Carp number 61: Charlie.
At long last, it took me over seven years but at last I'd banked the big one, Charlie. Here She weighed in at 'only' 25 lb 1 oz and I caught her off the Mungs in September of 1986. I wasn't complaining about her low weight, I was just far more concerned at the time.
In typical London Bus fashion just a month or so later whilst fishing off the Ritchies in October of 1986, I then caught Charlie yet again. Here She looked a bit more like her old self having put on a bit of weight. She pulled scales round to 27 lb 1 oz, the heaviest Carp I even took from Fordwich, in fact my third ever heaviest fish from anywhere till this day I think?
Charlie was always around in Fordwich in my day and by 1980 or so She had registered an almost legendary status amongst the local Carp anglers. She didn't get caught too often in the early years and I think I only ever saw her three or four time on the bank ever? Out of our close mates Geoff caught her first off the Corner swim (in 1983?) when she weighed over 28 lbs then Lockey caught her in 1986 at around mid twenties (?) but otherwise no one amongst us ever caught here at all, well not before 1987 anyway. I had to wait, and wait and wait again before finally I slid the net under her in 1986. Charlie never got caught at over thirty pounds during my day, in fact if anything she appeared to be getting smaller as the years wore on? She had got above 29 lbs, initially in 1981 as the C&DDA annual report noted [see below]
The 29 lb 4 oz fish caught by Rod Killick as mentioned, was Charlie. I know that later on, perhaps in 1982 (?) that Burt Thatcher caught her at over 29 lbs too, no doubt like Mr Killick early on in the season when she was carrying a bit of spawn. After this as far as I'm aware, she never got caught at this weight ever again? The 26 Carp over twenty pounds in one season quote gives a bit of perspective too. The lake was being fished really hard by this time and yet only 26 twenties were banked all season long in 1982. I know I didn't get any twenties at all that season and I bet that Rod Killick caught at least ten of the others. Twenties were still a big deal at the time.
Carp number 62:
10 lb 12 oz, the Mungs, September 1986.
Another one of the newly stocked heavily scaled fish, already into double figures. A little cracker mind you.
Carp number 63:
16 lb 11 oz, the Mungs, September 1986.
A rather incredible looking fish. a ghostly monochrome grey thing, unlike any other I ever saw from the lake. I only ever caught this fish this one time and only have recollections of seeing it on one other occasion whilst looking through another anglers photos.
One of my favourite ever captures, a glorious looking thing on the bank. It was mint here with not any hint of a mark on it and it weighed in at 24 lb 12 oz. I caught it off the Mungs in September in 1986 and at the time thought that I had never seen it before ... but ...
... there amongst my old loose photos I then found this, the same fish again. I can't remember the weight (23 lb?) and here we have Kev 'the head' one of Malcolm Berry's mates, who took the fish off the Ritchies in 1985/86 I think? He'd recently only just recovered from breaking both wrists due to a motorcycle accident if memory serves correct which is why he's struggling to pick the fish up. I must have been fishing nearby as that's my landing net and weighing sling, so I presume I must have been on the Mungs?
Apart from the above I did once see this fish in someone else's photos ... I think Geoff might have caught it when it was much smaller? It was rare fish to see anyway.
Carp number 65:
18 lb 10 oz, the Mungs, September 1986.
18 lb 3 oz, the Ritchies, October 1986, here showing both sides for what its worth?
A fairly uniform looking Fordwich Carp, that one loose scale in the middle/top below the row of dorsal fin scales along the back being the most obvious landmark for re-identification?
Carp number 66:
15 lb 1 oz, the Baldwin, October 1986.
There are very few obvious identification markings on this Carp, well, unless that protrusion isn't down to it having a twisted swim bladder?
Carp number 67:
9 lb 10 oz, the Baldwin, October 1986.
One of the recently introduced scaly things again.
Carp number 68: Old Joe.
Old Joe, taken at 13 lb 14 oz off the Baldwins in October 1986.
My one and only photo of this fish though I know for certain that I caught it more than once. The fish had a deformed mouth, having no top lip at all, just a round boilie shaped hole. My old pal Dave Locke named this fish, I can't write out the actual reason why he chose this name even though I can remember it. I saw this fish on the bank numerous times during my eight years fishing for Carp on Fordwich and it was always in the low double figure range.
15 lb 2 oz, the Baldwin, October 1986.
Another nice orange/bronze Carp with few distinguishing features.
Carp number 70:
18 lb 6 oz, the Baldwin, October 1986.
A nice fresh looking yellow Carp. The dial scales in the background were Martin Daley's so I must have been fishing with him on this occasion. This image wont be the best to help with any re-identification perhaps?
Carp number 71: The Seal.
The Seal at 21 lb 9 oz, the Ritchies, July 1987.
I used to call this one the Seal ... er well, because it looks like a darned SEAL! Look at it ... I mean are they fins or flippers? I only ever caught this fish the once.
Carp number 72:
12 lb 4 oz, the Ritchies, July 1987.
I've not too much to add about this little Carp. I include it as you never know, it could well be one of the lunkers now?
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I also caught about thirty or more Common Carp out of Fordwich (I have photos of what appear to be 26 different one's anyway) but for obvious reasons it's hard to tell some of the fish from others as many of them looked much the same so it'll be pointless uploading any ore images here as it will do nothing to help with any re-identification wotsit. There were a few Common's with obvious distinguishing marks so I'll include them here.
Popeye. A short deep common with bulging eyes. I caught this fish a few times, once two days apart! Here it weighed in at over 18 lbs and it used to veer between this sort of weight or a little heavier down to about 16 lbs in the middle 1980's.
Common Carp number 2:
A mid double in 1984 (here at 15 lb 6 oz) having an obvious patch of long lost scales on its right hand flank underneath the rear end of the dorsal fin. This one used to get caught a fair bit, I saw this fish on the bank a few times and it caught it twice myself.
14 lb 14 oz in July 1986. This Common was mint on the other flank but note here a decent patch of irregular scales above the lateral line.
Common Carp number 4:
10 lb 4 oz, July 1986. I used to refer to this one as the silver Common, a stunning looking fish. It always looked this silvery colour with very few yellow tones. If it's still around then it might be recognisable?
Common Carp number 5:
This fish (here at 13 lbs in October '86) wasn't damaged it always had that line of white scales.
Common Carp number 6:
And this otherwise mint 11 lbs Common (taken in the winter of 1986) had no top lip and looked as if it had never had one. I took the same fish at about the same weight two years prior.
Common Carp number 7:
And for what it's worth, well here's the one and only ever twenty plus Fordwich Common Carp that I ever laid eyes on back in my day. My mate Rich's 20 lb 12 oz fish taken in early 1982, previously mentioned elsewhere in this Blog of utter woe. It was one of the more uncommon deeper type fish around back then. Most of the Fordwich Commons in the 1980's were long, thin, torpedo shaped things. We never knowingly ever saw this fish again and I think that given its size then it would have registered at least a thought 'is it Richs' Common?' Anyhow, we never saw anything after that ever resonated. The cutting off of Rich's head was intentional by the way. I wanted one of just the fish which is why Craig pulled up the dorsal fin for a perch style shot. I took a few of both Carp and gleaming angler but have since given all of those prints (probably?) to Rich.
Hang on ... I've just had an exciting and rather brilliant idea ...
Et voila ...
Wow, what a genius eh? Take a photo of Rich's head from 2012 and stick it back when it once sat back in 1982 twenty full years previous. It's a good bit of work eh ... you can't hardly see the join? I dunno who the incredibly handsome babe magnet is over his right hand shoulder but he sure looks a lot of fun.
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