The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Wonderful stuff Skeff. Thanks for sharing.

Another one for Stu... A Leney double from the Wells, 1983 - photo by Chris who was my ghillie.

Bimey - you can't be very old there - catching such a fine carp from a great water

Great pictures and a really interesting topic. Skeff, is that the Somerset pool that you were on about?

No, Lechmere, not Somerset. It's a lovely wooded set of old hammer ponds on the Surrey/Sussex border, where I used to fish with Chris Yates when he lived over there. I used to go up and stay with Chris in the summer holidays from school and we would fish the Waggoners Wells and other fisheries such as Frensham, Petworth Park and the Rother. waggoners is one of the waters Stu is fishig and where he caught the fantastic 27lb Leney pictured in a thread about the pools in the lakes section. It's a small world! Coincidentally, Waggoners, Frensham And Petworth (and Woodchester Park) are all owned by the national Trust, so I've now gone full circle and work for the organisation charged with looking after these lovely pools. The great thing is that means i still get to fish them from time to time when work takes me nearby....

I can't remember the context in which I mentioned the Somerset Pool, but I imagine that would either be Pitt Pond which is now sadly devoid of fish thanks to otters, or my own lake, Ashmead, which is a heavenly area of old Somerset sedge with some very large carp cruising between the weedbeds. Incidentally, we just had our first ever visit from a bittern at Ashmead today, which is much more exciting than someone catching a carp! I'm hoping it's booming will attract a mate and we may have a nesting pair this spring..... But sorry! I'm wandering off topic.....

It was Pitt pool I was referring to, you talk about it a fair bit in your book. Bloody otters

But a bittern is excellent news, Sedgemoor seems to be attracting a few more nowadays, I certainly never heard one whilst I stalked its drains and pools. A breeding pair would be fantastic. Have the Great White Egrets visited you yet?

Ah! Yes..... Poor old Pitt. It was one of the finest carp pools I've ever known. the carp were all Leney's too - ex Redmire (just to bring the thread back on topic for a moment!).

We've had the egrets visiting for about six years now. I've just been told that some Russian bitterns have been released on the levels, so I imagine our visitor is one of those. I need to do some web research tomorrow to find out more..... The European Cranes were released from Poland on the Levels just twenty miles from here as well and the closest sighting (just a few weeks ago) was only about two miles from Ashmead, so hopefully one of these magnificent birds may drop in this year. 9 foot wingspan!! Imagine that landing on your rod.....

Right - I will start a wildlife thread tomorrow to avoid further diversion on this one.

Skeff wrote:Here we are Greg. March 1956 - I knew I'd marked a record for Dick Kefford... 50 king carp 4-5 inches.... I'll have a look back at '51 as well but it may be that Kevin got the dates wrong?

Thanks Skeff, that was so kind of you to find that. I really appreciate it.

50 king carp 1956 - I wonder if Kevin did make a mistake with the mention of 26 yearlings in 1951 – or if DK bought some more?
I have been told that some of these fish (or their progeny) eventually found their way into Weybread Pits, north of Framlingham (where apparently, they are still being caught - some at very good weights) but it seems almost certain that not all of them ended up there.
I do have an idea as to one or two possible locations and I might do a bit of detective work on this in the summer if I get time - I’ll keep you posted if anything interesting develops.

Sinah Warren in Hayling Island has Framlingtons, and Burton Bradstocks. Do these fish have relations to Leneys?

Oh, and Skeff, thanks for the above shot. One of my favourite swims, I caught the 27 just two to the right, in the corner by the outflow. Loving this WW history, can't get enough of it!