[Wallys-Cast]

So are you saying fish aren't made of wood because they sink but ducks float so they must be made out of witches. I think I'll have a drink now too..

[Dave Burr]

Like I said, Dick Walker made your brain work - and he still does

And that My Lord, is how we deduce the world to be banana shape.

[Beresford]

I'm a scientist and I've answered the question and even told you how to test it!! What more do you need?? Go fill those plastic bags!!!

Thank you, got it, I just missed your post, I see, I see. Can you tell me why I find 15lbs carp a much tougher fight than a 12lb one? The fish seem to have the same pace but if the bigger fish has more resistance in water due to it's bulk is it just that it's bigger paddles make the difference, i.e. it can exert more pressure on the tackle?

If this so this may account for the 45 minute battle I had with a fish. When netted it was; longer than my net wide (36"), lean like a wildie, weighted just 14 lbs but had a tail on it like a shovel. So big engine room and little resistance due to lack of bulk gave it fighting ability?

[Santiago]

And one can see why most folk still believed in witches whilst Darwin was writing 'The Origin of Species' !! I'm off to me bed, all this thinking has hurt me brian!! Will catch up with this thread tomorrow and hopefully some of you will have tested out and weighed plastic bags full of water!! Just remember the bucket of water needs to be much bigger than the bags!!

Bigger fish = bigger paddles = harder fight.