A mystery is surrounding the death of one of Britains largest common carp, Benson, which at one time reached 64lbs in weight.
Tony Bridgefoot, the owner of Bluebell Lakes where Benson was kept, is blaming unprepared peanuts as the cause, which are banned on the fishery anyway. Empty discarded packets have been found in the swims and in the rubbish bins.
Mr Bridgefoot intends to have the fish mounted in a case and the carcase has been handed over to the taxidermist already. She won’t be ready until Christmas at the earliest.
The surprising bit about this news is how far around the globe it has travelled. It’s been reported in middle eastern newspapers from the Gulf States to as far as the Durban Mercury, a South African newspaper. They reported “The death of Benson, the monster carp – possibly poisoned by eating untreated nuts – has sent grief rippling through the British fishing community. Enthusiasts used to flock to Benson’s home, the Bluebell Lakes in Cambridgeshire, for a shot at yanking the 64lb (29kg) behemoth out of the water. Her sheer size and picture-perfect looks won the hearts of the readers of Angler’s Mail, who in 2005 voted her Britain’s favourite carp”
There are small numbers of admiring anglers who appear to be demanding a “lying in state” of a manner befitting that of a king or queen. One angler has posted the following comment on Bluebell’s own forum “I have followed the capture of this great fish for years & years, from carp magazines to this web site & the forum! A true great fish from a true great fishery! RIP Benson!!!!”
Mr Bridgefoot is also quoted as saying “ We are all rocked by Benson’s death. She was an iconic carp. We are all still trying to come to terms with her death.”
Benson and another carp named Creature who died fairly recently, were the fishery’s biggest pullers. Anglers would travel from all over the country to have a chance of catching her.
