Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

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Danesman
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by Danesman »

My father was an electrician and attended on the family business of lawnmowers at their premises in Hitchin on a number of occaisions. He told me that Dick and his parents were always very polite and courteous. Dick would always find a few minutes to talk fishing with my father also a very keen angler.

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Phil Arnott
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by Phil Arnott »

I don't have any strong opinion about Dick Walker although I did once spend an evening with him. He was friendly and entertaining.

He was by profession an engineer and using scientific knowledge for pragmatic innovation are what makes an engineer. The fact that he used this approach in his fishing is not surprising. Angling is full of dogma and apocrypha and there is a need for educated, intelligent people like Dick Walker to debunk it so I enjoyed his debates in the angling press.

As a fly fisherman he would have to accept that much of the time fly fishing is not the most effective method of catching fish and part of the pleasure is using the method and tackle. I would be illogical and hypocritical to condemn people who gain pleasure from using traditional tackle to catch fish so I think it highly unlikely he would deride it because the tackle may be less efficient.

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Nobby
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by Nobby »

Yes, it's true about the lawnmowers, Olly. It was the family business. More trade machinery for parks etc etc, than home cylinder mowers.

It's fairly accepted that one, at least, of the pair of Walker built carp centrepins uses a gear from a lawnmower engine. I think it was a Villiers engine, or maybe Norton Villiers. He turned the spool himself on the workshop lathe. There were rumours of the waste cuttings ( swarf) catching fire as he used magnesium, but it's not proven.

Not until Jon lets me file a bit from his spool to see if I can burn the filings.........

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Mole-Patrol
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by Mole-Patrol »

Nobby, I read that it was the lubricant that caught fire, not the swarf. You can read an account here:
https://dickwalker.co.uk/thewalkerreels.html

Good luck with getting a scraping from John's reel :shocked:

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PeteD
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by PeteD »

Nobby wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:55 am Yes, it's true about the lawnmowers, Olly. It was the family business. More trade machinery for parks etc etc, than home cylinder mowers.
They are still in business. Still making professional mowers and turf care machines and still a family business.

http://www.lloydsandco.com/

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Nobby
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by Nobby »

Thanks PeteD !

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Loop Erimder
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Re: Richard Walker, Friend or Foe?

Post by Loop Erimder »

Legend!
Image
Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish

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