Time Machine – Dick Walker

“C’mon, this time machine’s got to be tried somehow. Who could we bring back from the past for five hours?” asked Professor Branefaid. “Can’t be anyone still alive. And try to play a bit safe for this first attempt,” he continued. This was the trickiest question of all – who to bring back? The time machine that the professor had built tapped into the principle of time being parallel rather than linear, the hard part was the tuning into the zillions of existences.

I shuffled nervously, “I’ve always regretted never having a chance to meet Dick Walker.”

“Who’s he? Sounds promising; don’t forget we can only bring him back for five hours and he will never remember it, except maybe as a strange dream.”

“He was one of the best angling brains in England. Born 1918, died 1985. Richard Stuart Walker. Try the search engine.”

“Got him. Author of several books, lived in Hitchen, Biggleswade, that the one?”

“That’s him alright. I reckon about 1980 is a good enough time to lift him from.”

“I’ll start the preparations on the machine, should be complete by nine tomorrow morning, enormous number of calculations to bring him through the space/time continuum but I reckon we can do it. I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

The following morning I was in the lab by eight. The professor had beaten me to it. “Nearly ready to run. Only takes five minutes.” By the time I returned with a coffee, it was all over. Dick Walker was in the chamber, and about to find himself in 2004.

Walker looked startled to find himself sat on a metal chair in a small chamber. The doors opened. “Where am I? Who are you?” The professor checked the screen, all appeared normal, heart rate okay, blood pressure a little high.

It took the professor ten minutes to explain to Walker that he was indeed part of a scientific experiment, in the year 2004, that he would return to 1980 in about five hours time, and that he would remember nothing of this experience.

I was keen to find out his views on the modern angling scene. Much had changed in the last twenty-five years. There was a library next to the lab, and I’d brought in some angling journals and modern tackle. With Internet access available, it would be possible to show him more of what was going on. The library would be closed for the day so we’d enjoy some peace and quiet.

But Walker’s first request was for a cigarette. He was puzzled by the no smoking rule. Opening the window wide and ensuring the door was locked, I relented. Then we began to talk; I’ll document it as an interview.

The Interview

Dick Walker: “Here I am in 2004. Would I still be alive then? What about old Fred J., Peter Stone, old Venables?”

“I am unable to confirm your current state, but I can tell you Fred is still with us though I’m afraid it won’t be possible for you to meet him; Peter Stone passed on in 2000 and Bernard in 2001.

Dick Walker: ” Crikey, Venables must have been in his nineties. Has fishing changed much? Don’t suppose the rivers are up to much, over abstracted, dredged and polluted no doubt, a lost cause, I’d expect a two-pound chub to be a big one by now. Tench seem to be getting bigger every year, record’s over nine pounds. Must all be lake fishing nowadays.”

Me: “Amazingly, though the smaller species like dace and roach are fewer, there are bigger perch, chub and barbel in many rivers. The barbel record’s over twenty pounds, and from the Great Ouse. The perch from Claydon Brook and the Ouse around Buckingham down, including your old stretch is nothing short of incredible. Tony Miles had a five pounder and there have been loads of four pounders from there. As for chub, where do I start?”

Dick Walker: ” Tell me more about the perch on the Ouse; never did get a three pounder from there though the Taylors got some. We always reckoned it ought to produce a four pounder one day, then the disease struck, but five pounds! You were saying about the chub…”

Me: “Take a look at these pictures in John Wilson’s book. What cracking perch. But there have been plenty of big ones from the Thames, Dorset Stour, Severn…..As for chub. The Ouse is producing big ones but the monsters are coming out all over the place, the record’s nearly up to nine pounds with the chance of a double figure one in the not too distant future, the Dorset Stour again, the Hampshire Avon, the Lea, the Trent, Wye….there’s seven pounders coming out all over the place, in fantastic condition too, and as for the barbel, they are getting bigger every year with fourteen and fifteen pounders, and bigger coming out all over the place. It’s reckoned that with the warmer summers and milder winters the fish grow for longer, that and in many waters there’s an infestation of American crayfish.”

Dick Walker: “So the rivers must be pretty crowded then? I always thought the future of angling had to be on stillwaters, what with abstraction, boating, pollution…”

Me: “That’s the strange thing. There are far less anglers fishing the rivers despite the huge fish present whilst the majority are fishing on commercial carp waters.”

Dick Walker: “Commercial what?”

Me: “Commercial carp waters are shallow man-made lakes, often with several lakes, very heavily stocked with small carp up to about ten pounds or so, though some have plenty of bigger ones. They’re usually day ticket. Most people use a pole on them with pellets.”

Dick Walker: “There’s no need to try to take advantage of my innocence in a future age. You are joking, aren’t you? A roach pole could never handle a double figure carp. I’ve heard of trout pellets. Doesn’t sound especially interesting to me, more like shooting fish in a barrel, doesn’t anyone try natural baits like caddis any more? What happened to what I always referred to as watercraft? You know, locating them without frightening them, you’ve got to be crafty, and so on… you read my books?”

Me: “I have read your books, they’re still well regarded and sought after. Back to the roach poles. Developments in carbon have been phenomenal, poles up to nineteen metres… strong elastic up the middle, they’ve had carp to 27lb on poles, match weights to four hundred pounds…but watercraft? Most anglers think it’s a radio controlled boat to get your bait out.”

Dick Walker: “So I was right on carbon fibre for rods then? What about lines, hooks and reels? I find it hard to make much headway on hooks, you know. Reels seem to be slowly getting there, plenty of scope for better lines.”

Me: “Take a look at these cracking reels. Shimano. The drags you dreamed of and rollers that stop line twist. But it’s taken years to get the proportions right. What about this line? It looks like clear thick mono but put it in water and it nearly disappears. Refractive index close to that of water. And hooks, what about these?”

Dick Walker: “Invisible line. I’m impressed. Most of it seems to have Japan or somewhere else in the Far East on the label? You seem to be spoilt as far as tackle is concerned, aren’t you losing the fun of developing your own tackle? Is there much big carp fishing now?”

Me: “Here’s an Angling Times supplement. Look at the size of these carp. You can get more forty plus carp reported in a week in summer now than a decade, thirty years ago, and that’s not including the really big fish of closer to sixty pounds. Record’s over sixty now. These really big fish get caught over and over, nudging up the record. Look closely at the rigs. A lot of anglers communicate via the Internet, a computer based network, I’ll show you how it works in a minute.”

Dick Walker: “So much for eliminating resistance, though Stoney reckoned he was on to something in increasing resistance for his beloved bream. Never could understand his obsession with the slimy things. Size of those leads! More like bloody sea fishing. Certainly losing the mystery. I know I’ve preached a scientific approach but isn’t this taking it all a bit far? I’m all for outwitting a clever old fish but this is more like taking turns with a raddled old tart! I must admit that I spent some time after carp, though there were always other fish that interested me; roach for a start, and I suppose that in truth I’ve spent more time trout fishing than the rest put together.”

Walker paused as he scanned Angling Times, then continued:

“Geoffrey Bucknall still about? Crossed swords with him often enough, though always pleasant about it. What’s this Internest you said you’d show me?”

Me: “Bucknall’s still writing to the letters pages when he feels so inclined. To explain the Internet, everyone’s got their own computer like this one, amazing power, all linked through a central network, then people develop their own websites, a bit like magazines but on a computer and much more active, articles and news every day. You link in through your phone line. Most people are using digital cameras, all electronic, no film required. You can send letters electronically to people as well, known as e-mail. Look at this site on fishing. Fishingmagic it’s called.”

Dick Walker: “Well, I recognise Barrie Rickards and Graham Marsden for a start, both a lot older and greyer! It all looks very interesting. I’d love to see one of these digital cameras. What’s a forum?

Me: “It’s a discussion that anyone can take part in, nothing libellous or nasty but brilliant for finding out information. Even better you can email someone if you want to discuss things more privately.”

Dick Walker: “Can I have a go? Ron Clay looks familiar, not the same chap I fished with years ago? Sends me letters every month or so. Certainly thinks about his fishing. Seems provocative enough in his arguments!”

Me: “That’s the same Ron Clay, alright. Having the time of his life catching big barbel on the Trent amongst other things, always reckoned that you’ve helped his fishing enormously over the years. If you appear on the forum, people will wonder what’s happening. You might even shut Ron up about South Africa for once, though!”

Dick Walker: “I suppose the anti anglers are still about. They’ve never had anything better to do other than harass others that might just be having more fun than them. Couldn’t give a fig about fish; just want to stop anything that they don’t approve of. Puritans, really I suppose. You must fight them; keep the politicians on their toes. All promises and no action. You must be united as anglers; NFA never was much bloody good. Pollution as well, keep at ’em, member of the ACA I hope?”

Me: “Nothing much has changed on that front. The NFA seems to be slowly heading for oblivion. I’m in the ACA, they still do good work fighting pollution.”

“Thames, Dover, Wight, Plymouth. South Westerly 5, increasing 6 to 7. Rain then showers.”

What the bloody hell? I blinked; it was the radio alarm. In the half light of an autumn morning I could just make out a book lying next to the radio. Dick Walker’s Angling……..

More from John Adams and the Time Machine soon