What was the biggest fish out of redmire pool?

Answer 1

The largest fish caught on rod and line at the pool was Chris Yates's mirror, called "The Bishop" and landed in June 1980 - weight, 51lb 6oz or 51lb 8oz. Worryingly, the accounts seem to vary. This could be down to the fact that the syndicate's brass scale was found to be weighing around 2oz to the light. The Bishop is widely believed to have been a fish known as the "38" - caught previously at weights of just over 40lb, at best. Shortly after Yates's success, the fish was apparently found dead by angler Barry Mills, and reported to have been spawnbound: hence the higher weight. However, it is by no means certain that the Yates fish and the "38" were identical. For instance, a photo of the "38", when caught by Jack Hilton, at just over 40lb, clearly shows deep scarring on the left side gill cover, the operculum. This severe scarring is not in evidence on Yates's NASA record carp. Furthermore, neither Yates nor other members of the Redmire syndicate recognised the record fish as the "38" when it was on the bank. It is through the persuasive writings of angling historian Kevin Clifford, who was not present at the capture of the Bishop, that it has become generally accepted that the "38" was indeed "the Bishop." But if the Bishop was not the "38" after all, which seems at least possible, could Yates's fish still be swimming in Redmire? The largest captured common carp was Richard Walker's 44lb fish, Ravioli or Clarissa, of September 1952. The weight has burnt itself into carp fishing folklore - and a remarkable weight it still is for a fish stocked as a tiny yearling. It grew to a great size without the benefits of artificial, regular feeding. No comparisons can be made to most large carp caught in the present day. Such carp have often been grown to considerable weights at fish farms before being purchased by wide-eyed fishery owners. Regular supplies of boilies then ensure that even greater weights are achieved for fish that often do not have the experience to avoid a hook. However, it should be pointed out that even Ravioli's weight of 44lb, established at London Zoo, is by no means certain. Walker himself thought that the large wet sack used for transportation had been included in the weight. A bankside weighing of the common, using two spring balances, established a weight of over 41lb but under 42lb. Could Walker and companion angler Pete Thomas have been so far out? Early reports of the capture, given in newspapers including "The Hereford Times" state that the fish weighed 41lb, not the iconic 44lb that has passed into legend. If Walker's common did not weigh 44lb, then Chris Yates's fish of just under 43lb 13.5oz, landed in August 1972, takes the crown as Redmire's largest captured common to date: a remarkable achievement for Yates. As for the Redmire "monsters" - fish that were never caught on rod or line: there is a 1950s photograph by Eddie Price of one such fish, purporting to show a fish in the region of 70lb or so: and there are still occasional reports from the pool of a 4ft long common! Such a creature would probably break the British carp record, even now - but many anglers have long assumed that Redmire is finished as a water with very large fish. The largest weighed carp was reported to be 58lb. This was a mirror, said to have been netted by Richard Walker: when the fish got into difficulties while spawning.