Inducted: December 2007



Reputed to be the first man to catch a carp from the one-time record- breaking water Mapperley Reservoir in Derbyshire. Albert Buckley became intrigued by the fish that several friends had hooked and lost, sometimes running off all the line from the reel before breaking free, from this 28-acre fishery in 1930.

He was determined to find out whether these big fish were carp, as the water had a reputation of uncatchable monsters. To his credit, he indeed found that the culprits were carp and landed a number of ‘doubles’ before his big day in July 1930. Using light tackle, in a mainly weed and obstacle-free water, he banked in a few hours fish of 9lb, 11lb 15lb and a new British Record of 26lb. This fish took Albert nearly an hour and half to land.

Inducted: December 2007

In 1951 the angling world was staggered by the news of the capture by an angler named Bob Richards, of an almost unbelievable monster carp of 31¼lb from an unknown water in the West Country - Bernithan Court Pool, later renamed ‘Redmire Pool’ by ‘BB’.

Bob Richards lived in Gloucester, where he managed a small tobacconist’s shop. He had not previously caught many carp, and in truth, his first visit in early 1951 to ‘Redmire’ was an exploratory one. He had no real knowledge of the tremendous fish lurking in this small lake, nor did he dream of the monsters it was later to produce, but he was one of the fortunate few anglers in the great scheme of things who was ‘in the right place at the right time’.

Inducted: December 2007

By popular acclaim, the most significant angler and carp fishing figure of the twentieth century. Dick pioneered carp methods, designed and made tackle himself at a time when there was little else to go on.

His writing output was nothing short of staggering, either in his many books including the ground-breaking Still-water Angling of 1953 or his unbroken series of articles in Angling Times for over thirty years.

Dick’s famous capture of a record 44lb common carp in September 1952 from Redmire Pool really brought carp fishing into the spotlight. This most celebrated of carp did move the goal posts on what size carp could grow to in this country. The fish was at the time of capture transferred to the London Zoo Aquarium at Regent’s Park and was subsequently seen by tens of thousands of anglers and members of the general public over a period of nearly 20 years.

Richard Walker is rightly looked on as the father of modern carp fishing. He passed away in 1985.

Inducted: December 2007



Possibly the catalyst and artistic founder of modern carp fishing. His pen name of 'BB' was behind the first carp only book Confessions of a Carp Fisher published in 1950.

He along with Richard Walker were involved with setting up the Carp Catchers’ Club in the early 50’s and wrote extensively on the 'uniqueness' of carp fishing and the spell anglers could fall under when pursuing them. 'BB' was a prolific writer and gifted artist in many spheres of country life - hunting, shooting and fishing - and in 1989 was awarded the MBE in honour of his literary and artistic work. A true gentleman in every way, 'BB' passed away in 1990.

Inducted: December 2007



One of the classics in angling literature is the book Drop me a Line by Richard Walker & Maurice Ingham, first published in 1953. The book is actually a collection of letters that passed between these two gentlemen in the early 1950s. It started by Maurice asking about purpose-made carp tackle as described by Richard Walker in a number of articles he wrote for the now-long-defunct Fishing Gazette magazine.

From there blossomed a friendship that took both of them off on a big carp spree for the following few years. Though Maurice seemed at first to be the student, it soon became clear that here was an intelligent, articulate person of great resolve who soon became a carp angler of note in his own right. He landed a Redmire mirror of 24¾lb early on, and went on to become the syndicate leader of a wonderful small carp water in the Lincolnshire countryside called Woldale. It was at this water in the early 1950s where he landed many big carp (for the period) and later went on to fish at Redmire, Dagenham, Mapperley and elsewhere in the search for larger carp.

An excellent artist Maurice produced some wonderful colour drawings of carp angling personalities and the places they fished before he was struck down by a series of crippling strokes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He passed away in the late 1990s.

Inducted: December 2007



If you were involved in carp fishing during the late 1960s and early 1970s then you would have hung on every word Jack Hilton wrote. Jack was someone who was at the top of his game during that period and, thankfully, he wrote about much of his fishing in periodicals as well as regular columns in Angler’s Mail and later Angling Times, besides several notable books – the best known being Quest for Carp. It was only the biggest fish that interested Jack and in 1968, after tasting success the previous summer with the largest reported carp of the season, went on to form and lead (until 1975) the syndicate that would control the fishing at Redmire for the next 15 years.

Jack caught so many big carp during his time at Redmire including several over 30lb, culminating in a 40lb 3oz mirror in the summer of 1972. Indeed, Jack Hilton was the first man in this country to catch three carp over 30lb by 1972 and later the first to four over 30lb.

He wasn’t just a one-water man – Jack recorded 20-pounders from several other places and in the winter of 1970/71 he landed a brace of winter twenties at 23½lb and 24lb 6oz from Eggett’s Lake at Hemingford Grey. They were the best ever at the time and provided Jack Hilton with yet another memorable moment in his illustrious angling career.

However, this very influential figure gave up fishing in 1976 to become a Jehovah’s Witness, and soon faded from the fishing scene. Jack Hilton died of leukaemia in 1997

Inducted: March 2008



A major influence in the modern pursuit of carp fishing is the remarkable Jim Gibbinson.

His writing output alone published through dozens of articles and features in the weekly fishing press and monthly periodicals is staggering and budding carp anglers from the late 1960s to the present day have benefitted from Jim’s wise words. On top of this you have his unprecedented five carp only books spanning over 45 years.

Jim has also been instrumental in the design of carp rods, ringing patterns etc. Rods such as the ‘Clooper’ carp rod, Tri Cast and Eclipse ranges were groundbreaking and hugely successful both at home and abroad.
 
His first twenty-pounder came in the mid 1960s from Peterborough‘s famous ‘Electricity Cut’ and Jim has been catching worthwhile carp ever since. He was also a major influence in the pursuit of winter carp and his cold water carping successes attracted a great many carp anglers to dust down their carp rods even when snow lay on the ground.

His clear and factual, no nonsense writing style has made him one of the most widely read carp fishing authors ever. A true Carp Fishing Hall of Fame member.

Inducted: March 2008



A quite extraordinary angler and major influence in the sport for the last 35 years through his catches and writings. Rod pioneered the use of particle or mass baits for carp fishing in the early 1970s, he also realised the importance of highly nutritional boiled baits.

Rod introduced the general angling public to the ‘Spod’ and ‘Throwing stick’ through his marvellous book, Rod Hutchinson’s Carp Book published in 1981.

His exploits at Redmire, various lakes in Kent, Savay and later at Lac De Cassien, France alone has made him one of the most enduring and pathfinding anglers ever to appear on the scene.

Sadly Rod is no longer with us and passed away in 2018.

Inducted: March 2008



Here is someone who changed the face of carp fishing through his massive writing output, his publishing genius and of course his quite amazing world-wide catches.

It was Tim Paisley who went out on a limb in 1988 and published the world’s first carp only publication, Carpworld, something you could buy in a newsagent in this country. Tim previously had a great grounding in publishing having been a major instigator of the ground-breaking high quality Carp Society magazine, Carp Fisher, which started in 1981.

In the winter of 1993/4 Tim started discussions with Kevin Clifford and Chris Ball about the viability of a weekly carp publication. It took months of careful investigation and final commitment by Kevin and Chris before they and Tim jointly launched the world’s first carp weekly magazine, Carp-Talk.

Once the millennium passed Tim became besotted with going to far flung venues around the world in search of monster carp and these passionate journeys ended in May 2001 with a truly massive common from Lake Ratuda weighing 73lb 13oz. This came on top of winning the World Carp Cup twice with Steve Briggs, first time in 2000 and then again in 2005.

Inducted: December 2008

Peter started carp fishing in the mid 1940s, but really came to the fore in the 1970s and 1980s. He founded (with the late Eric Hodson) the influential British Carp Study Group in 1969 and a little later in 1974 the successful Carp Anglers’ Association.

We also have Peter Mohan to thank for the very first carp magazines, the BCSG publication The Carp (the No. 3 edition in June 1970 had a printed front and back cover for the first time), and later in March 1975 the more widespread CAA magazine. Both organisations had a lively and successful regional meeting structure in place by the mid 1970s as well as holding the first organised Carp Conferences - again it was Peter Mohan who spearheaded these groundbreaking events in the history of our sport.

Peter was also the controller of a number of carp waters in the west of England and for a time ran the famous Ashlea Pool syndicate where he caught a 30-pounder in 1969.

A prolific writer on all matters carp, Peter also wrote a number of books, Carp for Everyone, Carp- Step by Step, Basic Carp Fishing and Cypry – the Story of a Carp. Plus the recently published Carp Stories & other Tales

Inducted: December 2008



One of the most celebrated carp anglers of modern times through his fluid and stylish writing prowess, photographic skills and of course his catches.

Chris broke Dick Walker’s long-held carp record of 44lb on opening day 16th June 1980 with a Redmire mirror of 51½lb. In fact, he’d nearly broken Walker’s record some seven years earlier with a common of 43lb 13½oz, also at Redmire.

Chris is credited with the discovery of sweetcorn as a bait, having taken a tin to eat while fishing at Redmire in 1972, but only used half the contents. As an experiment with the remainder, he cast out a “hookfull of corn”... the rest is history.

Among the many fine books Chris has written are carp classics such as Casting at the Sun, The Secret Carp, Four Seasons and Shadows and Reflections, besides a long spell writing for the monthly magazine Coarse Fishing, another spell as the first editor of Waterlog magazine, plus dozens of articles for most of the UK angling press. Currently, Chris writes a twice-a-month feature in the Weekend edition of the Saturday Daily Telegraph.

In 1989, he embarked with Bob James and world-renowned wildlife cinematographer Hugh Miles to feature in the definitive Passion for Angling TV series. Chris even went back to Redmire Pool to land a couple of the famous old warriors for the camera.

Inducted: March 2009



His string of huge fish for more than a decade, including a record breaker of 55lb 13oz from Wraysbury, besides being the first angler to catch two different English fifties from different waters, has put Terry right at the top of the tree.

A prolific writer and author of two outstanding books In Pursuit of the Largest and Still Searching, Terry’s writing is consumed by a huge army of fans both young and old.

He has made numerous TV and DVD appearances, the latest being ‘Quest for Black Eye’, beside headlining at carp shows and carp anglers’ get-togethers. His animated open style of talking is so infectious to watch, making him one of the best speakers around.

His catches are truly breathtaking with many carp of over 40lb, plus a number of 50-pounders to his credit. His special angling talent has tripped over into other species with him banking big barbel, perch, dace, grayling, etc. along the way.

Inducted: March 2009



A vet by profession and angler by persuasion, Dick Kefford was a kindly, quiet, self-effacing character who was softly spoken.

A member of the highly influential Carp Catchers’ Club of the early 1950s, Dick Kefford was instrumental in Richard Walker gaining access to the fishing at Redmire Pool in the early summer of 1952 and accompanied him on DW’s second visit to the water in July.

Dick Kefford became interested in catching carp from before the Second World War and in late 1951 he corresponded with both 'B.B.' and Dick Walker about carp and fishing for them. He was also prolific writer on carp fishing in magazines throughout the 50s and 60s. The most famous of which were his yearly ‘round-ups’ of big carp catches written under the nom de plume of 'K.K.'

He also stocked carp into a number of his own waters near to his Wickham Market, Suffolk, home. He was an ardent observer and lover of wildlife, and a dedicated conservationist. Though he caught many carp over the years, he banked no spectacularly large specimens, and if he had Dick would have more than probably kept the capture to himself. Dick Kefford passed away in 1990.

Inducted: March 2009



Hugely influential figure in the world of carp fishing through his innovative tackle and baits. Kevin became besotted with carp early on and has the distinction of being the first angler to capture a 40-pounder from his home county of Essex.

The many path-finding products associated with Kevin include the Oval brolly, the Profile (an improved Oval with extra protection including longer front ribs and mini sides built-in) and the mighty Titan and later the Titan Viper.

Though it is a little known fact, back in the late 1970s Kevin was also one of the very first to commercially make available a carp sack made from soft industrial nylon.

Kevin Nash has also been at the forefront of rod design and in conjunction with Daiwa during the 90s they came up with the massively successful Amorphous AKN 12H rod. Kevin also pursued Daiwa UK to supply and promote a little known reel from their Japanese range. This turned out to be the Daiwa SS 3000 reel, and the rest as they say is history. These days the Nash brand of tackle and bait is one of the most successful both here in the UK and Europe.

Inducted: March 2009



Fred has carved himself a niche in carp angling history through his bait theories and developments. His research and willingness to experiment resulted in the development of new carp baits based on ground-breaking ingredients designed to fulfil a carp’s nutritional needs.

To this resulting mix eggs were added to form an outside skin – these baits later became known as boilies. Many of Fred’s ingredients from way back are still in common use in today’s carp baits and baits for other species, too.

Fred fished extensively for carp in Kent during the 60s and 70s, and his catches and those of his friends who were “on the bait” were to become legendary. The late Gerry Savage teamed up with Fred and the pair of them started fishing for carp during the winter months on Fred’s High Nutritional Value (HNV) baits which proved a great success. Many of Fred’s friends who used the bait went on to become notable carp anglers in their own right. These included Robin Monday, Bob Morris and Derek Stritton. Though Fred these days prefers to chase giant barbel in the Rivers Wye and Severn, he still uses the baits he formulated over 40 years ago.

Inducted: November 2009

As far back as the late 1940s Gerry Berth-Jones was besotted with carp. However, unlike many serious carp anglers, his wife May was as keen (and as successful) as her husband.

 This husband-and-wife team, stirred by BB’s Confessions of a Carp Fisher and The Fisherman’s Bedside Book, found an ideal carp water in Wadhurst Lake, Sussex. This water held a tremendous head of so-called ‘wildies’ up to 10lb in weight. Both May and Gerry landed many up to 9lb, which provided an excellent grounding in many aspects of catching carp with some consistency.

 In Gerry’s early life he was an expert professional tool-maker, and this background meant he manufactured the most beautiful and functional items of tackle when specialist anglers were obliged to make most of their own tackle. In particular Gerry’s bite alarms were considered by his contemporaries as works of art, and it’s easy to imagine that everything he touched or took an interest in was done well, very well.

 He gained admission to the famed Carp Catchers’ Club in late 1953 after enjoying an outstanding year in carp fishing, banking a number of good fish including his first double-figure carp from the famous Mapperley Reservoir. Then in August he visited Boyers Sand Pit at Dagenham and his margin fished breadpaste bait was picked up by a glorious 23lb 10oz mirror. It was the only recorded 20-pounder of 1953.

Gerry and May also become forever connected with that wonderful old carp water Cheshunt Reservoir in North London where they were members for many years.

Inducted: November 2009



One of the first emerging carp fishing stars in the county of Kent was without doubt Gerry Savage. His carp fishing exploits stretched back to the early 1960s, and by the mid 1960s he had accounted for fish of 26lb and 26½lb, two of the biggest reported from Kent.

Fishing carp-rich waters when few others had yet succumbed to ‘carp fever’, Gerry ran amok and his total of double-figure carp soared to a ridiculous level throughout the summer months – on a national scale he was right up there with the best of them. However, catching carp in the warmer weather simply wasn’t enough for Gerry and soon he started to take an interest in trying for them through the winter months.

In the mid 1960s he had landed a few winter carp on sausage and catfood paste baits, but in November 1967 Gerry teamed up with HNV guru Fred Wilton and never looked back. The basic ingredients of Fred’s revolutionary bait of 1967 was 5oz wheatgerm, 3oz Phillips Yeast Mixture, 1½oz Pomenteg Groundbait and ½oz Farlene Baby Food. To this a rich supply of protein and vitamin B complex was added and six whisked eggs (again, Fred’s idea of using eggs instead of water). The resulting rolled balls of paste were then boiled to make what we now know as boilies.

The pair started their winter campaign in late November and began catching from the off. A few weeks later Fred and Gerry arrived at Sutton to find the lake completely frozen over. After breaking the ice in a snowstorm they began fishing, Gerry soon received a bite and a true cold-water carp of 7¼lb was netted. It was another snow scene photo that was to become a most iconic image; that of Gerry Savage in the snow with a nice double-figure carp. That one picture became a catalyst for many to dust down their carp rods and try for a winter carp.

For many years Gerry broadcasted on Radio Medway, initially as a sports reporter, but then hosting his own Good Fishing programme, which often featured plenty of carp fishing. In later years he moved to Cornwall and became involved in a angling holiday complex. He died in 2004.   

Inducted: November 2009

Though a successful circuit carp angler of the late 1970s and early 1980s with tremendous catches of big carp, Lenny Middleton will of course be forever linked with the hair rig which he developed in conjunction with Kevin Maddocks.

In a lot of Lenny’s fishing during the late 1970s, side-hooking had proved effective, but then twitches would start. The hook protruding from the bait was a partial answer, but it turned out not to be the ultimate answer. Tank experiments with carp were tried and then one day with sweetcorn tied to the hook with a piece hair from the head of Kevin Maddocks’ then wife Brenda – eureka! The tank carp, which were showing considerable fear of a hooklink material attached to a hook and bait, sucked in the hair rig bait and hook and then had difficulty ejecting it. But would it work with pressured carp in a proper carp fishing situation? Lenny took it to Darenth, nervously casting out a hair rig set-up. “I’ll give it three quarters of an hour,” was his thought as he cast out the revolutionary rig. He had a screaming run before the allotted time was up and the hair rig was born.

Virtually overnight, catching carp in most waters became a much easier proposition. However, in those secretive days there was a definite time lag before the knowledge of what a very small, select group of anglers were catching on leaked out. Details of the hair rig didn’t become public until the simultaneous publication of Lenny’s article in Coarse Angler magazine and Kevin Maddock’s book Carp Fever in November 1981

Once news of the hair rig was out, the world of carp fishing went rig mad. Anything was possible, and anglers who had been afraid to experiment suddenly started coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful inventions. Much of the rig thinking of the last 30 years was born at or around this time. We have a lot to thank Len Middleton for.

Inducted: November 2009



In the 1980s and 1990s one of the most colourful characters on the carp scene was Rob Maylin. His high-profile catches throughout this period were given a further boost by his much loved and highly acclaimed books Tiger Bay, Fox Pool and Bazil’s Bush, which turned into classics, not to mention the start of his Big Carp magazine in 1991.

Rob’s background in match angling gave him an excellent foundation in fishing and when he turned his attention to carp fishing, he became hugely successful. Early on he fished at Arlesey Lake, Waveney Valley Lakes, Stanstead Abbotts and many other lakes before the pull of the Colne Valley pits lured him with the promise of huge carp, and lots of them! His catches at Springwood, Harefield and Savay in the mid 1980s became legendary. All this was heightened by the fact that Rob adopted the Rod Hutchinson approach to his fishing: ‘smelling the roses’ along the way... Tales of wild nights in the Horse & Barge pub and local Indian restaurants abounded – not that that made any difference to his catches; they were simply outrageous!

After the Valley came the challenge of Longfield near Heathrow Airport, or as Rob and others referred to it, ‘Fox Pool’. This demanding water provided him with great catches as he delved deeper into baits and rigs. Also of note was his epic floater catch of three thirties off the top in as many days at Longfield.

Then the Yateley complex drew him and his catching ways continued. He banked the famous North Lake mirror called Bazil at 45lb 6oz in September 1993 along with many of the whackers from the Car Park Lake, some off the top again.

In the last few years Rob has rewritten the record books with truly awesome catches of carp on maggots, especially in winter. He popularised the mag-aligner rig devised to get the most out of using maggots and PVA, plus the all-important Enterprise hard plastic maggot as part of the hooking arrangement. Just recently he has released another book One Last Cast, which explains his catches on the mag-aligner rig in great detail.

Inducted: March 2010



One of the all-time carp fishing heroes, Lee Jackson has fished for carp for many years and has written extensively on the subject – his book Carp Clinic, is one of the most popular carp books ever.

Lee made his hobby his job in 1990 when he joined Dartford-based fishing tackle shop The Tackle Box, which he calls “the best carp shop in the world”.

At the start of the 1983 season Lee became one of only a few captors (at the time) of a carp weighing more than 40lb. The beast came from a Colne Valley water and weighed 40¼lb. However, it’s the sheer number of carp he has landed over the years, with the Kent carp stocks bearing the brunt of his attention!

Lee was also an early successful winter carp fisherman, capturing carp with snow on the ground when most were at home just reading about them. Then there were his love affairs with several very large carp over the years. The pursuit of one at the time almost took over his life, but like all of the good guys Lee got there in the end, capturing the famous School Pool mirror named She.

Of course Carp-Talk readers will need little reminding that Lee Jackson eventually caught a new British Record carp when he landed Two Tone the big mirror from Conningbrook at 61lb 7oz in August 2002, as seen above.

Inducted: March 2010



Though not strictly a carp angler, Donald Leney had a profound effect on shaping the course of carp fishing in this country through his company The Surrey Trout Farm and the supply of carp to individuals, clubs and associations the length and breadth of the country.

Starting in the fish business during the 1920s Donald oversaw the importation of hundreds of thousands of small Dutch-bred carp during the next 30 years. Subsequently some of these carp become the stuff of legends in Donald Leney-stocked waters such as Redmire Pool, Billing Aquadrome, Savay, Hemingford Grey, the Electricity Cut at Peterborough, etc.

After Chris Yates landed his 51½lb record carp from Redmire Pool in 1980, he struck up a friendship with Donald and, living close by at the time, would visit him for "high tea" as he called it. Chris still fishes with the gift from Donald of his four-inch-wide drum Allcock Aerial centrepin dating from before World War II; and the 13 copy invoice books cataloguing much of his business in carp were left in Donald’s will to Chris Yates after he passed away in October 1987.

Inducted: March 2010



Often referred to as "Sir Pete" this angler is regarded by many as very near the top of the tree for his captures, often from remarkably difficult lakes and gravel pits.

That said, Pete is equally at home on smaller waters and in the early 1980s managed a remarkable run of big fish from the hallowed Redmire Pool.

Early places he fished included the Yeoveney gravel pit where in 1978 he banked the largest brace ever at the time with mirrors of 36½lb and 38½lb. He was also successful at the nearby Longfield and is perhaps best known for his captures from another nearby fishery – Wraysbury No. 1 Lake. Pete fished Wraysbury at a time when it still had the "impossible" tag and eventually landed the record-to-be Mary when it weighed 45lb 6oz and later at 51½lb. Also on Peter’s CV is Yateley’s Heather the Leather and Bazil, and the biggie from Sonning Eye way before they became famous fish.

Since retiring from the Hoover Company Pete has in recent years fished in the Colne Valley, taking many fish to over 40lb, and some very big tench, too. However, it is the picture of that Yeoveney brace (seen here) on the back cover of Carp Fever, Kevin Maddock’s massively popular book of the early 1980s, that sticks in many people’s minds. A truly remarkable carp angler.

Inducted: March 2010



Long-time angling pal of Richard Walker (himself a Hall of Fame inductee) and, though Dick was some six years older, they were inseparable angling companions.

By the age of 14 Pete had caught a carp of 14½lb an achievement few adult anglers at that time had equalled – and he went on to catch carp over the magic 20lb mark at a time when carp of that size were very thin on the ground.

For a number of years Pete was works manager of a firm of manufacturing chemists, but later he became a well-known and highly respected travelling agent for tackle giant Hardy’s.

Pete was invariably seen with his black Labrador dog Ross, who was constantly at his side, sitting patiently by his master on a carp-fishing trip.

Peter fished for many different species of fish but is best remembered for his carp fishing exploits. In June 1952 he landed the second largest carp caught at the time – the 28lb 10oz mirror seen here. And of course it was Peter Thomas who was at Dick Walker’s side on that fateful morning in September 1952 when he summoned up all his strength and wielded the landing net to engulf Dick’s 44lb record breaker.

Pete lived into his nineties and sadly passed away in January 2015.

Inducted: November 2010



After completing 22 years service in the Army, Ian Chillcott burst on to the carp fishing scene. He’d carp fished, when time allowed, through his serving years, but once back in civvy street he had the time to devote to his beloved sport.

Catching big carp consistently soon brought him to the attention of angling media and before long ‘Chilly’ embarked on the road of writing for the angling press, appearing in DVDs and on stage at carp-related events, all with great success.

In the latter half of the 1990s after a period of frustration and anger regarding the scandalous trade of illegally smuggling carp (many of them large) into the UK, he along with pal Keith Jenkins formed the English Carp Heritage Organisation (ECHO). Eventually, the organisation was to have a profound effect and even the Government of the country listened!

Chilly has put a great deal back into carp fishing and this, along with his written contributions and top flight catches, makes him a worthy Hall of Fame inductee.

Inducted: November 2010



The almost unbelievable pace of life for Selby, South Yorkshire, carper Julian Cundiff years ago earned him the nickname of ‘The Selby Flyer’. His amazing energy and tremendously consistent carp catching ability while holding down a responsible job in the Law courts of this land is truly something special.

Over the last 20 years Julian’s writing output has been both impressive and worthy of note, often writing to and helping beginners (he replies personally to all letters). Also on Julian’s CV are a number of books including the highly praised Practical Carp Fishing from 1993 and his brand new Carp – Short Session Success offering. Julian can also be seen on various carp-related videos and DVD’s produced over the years.

During his life as a carp angler his writing and organisational skills have earned him the positions of features editor of Carp Fisher, co-editor of Crafty Carper and assistant editor of Carpworld. Keeping himself in trim is another part of Julian’s life and a sneak peek into the gym at the Five Lakes Carpin’On show each year could reveal him pumping iron!

Inducted: November 2010



During the 1960s and early 1970s Bill Keal became a major influence in the development and spread of fishing for carp in this country. A Fleet Street photojournalist by trade and an angler by inclination, Bill had a penchant for big carp. He wrote considerably on the subject including regular features (with occasional twopage centre spreads) in The Angler’s Mail that were widely read.

On the fishing front, after becoming smitten with carp way back to 1950s, Bill had by 1962 caught a considerable number of double-figure fish to around 17lb. He craved, like many, for that elusive 20-pounder and, as often happens in fishing, he caught one then in short order landed another! The scene of his triumph was Jim Eggett’s fishery in Huntingdonshire. Another famous old carp water where Bill fished was Cheshunt Reservoir in north London, and after the great freeze-up of the 1962/3 winter when the water’s stock was decimated Bill saw to it that the fishery once more came back to life.

Inducted: November 2010



The larger-than-life Essex carp angler who, to give him his full title Derek ‘The Don’ Ritchie, has been a part of the carp community for more years than most can remember. It’s now nearly 35 years since Derek hit the headlines with a 36lb common from Doggetts Lake, Essex (the second largest carp reported in 1976). This capture was no fl uke as two years earlier he’d landed a 29-pounder. Since then his catches have been tremendous with The Don capturing numbers of 30- and 40-pounders.

To many he is seen as loud, brash and seemingly out of place in the generally quiet world of carp fi shing, yet this seems to make little difference to his catches. Make no mistake The Don is right up there with the best of them when it comes to catching carp – many would back him to catch a carp at the drop of a hat if their own life depended on it.

For years Derek has featured in the magazines and the weekly angling press, and anyone who’s seen him in action at carp-related events will know there’s no denying that he has put a great deal back into carp fishing with particular emphasis on youngsters.

Inducted: March 2011



From the mid seventies to the mid eighties there was a carp-fishing divide, with the Carp Society and Peter Mohan’s organisations lying on either side of it. As a result of this divide I didn’t get to meet BCSG hierarchy member Chris Ball until the mid eighties when he suddenly materialised at a Carp Society conference!

I think it is fair to say that Chris has been high profile since the early seventies. Organisers are thin on the ground in carp-fishing circles and Chris has always been an excellent one. As an angler he is readily associated with floater fishing, but that has been through choice, and his successes at Yateley, Frensham, Wraysbury and elsewhere emphasise that the man can cut it in any carp fishing situation.

Because he had a reputation as a historian, when I first booked a week at Redmire in the nineties I invited him down to spend the night of 12-13th September (the anniversary of a certain significant capture) in the Willow Swim. He blanked the night then caught a good twenty off the top from Pitchford’s the next morning, and then went home! I didn’t dare tell him but I was impressed: I was there for the week for one double.

Chris has contributed to numerous books over the years, and has Crowood’s The King Carp Waters to his name, plus his co-authorship (with Brian Skoyles) of Floater Fishing in the ‘Carp in Depth’ series. He has been a regular contributor to Carp-Talk and Carpworld over the years and his archivist’s look back at anglers, waters and captures have always had an avid following. He is an enthusiastic, captivating and in-demand (and tireless!) speaker, too.

Inducted: March 2011



Thirty-odd years ago, in the mid to late 70s, I was arranging local meetings for the CAA. I had a letter from Peter Mohan mentioning potential speakers, and the name Kevin Clifford came up. KC had recently caught eight twenties in a week from Redmire, Peter revealed. He’d what?! I think I was trying to catch my first double at the time, and the first twenty was a distant dream. Eight in a week! Wow! That was my introduction to Kev Clifford.

He came and spoke at a meeting, and I learnt more about his exploits (though not from him). Dubbed “Carp King of the North” by The Angler’s Mail for his extraordinary Crab Mill Flash results; the first recorded capture of Bazil from Yateley North Lake (“a Midlands gravel pit”); successful virtually everywhere he fished, and eventually the captor of Jumbo as a mid forty from “a small local lake”.

Kev is actually a specimen hunter, but his carp results during the period when he was really smitten by the bug were the envy of the carp-fishing fraternity of his day. He was a successful carper, but he has always been recognised as an all-rounder and as such has contributed to a number of multi-species books over the last 40 years. His love affair with Redmire resulted in his co-authorship of Redmire Pool (with Len Arbery), and his high profile reputation as a carper led to him being asked to write the book Carp in the Ward Lock ‘Master Fisherman’ series. Kev’s association with the past, and his friendship with some of the giants who bestrode it, lit a fire, and his iconic and highly acclaimed labours of love A History of Carp Fishing and the recently published A History of Carp Fishing Revisited have been the outcome of that fire, his endless thirst for knowledge and his unending diligent research.

Inducted: March 2011



The meteoric rise of Kevin Maddocks as a carp angler is not hard to understand. His methodical and precise approach to the sport in the late 1970s and early 1980s took most people’s breath away.

He became so successful in the pursuit of big carp that by late 1981 when his best selling book Carp Fever hit the shelves he was already household name in carp fishing circles. The book went on to be the best selling carp book of the 1980s, being reprinted a number of times. It was later translated into several different languages.

Along with Len Middleton, Kevin helped in the development of the hair rig and used it to devastating effect in the early part of the 1980s. His big carp success saw him run amok at Waveney Valley Lakes, Mid Northants Carp Fishery, Ashlea Pool, Redmire Pool, Longfield, Savay Lake, many French waters and so on. He also became a noted speaker, publisher and video-maker besides his heavy involvement in the BCSG and CAA throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Later he changed tack slightly and became involved in fishing for catfish, and this too was an outstanding success the world over. He was once the owner of top carp water Withy Pool and later Ringstead and Crackers Meadow, and his own big carp fishery in France.

In the last 10 years Kevin has taken a lower profile in fishing though he still bangs out the ‘biggies’.

And who can forget his influence in angling fashion and tackle too. After all you weren’t a carp angler in the early 1980s until you went fishing in that green Army jumper with shoulder patches and of course used an ABU Cardinal 55 reel!

Inducted: March 2011



Long-time farmer, eminent archaeologist (Eddie was presented with an MBE for services to archaeology) and of course angler, Eddie Price has an association with carp stretching back over 50 years.

Living at Frocester Court Farm, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, his interest in carp started in the early 1950s. Then came the time when his father-in-law introduced him to another Gloucester angler, Bob Richards who had some years before caught a record carp at Redmire Pool. The friendship with Bob Richards lasted until Bob died in the mid 1960s.

Soon Eddie was fishing with Bob at Redmire and within a few weeks he witnessed Bob’s second big fish, a 31½-pounder caught in 1956 which he subsequently set-up for his friend.

Eddie Price became famous in carp fishing for two momentous events. The first was in July 1958 when he photographed from the punt a Redmire giant. He wrote, “I saw what was the biggest carp I shall ever see. Its head and part of its back protruded from the thick weed masses and without any exaggeration it seemed a foot across its back, I was only a yard away from it.” That picture entered the public domain in the early 1970s and anglers have pondered on it ever since.

Eddie also became the first man to catch a mirror carp of over 40lb in this country when in September 1959 he banked a glorious mirror of 40½lb. The same fish went on to become a record carp in 1980 when Chris Yates landed the beast at 51½lb.

Eddie’s hand-made split cane MkIV carp rod, bite alarm and carp landing net survive to this day and can be seen in his book The Fishing Diaries of Eddie Price.

Like fellow Hall of Fame member Pete Thomas, he lived into his 90s before he sadly passed from us on 25th January 2015 aged 91.

Inducted: March 2012



During the last six decades Bruce Ashby has fished for little else other than carp and in doing so has become one of the most successful long-term catchers of carp ever. I’m pretty sure Bruce Ashby was the first angler in the UK to land 10 carp over 20lb in one season and the first to land a total of 100 twenties, records he will hold forever.

It all started for Bruce in the late 1950s in his home county of Kent. It was a time when carp anglers were using potatoes for bait and split cane for rods. As his experience grew he searched out waters containing bigger fish and soon found he was catching double-figure carp with some regularity and then 20-pounders started to figure in his catches. Bruce’s carp catches in particular attracted the attention of the carp fishing world in the early 1970s. No less a name than Peter Mohan, British Carp Study Group founder and father figure, heaped praise upon Bruce at every opportunity. And there’s no getting away from the fact that by the late summer of 1974 Bruce had accounted for a grand total of 53 carp over 20lb in his career; this included three mirrors over 30lb landed in 1974 alone, a quite unique achievement at the time (his first 20-pounder came in 1964.)

Bruce Ashby is equally well-known for his rod making business which has been around for years and there are countless fans both here in the UK and Europe that swear by his work.

Additionally, for over 25 years Bruce Ashby has a been a member of the Savay syndicate, having landed a substantial number of big carp during this time, and he is as keen as ever to get on the bank. A truly remarkable carp angler and worthy Hall of Fame inductee.

Inducted: March 2012



Steve Briggs has been a high-profile carp angler and writer for many years. His beginnings in fishing started in the late sixties, with carp fishing coming along in 1974 when he landed his first carp from the famous Brooklands Lake, Kent.

After cutting his teeth at Brooklands, Steve moved on to the Darenth complex, initially fishing the Big Lake with Peter Noonan, but then going on to the Tip Lake a little later. This happened in 1985 and Steve and Peter had a great year on the Tip Lake, with Steve catching all three of the known thirties in the Lake, plus an unknown one. Later Steve tackled Harefield, Longfield, Farlows and a host of other famous UK waters.

A big turning point in Steve’s life was when he heard about UK angler Kevin Ellis catching an enormous 76lb mirror from a large lake in the south of France called Cassien. He was eager to try his luck and, after passing his driving test and buying a car, the considerable undertaking of travelling from Middlesex to the South of France first happened in September 1986. That initial exploratory trip yielded a number of big carp including Steve’s first 40-pounder. The following year he landed a giant of 61½lb and so it has continued. Cassien has become a place of annual pilgrimage for Steve during the last 25 years!

Many anglers will know Steve and his soulmate Joan for their foreign fishing exploits. Indeed, Steve has carp fished around the world and very successfully, too. He has also won the World Carp Cup twice; once at Fishabil and once on the St Lawrence River. Back at home Steve was successful at Wraysbury, and realised an ambition in catching a UK 50-pounder when he landed the Black Mirror. Just recently he landed a near 60-pounder.

Inducted: March 2012



John Nixon started fishing at the age of 14, just after World War II, at a local farm pond in Surrey where carp became his quarry. His fishing soon expanded rapidly while serving six years in the RAF during the early 1950s. He was stationed around the UK and took advantage of fishing as often as he could, the mainstay of which was chasing carp.

John corresponded with Richard Walker, once visiting him in Hitchin in the early 1950s, this only fuelled his desire to catch bigger carp and he made the most of visiting top carp waters of the time including Dagenham Lake in Essex, Bracken Lake and Goffs Park in Sussex, Lenwade in Norfolk, and The Fisheries at Cranleigh in his quest for better sized fish. John also fished at Redmire Pool as a guest for a number of years, first journeying there in 1957.

Fishing at the Pool in June 1961, John captured a sparsely scaled 23lb mirror which he named Raspberry – this later became a famous inhabitant of Redmire Pool. By the mid 1960s John Nixon had managed to land three 20-pounders and nearly a couple of dozen carp weighing more than 10lb – at the time this was right up there with the best of them.

Other notable deeds besides his extensive writings on all manner of fishing-related subjects include being editor of the prestigious monthly magazine Creel for a while, and in the years of 1966 and 1967 running the fishing at Redmire Pool, which allowed members of the National Association of Specimen Groups to fish the mighty Pool for a £1 a day.

Inducted: March 2013

Mike came into carp fishing at an early age for someone born as part of the baby boom around the end of the Second World War. As a teenager he caught his first carp in 1958 before joining the famous Ruislip Angling Society, which held the fishing rights to Savay Lake. His influence on Savay, which became one of carp angling’s most famous fisheries, began in the mid-1960s when he became a member of the Society’s fisheries committee, and, a few years later, he took over the reins as secretary. Mike was instrumental in carrying out some of the early introductions of carp into Savay and deservedly made a number of tremendous catches of carp himself just prior to Savay hitting the headlines.

He assisted considerably with the formation of The Carp Society, after being brought on board by Tim Paisley, and became very much involved with the birth and establishment of the Society’s magazine Carp Fisher. He appeared on the front cover of the very first issue in November 1981 with, fittingly, a big Savay carp. Later Mike helped launch Specialist Angler, the magazine of NASA, and took on the difficult role of selling advertising space which he had also performed with Carp Fisher. He has contributed to various publications on the subject of carp, and his famous feature ‘The Baiting Pyramid’ was the source of considerable debate.

On other fronts Mike helped to improve the standard of angling photography, participated in the development of coated leads, and was involved in the use of latching lights on bite alarms, suggesting to Frank Sams of Dellareed that they be incorporated into the Optonic alarm which, at that time, dominated the market.

For many years Mike has been a keen supporter and patron of the Thames Anglers’ Conservancy.

Inducted: March 2013



Dave Lane has made a significant impact on the UK carp scene, there is no doubt. He has been responsible for some of the most inspirational catches of the last 20 years, and there isn’t a carp in the country that is safe from this legendary Sussex-based big fish expert.

Cutting his teeth on the circuit waters of the Colne Valley, it was perhaps his amazing catches at Horton in the early 1990s when he first established his name to the masses; appearing on a lot of the early Mainline Baits adverts of the time.

Over the next 15 years, he went on to catch a long list of the finest carp from the top circuit waters, topped by the prized Black Mirror in 2004. Amongst his other famous captures were Two-Tone from Conningbrook, Mary from Wraysbury, The Fat Lady from St Ives and The Eye from Sonning – all of which weighed over 50lb.

To date, he has landed five different UK carp over 50lb, accounts of which were all documented in his best-selling books An Obsession with Carp and A Flick of the Tail. He has also been a prominent contributor to the many carping periodicals down the years, as well as a regular speaker on the carp show circuit, especially the successful regional shows run by the Carp Society in the early 1990s.

Inducted: March 2013



Widely known for his connection with the innovative Solar Tackle, which was formed in 1987, there is no denying that Martin has made a significant contribution to carp angling during the last 25 years.

In the late 1980s, his name hit the headlines when he landed the illustrious Sally the Common at 39lb from Savay Lake, the picture of which still forms the Solar Tackle logo. His catches from the same lake were well documented at the time, especially in Rob Maylin’s books, as indeed was the car accident he was involved in near The Horse & Barge which – along with his now legendary catches – led to him acquiring the nickname ‘Lucky’ Lockey.

Martin was in the news again in December 1994, making the cover of Carp-Talk issue 27. The fish – known as Chop Dorsal – weighed in at a mighty 50¼lb and was caught from the day-only Hertfordshire club water run by North Harrow Old Waltonians. It was the second biggest carp caught from the UK that year.

A decade later, he also went on to land another luminary UK carp in the shape of Benson, but it was his record-breaking catches from Rainbow Lake, France, which went on to establish his name on the global carp scene. In January 2010, he broke the world record when he landed The Steve Briggs Fish at a colossal 94lb. Capping off an amazing year, 11 months later he then went on to bank an 84½lb common from the same venue, setting a new Lake record for a common in the process.

If his catches alone aren’t enough to warrant Martin’s place in the Hall of Fame, then his work within the carping industry most definitely tips the balance. Solar has long been associated with some of the most innovative products to have ever hit the carping market. His stainless steel banksticks and pods became legendary in the early 1990s, as did his Satellite and Lite-Flo Monkey Climber systems which – at the time – became the ultimate tackle-poser’s dream!

Inducted: March 2013



Derek is an East End boy and also a product of the post-war baby boom. His early fishing years were under the guiding hand of his father but it wasn’t until the late 1960s that he fell under the spell of carp fishing. Derek fished many famous carp waters of their time – Waveney Valley, Darenth, Horton Kirby, Sutton, Bysingwood, the Railway Pool, Yateley, Longfield, Redmire, Savay and North Harrow – to name just a few, and in the 1970s was a regular fishing companion of HNV boilie inventor Fred Wilton.

Appreciating that it is necessary to give something back to fishing, Derek has been involved in running local angling clubs and national organisations over many years. He organised the Essex region of the British Carp Study Group and later was part of the inaugural discussions in the setting up of the very successful Carp Society at Sheffield in 1981. He became an early Chairman of the Society. Some years later, when the Carp Society was experiencing financial difficulties, he returned and, with several others, assisted in sorting out its problems. Derek took on the role of treasurer and helped to put the Society back on a sound financial footing with a lot of hard work.

For many years Derek was a regular contributor to Carp-Talk, as well as writing features for a variety of other angling publications. He has published two books on carp fishing; the first Winter Carping appeared in 1991 and his second Too Many Rods in 2011.

Inducted: March 2014

A life-long angler, Mike Winter became interested in carp after reading a copy of BB’s Confessions of a Carp Fisher in the early 1950s.

After catching a number of carp to 13lb in his teenage years, Mike formed one of the earliest specialist carp groups, The Devon Carpcatchers’ Club, with Larry Beck, in June 1958 on the banks of a local water. He also corresponded in the 1950s with Dick Walker and Denys Watkins-Pitchford about carp fishing.

After observing carp feeding during the winter in the late 1950s, Mike became one of the earliest pioneers of winter carp fishing, and by the mid-1960s he was writing articles about his cold-water experiences and successes. Few other carp anglers in the country believed at that time that carp could be caught by design in the winter months.

Mike developed a love of fishing for the ‘old English wildie-type’ carp, and the secluded estate lakes and forgotten pools where these fish were usually found. He was a member of the eccentric Golden Scale Club where he was known as The Prof.

During his life Mike wrote many articles about carp fishing, these appearing in numerous different angling periodicals and also in local newspapers. He also wrote an angling column in the Sidmouth Herald for more than 20 years, and many of his angling experiences were described in his 2006 book, Along Fisherman’s Paths. He was a teacher by profession and passed away on 19th December 2013 after a long illness.

Inducted: March 2014



Frosty, as he is known to his friends, is essentially a very successful all-round angler, but went through the ‘obligatory’ carp phase when he became obsessed with the species.

During this time he fished with and influenced some of the country’s finest carp anglers of the 1960s: Bill Keal, Jack Hilton, Bill Quinlan, Roger Smith, Alec Lewis, Len Arbery and Kenny Ewington. Pete is particularly known for his exploits at Tiddenfoot Pit in the 1960s where he caught carp to 31lb. He was for many years a member of the redoubtable Hertfordshire Specimen Group. Jack Hilton wrote a short chapter in his highly regarded book, Quest for Carp, titled ‘My Friend Pete’, which recounted some of Frosty’s early exploits.

Though never a prolific writer, Frosty (or Uncle Pete as he became known to his younger friends in later years) did put pen to paper on a few occasions. An early member of the British Carp Study Group, Pete’s contribution to carp fishing was acknowledged in 1980 when he was elected as the Group’s chairman. He was subsequently made an honorary vice-president.

After a long and illustrious life in angling, including a great deal of voluntary involvement in the administrative side (clubs, societies and consultative, etc.), Pete Frost absolutely deserves his election into the Carp Fishing Hall of Fame.

Inducted: March 2014



‘Big’ Bill Cottam was a founding partner of Nutrabaits and has been instrumental in designing some of the best carp fishing baits of all time. In the 1990s his articles about bait in magazines such as Carp Fisher and Carpworld were amongst some of the most widely read on the topic.

Born and raised in South Yorkshire, he learnt his carping trade on northern venues such as Lymm Dam, progressing to the famous Mangrove Swamp syndicate in Shropshire before he became addicted with catching the monster carp of the Continent.

His love of all things bait began in 1975 when he made some ‘specials’ intended for tench fishing. Eventually it progressed to carp and, along with Tim Paisley, he formed Nutrabaits in 1986. From its humble beginnings in his parents’ garage, today Nutrabaits’ products can be found in more than 50 countries. These include such legendary baits as Big Fish Mix and Trigga, both of which have accounted for a terrific number of giant carp around the world.

When he can find time away from his desk, today you are likely to find Bill set up on the banks of a Continental lake containing giant carp. During his career he has been fortunate to have landed some of the biggest carp on the planet, including the Scarred Mirror at a massive 82lb, the Saussaie Common at 78lb 6oz, as well as the Brown Fish at 76lb 2oz.

Bill has been a regular in the carp fishing press for many years and has two books to his name. He was a co-author of Carp Baits in the Angling Publications ‘Carp in Depth’ series of the early 1990s, and in 2009 he published his first solo book, titled Behind the Rods. Today his much-sought-after work can be found each month in Carpworld magazine where he writes the highly acclaimed ‘Carping Allegedly’ series.

Inducted: March 2014



Born in Wolverhampton, Crowy learned to angle on the estate lakes of Staffordshire and Shropshire in the 1970s. He caught his first carp in 1980 and has since gone on to catch them from all over the world, including 50-pounders from six different countries.

His love of everything carp blossomed when he met Rob Hughes in 1991; the two of them forging a friendship which eventually saw them writing regularly in Carp Fisher and Carpworld magazines. They also took on the responsibility of being South Staffordshire regional organisers for the Carp Society, eventually progressing to governors some years later.

The two of them were amongst the first wave of paid carping consultants in the early 1990s, and they carved their names into the history books when they won the first ever World Carp Cup in 1996. They went on to write two books together, Strategic Carp Fishing (1997) and the highly acclaimed Discover Carp Fishing (2002), which was published in 10 languages. In 2006 Crowy went solo and wrote his third book, Carp Fishing Advanced Tactics, and in 2014 releasded the epic Adventures of a Carp Angler..

Simon has caught carp from more than 300 different waters, currently spending most of his UK bank time ‘Up North’ in Yorkshire where he resides, landing more than 40 thirties and three different forties from his adopted county. In between catching carp he served as the editor of Crafty Carper before graduating to the prestigious Carpworld editorship for two years, as well as a co-presenter on the Carp in Focus TV series.

Today his main role is as the editor of Carp-Talk, a title he has worked on since its inception nearly 20 years ago. He is also a carp angling consultant and a permanent fixture at the British Young Carpers’ Angling Championships, where he has worked as the head marshal for the past 10 years.

Inducted: March 2014



Danny is the man behind the highly influential Korda brand. Every angler reading this will have an item of Korda tackle in their bag, and there is no denying the company has made a significant impact on carp fishing over the past 10 years.

An angler all of his life, Danny began his career selling leads on the banks of the famous Walthamstow Reservoirs complex in east London. In 1993 he quit his job with Nat West to go full-time with Korda, taking his leads to an angling show where he managed to make a profit. This laid the foundations for his company, Korda Developments, which today sells products throughout Europe and beyond and boasts one of the biggest followings of recent times.

It isn’t just on the business side where Danny has excelled. He was the brains behind the highly successful Underwater DVDs, which are now in their eighth series. He is also a presenter on the Korda-backed TV series Thinking Tackle and a regular on the carp show circuit. His contribution to carp fishing has been significant over the past 20 years and today his company runs tutorials for young anglers up and down the country and is a financial supporter of the Angling Trust-backed Carp Team England.

Together with his mate Damian Clarke, Danny was the winner of the British Carp Angling Championships in 2001, and during his career he has also been a dab hand with big fish. His current UK personal best is 48lb 10oz, while overseas it is a 72lb mirror known as The Giant from his own Gigantica Lake in France. He has fished many famous waters during his time and has a habit of coming up trumps wherever he goes.

Inducted: March 2015



Fred J Taylor was born in 1919 at Leighton Buzzard and taught himself to fish from an early age. With his brother Ken and cousin Joe, they became known for their prowess in catching tench at Wootton Underwood Lakes, and were often known as ‘the Taylor brothers’.

After a friendship with Dick Walker developed in the early 1950s, Fred began writing fishing articles for periodicals of that period, the Angling Times, Anglers News, Fishing Gazette and Angler’s Mail.

Fred fished at several of the famous carp fisheries during the 1950s and 1960s, including Benniworth Haven (Woldale), Redmire Pool and Delafields (the Sand Spit). It was from Woldale that Fred caught his first double-figure carp, a 16-pounder, that qualified him for membership of the Carp Catchers’ Club. He was proposed by Dick Walker and accepted the invitation into this elite group in 1957.

In later years he fished for carp with Tim Paisley, who was instrumental in Fred catching his first 20lb carp from Birch Grove, in Shropshire.

To some extent Fred helped to spread the sport of carp fishing in the United States, where he was a frequent visitor and made innumerable angling pals. He was perhaps more at home with the American philosophy of fishing than in his native UK, because at heart Fred was a hunting man who liked nothing better than to cook his catch over an open fire in the countryside. It was from America that Fred brought back to the UK the idea of using maize for carp. He had seen it used extensively and successfully in the States. However, the idea never caught on at the time, and the concept of mass baits had to wait for its popularisation until the successes of Chris Yates, Rod Hutchinson and others at Redmire Pool.

He was the author of 18 sporting and cooking books and was a prolific writer in magazines and newspapers right up until his death in 2008, a little time after he had been awarded an MBE.

Inducted: March 2015



Elliott Symak was an early member of the British Carp Study Group, having tasted success on the Peterborough Electricity Cut after starting carp fishing at the venue in 1965. Within a few months Elliott had caught more 20lb carp than most long-standing carp anglers, many years his senior.

During the 1960 and 70s Elliott fished many waters around the Peterborough area, occasionally straying further afield – usually with success – and in June 1983 he caught a fish of 38½lb from Lincolnshire. He began writing of his exploits in the national angling periodicals in 1966 as well as specialist carp magazines, such as those published by the BCSG. He was also a prolific writer in the influential Carpworld magazine for many years from its inception, and has penned one book about carp fishing, a story of a love affair with a particular lake, titled Mywater.

Elliott Symak was an early member of the British Carp Study Group, having tasted success on the Peterborough Electricity Cut after starting carp fishing at the venue in 1965. Within a few months Elliott had caught more 20lb carp than most long-standing carp anglers, many years his senior. During the 1960 and 70s Elliott fished many waters around the Peterborough area, occasionally straying further afield – usually with success – and in June 1983 he caught a fish of 38½lb from Lincolnshire. He began writing of his exploits in the national angling periodicals in 1966 as well as specialist carp magazines, such as those published by the BCSG. He was also a prolific writer in the influential Carpworld magazine for many years from its inception, and has penned one book about carp fishing, a story of a love affair with a particular lake, titled Mywater.

Elliott was one of the early proponents of cold-water winter carp fishing and, along with Peter Mohan, formed the National Winter Carp Group in the late 1960s.

After a lifetime involved in carp fishing, in 1996 Elliott managed to purchase his own fishery, Northey Park, near Peterborough. Since then much of his time has been devoted to developing the 90-acre site.

Inducted: March 2015



Frank has been around carp fishing since the 1970s when he became captivated by some fish he saw during a visit to Capesthorne Hall.

This was the beginning of a carping bug which took him to several of the North West’s most prestigious carp waters, including the very special Redesmere where he caught some fantastic fish during the 1980s. Other prominent UK waters he has fished in his career include Roman Lakes, the Mid-Northants Carp Fishery, the Trent & Mersey Canal, Birch Grove and Acton Burnell, whilst his overseas exploits have taken him to countries such as France, Romania and Belgium where he has accounted for some fantastic fish.

Regarded as one of the finest thinking anglers of his generation, Frank has been responsible for many of today’s often used tactics and products. He is one of the originators of long range single hookbait fishing. The use of high-visibility hookbaits is another tactic associated with Frank’s carping, as indeed are many rig ideas. The early issues of Carpworld magazine saw him sharing these with readers, including the ‘short rig’, which is one of the earliest variations of today’s widely used chod rig. Other rig innovations from Frank include the popular anchor rig.

Driven by his obsession with carp, it was inevitable that Frank would go on to work within the angling industry. He has been a long-standing carp consultant for several of the major brands, as well as a contributor to magazines and books all over the world. He has featured in DVDs, television shows as well as a regular on the talk show circuit. This year saw the release of his first carping book titled Every Bit of Blue.

Inducted: March 2015



Rob has been actively involved in carp fishing at lots of different levels over the last 20 years. Born in Oswestry, he began his fishing life on the pits around the English / Welsh border, progressing to the well-known waters of the Midlands when he moved to Wolverhampton to begin life as a qualified solicitor.

It was in the early 1990s when Rob’s carping career took a dramatic turn. Through his friendship with Simon Crow, the lads created a bait firm. This led to writing articles in carp magazines as well as an involvement with the Carp Society as a regional organiser and eventually as a governor. In 1996 he partnered Crowy to win the first ever World Carp Cup; an event which triggered Rob’s creation of the British Carp Angling Championships in 1998.

Now a regular face as a Sky Sports presenter, Rob was the brains behind the first ever carp fishing television series titled The Carp Show, which aired at the turn of the millennium and ran for four series. He was also the first British carper to land 70-pounders from two different countries (France and Germany). He has co-authored two books and been a regular face in the carp magazines around Europe for many years. Today he works as an angling consultant for Fox International and is a volunteer member of the Predation Action Group committee.

Inducted: March 2015



There can be few in carp fishing that can lay claim to coming up with two universally accepted successful rigs, for Mike Kavanagh is rightly credited with the stiff rig and the more recent multi-rig creation.

His talents don’t just stem around the catching of carp, for Mike has over the years been a major driving force in carp conferences staged in this country. He was a stalwart of the Carp Society in Essex early on and later in the 1980s became their Conference Organiser – who can ever forget the Richard Walker Remembrance Conference staged at Dunstable in 1988. Mike was the mastermind behind this hugely (and fondly remembered) successful day and other shows that followed. These days Mike is still involved at a high level at the Carpin’ On shows, looking after the Rig Clinic area.

On the fishing front Mike started seriously fishing for carp in the late 1970s and has over the years put his highly effective rigs to work with both mirrors and commons to over 40lb from the UK. He has always been a loyal Mainline Baits user since the company was formed and has been in charge of Carpworld magazine’s ‘Rig World’ column for many years.

Inducted: March 2016



Bill Quinlan was born in 1936. His first love was tench, but he was also a very successful carp angler and universally respected amongst his peers.

He was friends with many anglers who became well-known in the angling world such as Jack Hilton, Len Arbery and Bob Buteux, and fished at famous carp waters such as Temple Pool, Send, Longfield, Ashlea Pool, Brooklands and Redmire. In September 1970 he caught the largest-ever brace of carp from Redmire Pool.

Bill wrote little himself, but many of his exploits were recounted by prolific author Jack Hilton, and Bill’s successes became inspirational to many young carp anglers in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also noted for his wry sense of humour. Bill died in September 1997.

Inducted: March 2016



Harry was a member of the Becontree & DAS, which leased Dagenham Lake. In the 1950s Dagenham was only surpassed by Redmire Pool for big carp. In the late 1940s a small group of club members dedicated themselves to fishing for the Lake’s big carp.

These included George Draper, Len Singer and Harry Grief, and they worked out independently the necessary tackle and methods required to succeed with a fish that at that time was considered uncatchable by intent.

Harry was a generous and much-liked individual, who made every effort to share the carp fishing at Dagenham with other carp anglers, such as Dick Walker, Gerry Berth-Jones and Dick Kefford. In June 1950 he landed the second largest carp ever caught at that time in the UK, a fish only surpassed by a mere four ounces by Albert Buckley’s 26-pounder from Mapperley Reservoir. Harry was one of the first elected members of the exclusive and highly regarded Carp Catchers’ Club.

Inducted: March 2016



Born in 1941, Terry Eustace moved from an engineering career into tackle manufacture in 1974. Later he opened what became a well-known tackle shop in Birmingham.

This business gradually expanded and evolved into the Gold Label company, which manufactures and supplies the retail fishing tackle industry.

His interest in carp fishing developed from being a general angler, in the late 1950s. In 1968 he caught his first 20-pounder. He has carp fished widely, including visits to Redmire Pool in 1967 and Jim Eggett’s gravel pit at Hemingford Grey in 1966, and overseas. Terry has written numerous articles in angling magazines, and in 1970 wrote a significantly important feature about identifying individual carp from their scale patterns, their repeat captures and weight variations. In 1999 Terry became the president of the British Carp Study Group.

Inducted: March 2016



Damian started his carping career on the waters of Essex when he was 11 years old. He began at Layer Pits and went on to catch his first twenty from the Garrison, which weighed a whopping 28lb 2oz.

His name hit the carping headlines several years later when he targeted one of the most famous commons in the country at the Snake Pit. It was here where he landed his first thirty and eventually his first UK forty in the shape of the illustrious original Snake Pit Common, a capture which projected his young name into the headlines at the time.

In 2003 he was the co-winner of the British Carp Angling Championships with his good friend Danny Fairbrass, who he works alongside today as the Korda operations director. He has a passion for design and has been responsible for many of the famous Korda products we see on the shelves today. On the fishing front, he spends a lot of his time fishing low-stock no publicity waters in the UK or chasing the monster carp across Europe. In 2014 he made history when he became the first Brit to land three different 80lb-plus carp when he banked Eric’s Common from Rainbow Lake, which added to his captures of the Saussaie Common at 88lb and the Scarred Mirror from the Graviers at a massive 93¼lb.

Inducted: March 2017



Long-time carper Max hit the headlines in the 1980s when he became the first English carper to land a 60lb-plus carp. The fish weighed in at a whopping 68½lb and was caught from the legendary Lac de St Cassien.

At the start of the 1990s, he was making headlines again when he became the first angler to land a forty from big fish venue Savay Lake. Weighing in at 42¼lb, the big mirror was the tenth biggest carp caught in the UK that year.

Besides being a proficient catcher of big carp, Max also made a name for himself during the booming years of the mighty Fox International. He was an important cog in the growth of the tackle empire, having an involvement in the development of lots of different products before leaving in the mid-noughties to start the ACE brand, which he later sold to Rapala.

He has been involved in a number of television and DVD projects, including the very successful Fox Guide to Carp Fishing and the Fox Guide to Advanced Carp Fishing. In more recent years he has continued to catch big fish from the Continent, topped by a personal best 94¼lb known as Shoulders from Abbey Lakes in December 2013.

Inducted: March 2017



Kev is one of the founders of the hugely successful Mainline Baits. Mainline is now one of the biggest bait companies in the world and has brought us such legendary baits as the Grange CSL Mix, Activ-8 and Cell.

As well as having a wealth of knowledge in bait, Kev also has a string of big fish under his belt. In the early years of Carp-Talk he was a regular face in the news pages with monster carp from Little Grange in Essex, a name which Mainline used to launch what is now one of the greatest big carp baits of all time.

Kev’s personal fishing stayed low-key during the early foundations of his company, although he regularly competed on the evolving carp match scene towards the turn of the Millennium. He made lots of appearances in the British Carp Angling Championships in its early years, finishing third in 1999 and also winning the high-profile Fish with the Stars event in the same year.

Behind closed doors Kev's contribution to carp fishing has been immense. He has played a massive role in the promotion of Carp Angler of the Year projects and been responsible for hundreds and thousands of charity event donations.

Inducted: March 2017



Darrell becomes the third member of the highly successful Team Korda to make it into the Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of Danny Fairbrass and Damian Clarke. However, it is for his own contribution to the sport that he earns this recognition.

At only 35 years of age, he might be the youngest inductee, but over the last 15 years he has made a massive impact on carp fishing. He caught his first carp when he was only nine years old and went on to catch his first UK forty 12 years later when he netted the mirror known as Chunky from Yateley Car Park Lake. His enthusiasm for catching big carp along with his success at doing it has had a huge influence on the modern generation of carpers.

He has since gone on to land a string of UK big fish including many well-known names such as the Northern Linear, the Client, the Fat Lady and Single Scale, topped by the mighty Two-Tone from Conningbrook at a UK personal best of 65¼lb. In more recent times he has spread his angling overseas, where he has landed carp up to a personal best weight of 71¾lb from Belgium and shared some extraordinary catches from the mighty Orient in France.

Besides having a knack of catching big carp he has played a big part in the promotion of the sport on television and at shows/talks up and down the country. He is also the author of the book My Misspent Youth.

Inducted: March 2017



Apart from his highly-acclaimed book, Carp and the Carp Angler (1980), George Sharman has remained pretty much below the hustle and bustle of popular carp fishing. Nonetheless, George has been actively involved in carp fishing in a multitude of ways for over 50 years, catching his first carp in 1965 and remaining committed to the species ever since.

Some anglers will remember George’s improvements in electric bite alarms, his logical and scientific considerations of carp growth rates and diet, winter carp fishing, properties of fishing lines, hook design and bait. A few older anglers may also remember his educational and entertaining slide shows/talks. A few of George’s articulate articles have appeared in commercial magazines, but mostly they have been reserved for the specialist magazines of the British Carp Study Group and the Carp Society. George was an early member of the BCSG and for many years their Scientific Adviser, and he assisted Tim Paisley with the formation of the Carp Society in 1981. He was also an active member of the Hallamshire Specimen Group for many years in his home town of Sheffield. His contribution to carp fishing has been considerable, and his innovations and knowledge have been passed on to others in a free and generous manner.

Inducted: March 2018



Long-time angler Shaun caught his first carp in the snow during the winter of 1977. More amazingly it was caught from the River Trent weighing in at 2lb 14oz, and from that moment onwards a carp angler was born.

Raised in the East Midlands, Shaun has worked in the angling industry since 1981. His first role was as a Junior Ranger for Leisure Sport Angling whilst at school, followed by him gaining his first proper job at the renown Walkers of Trowel tackle shop in the same year; where he worked for the next 24 years. His current profession is as the director of Quest Baits, a company which he formed in 2005.

Shaun has been a regular contributor to angling media since having his first article published in Coarse Angler magazine in August 1988. He has also been heavily involved with the British Carp Study Group for many years, acting as the East Midlands and Lincolnshire Regional Organiser and as one of the current members of the Steering Group.

As an angler, Shaun has fished far and wide across the UK, and to date has landed UK thirties from ten different counties. He has fished such well-known waters as Baston Fen Ocean, Baston Long Island, Patshull Church Pool, Mangrove, Savay, Grenville, to name just a few, as well as plenty of no publicity and off the radar venues.

Inducted: March 2018

Born in 1949, Duncan Kay was a successful angler and writer of the 1970s and 80s. He progressed to fishing for big fish and then specialised in carp fishing. He became one of the first British Carp Study Group members after it was formed in 1969 and was also a stalwart of the CAA. He fished at famous waters such as Billing Aquadrome where he caught some very difficult carp, the River Nene and Hemingford Grey, catching a 20-pounder from Billing in 1970. It was because of these catches where he made his name, and at the time it’s fair to say he was one of carp fishing’s ‘leading lights’.

Duncan famously developed his own carp fishery – known as Mid Northants – which was fished by many famous anglers of the day. It was a much sought-after ticket and Duncan was known for his antics on the opening day of the season, often playing pranks on the members in an attempt to make light humour of what is often described as a serious sport. Eventually, Mid Northants was closed for the reworking of the gravel, at which time Duncan moved his fish to the now infamous Ringstead Fishery, which produced the British record carp to Roddy Porter in 1995.

Besides his famous catches and running his lakes, Duncan was also a pioneer in the bait world and formed one of the very earliest readymade bait firms. Amongst his more popular baits were the pink Red Karpi boilies and his famous Slyme pastes which accounted for many big fish at the time.

Duncan Kay passed away in January 2016, but his name is forever etched into carp fishing history.

Inducted: March 2018



One of the best-known and successful carp anglers of all time, Andy Little, burst nationally onto the carp scene in 1980 when he became a member of the first Savay Syndicate. That year he ran amok with fabulous, often multiple, catches of big carp that included numbers of 30-pounders. He went on to enjoy super catches from virtually everywhere he tried, such as Frensham, Farnborough, Redmire Pool, the River Thames, the list is endless.

Another big part of Andy’s life has been his long-time involvement with the tackle trade, often occupied in tackle and bait development for companies like DAM and Richworth Baits, and later he became Managing Director of Fox International.

Andy has written a number of carp books plus many magazine articles besides creating, with Roy Westwood, an amazing weekly photo-feature in Angler’s Mail which lasted over 15 years with him catching all manner of coarse fish – besides having his own Sky TV show titled ‘Andy Little’s Angling Adventures’. These days Andy has a strong internet presence, with his Facebook page alone carrying thousands of followers.

Now retired and living close to the Avon and Stour valleys, Andy continues to enjoy exceptional river and gravel pit fishing.

Inducted: March 2018



An angler since the sixties, and a dedicated carp angler since the seventies, Brian Skoyles encapsulates everything that is required to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. Hailing originally from Norfolk, married life saw Brian and Liz set up home in the Hull area and they've never looked back since, with Brian being adopted as a northern carp angler in the eyes of most.

Although his early days were as a specialist angler, carp fishing bit hard in the seventies and he soon became recognised for his catches locally and nationally. A big supporter of the Carp Society from its early years, Brian was a long-time regional organiser for the Humberside region, an acclaimed speaker countrywide for the Society and Junior Features Editor for Carp Fisher for many years.

He is a long-time Nutrabaits stalwart since the mid-eighties and a Daiwa consultant from the mid-nineties. Brian also co-wrote a book on floater fishing with Chris Ball, put together the gigantic sixth BCSG book, and has contributed to numerous books and stepped into finish the Improve Your Carp Fishing book that Kevin Green started but was unable to complete due to his untimely death. He has contributed to numerous magazines such as Carpworld, Crafty Carper, Advanced Carp Fishing and IYCF with his floater fishing pieces inspiring many an angler to wind in those bottom baits and try something new.

Seemingly at home on all waters from inland seas to local ponds, canals to rivers, in the UK and abroad (Canada and China to name just two) he truly is a master of most disciplines of carp fishing. Whilst he's not one to court publicity it's fair to say that Brian has contributed as much as anyone to carp fishing events both for charity and for youngsters. From the Korda Academy to the Junior Carp School, to raising money for all sorts of local and national charities no-one has done more for free.

Inducted: January 2019

Mike started fishing on the Thames at the age of five and started carp fishing over 50 years ago. He became an early member of the British Carp Study Group in 1970 and designed and produced some of their first proper magazines and their first book. A short time later he became a member of the Committee, and later a Regional Organiser for the Surrey area. He helped to start the Carp Anglers’ Association with Peter Mohan and was their first Chairman.

He fished Ashlea Pool as a member in 1972/3 and Redmire Pool in 1975/6. Mike also pioneered winter carp fishing in Surrey at the Tarn Pond in 1973/4 where he was so successful that a swim is named after him. Since that time he has fished and been successful on a huge number of waters in Surrey and then Somerset. He is a prolific catcher of winter carp for which he is noted.

He has written numerous articles for the BCSG and CAA magazines and contributed to a number of books; written two volumes of an autobiography: A Dream of Carp One – The Early Years and volume Two – The Somerset Years. In the last five years he has designed and produced more than 15 carp fishing books including: The Seventh British Carp Study Group Book, Carp County, Carp Addiction, Tel Tales, Too Many Rods and Still for the Love of Carp.

At the time of Mike’s induction to the Hall of Fame he still regularly fishes for carp, including all through the winter months, despite his age of 78.

Inducted: January 2019

Dave Chilton burst onto the national scene in 1988, the same year that Carpworld hit the newsstands. Together with wife Chris he is the brains and moving force behind Kryston Advanced Angling, and in 1988 he initiated a revolution in hooklinks for carp fishing. We now take the variety of braided and coated hooklinks for granted, but prior to Dave appearing on the scene, hooklinks were mono or braid, with a few alternatives like wool and kite string thrown in. Dave’s starter was Multistrand, discovered in a skip at Kirkham in Lancashire. This got Dave thinking about purpose-made braids, and then coated hooklinks, followed. When Dave went global he launched the first-ever coated hooklink at Rudide Zutter’s show in Belgium, and the interest was intense. That first coated hooklink was Snake-Bite, and it was the forerunner of a series of innovations that not only found favour with the whole world of carp fishing, but attracted a whole host of imitators!

When Dave moved on from hooklinks his range of innovations and products bore witness to his understanding of carp, and the edges needed in trying to ‘out-think’ them. Dave was brought up on the difficult Lancashire and Cheshire waters, and his record on both the Mangrove and Birch Grove is as good as anyone around in using his products to put carp on the bank.

Inducted: January 2019

How many people know, or remember, that Gary Bayes is from Lincolnshire and was actually a product of the Rod Hutchinson stable? Gary worked for Rod until his move down to Essex in the late 80s, and clearly shares a great deal of the great man’s carp fishing ability, understanding of carp, and bait knowledge. As head man at Nashbait, Gary has extended that knowledge and grasp of what it takes to catch carp to help build Nashbait to the eminence it currently enjoys. Thousands of carp anglers can feel grateful for Gary’s understanding of carp, and what makes a successful bait. The bait market is a very competitive one, and yet Gary has kept coming up with new winners, year in year out, and has helped produce a series of the all-time great baits. He can catch carp, too, and one of his claims to fame (and what a claim!) is that he was the first person to land a 60lb carp from this country when he netted Conningbrook’s Two-Tone, weighing in at a record-breaking weight of 61lb 2oz in October 2001. He’s a nice, unassuming guy, and has supported the Predation Action Group for some time. One of life’s good guys, and mega-talented and successful to boot: every inch a Hall of Famer!

Inducted: January 219

Mike is a well-known and highly successful carp angler, one who has made the headlines over the years with a string of outstanding catches from a wide variety of waters. His pursuit of the Ashlea Pool carp starting in the late 1980s became an obsession with the two big carp, Lucky and Humpy finally falling after a prolonged campaign. Mike also has the distinction of recording the mighty Frampton Court Lake’s first 40-pounder back in June 1991.

Further success at demanding waters such as the Park Lake, the King Sedgemoor Drain and Stoneacres (part of the Linch Hill complex in Oxfordshire), and, of course, not forgetting Mike’s epic capture of Colnemere’s Black Mirror at over 50lb. Mike and his son, Lee, also made some highly-productive foreign carp trips.

Besides his great catches Mike also started one of the most enduring and well-respected bait companies, Essential Baits. Under his expert guidance Essential Baits has gained an army of followers, many who swear by the brand.

Mike Willmott has also written informed features for angling magazines over the years, and is the author of two weighty tomes: Carp Life & Carp Life 2, which were received to high acclaim.

Mention must also be made about a lengthy battle with the local planning authority that saw work finally start on a new family home overlooking his beloved Springwood Pool. These days the lake holds some wonderful carp. It’s all been one hell of a journey since Mike’s first carp fishing trip in the summer 1975 – these days he is regarded as one of carp fishing’s most liked and respected characters.

Inducted: January 2020

Thirty-six-year-old Alan Blair from Essex is a name all will be familiar with, both in the UK and Europe-wide with his presence at carp shows, in magazines, on social media and of course his legendary Urban Banx films for Nash. Born in Milton Keynes, Alan was a keen fisherman by age five and as a young man found his calling in the angling industry as a lecturer at Shuttleworth College. He joined Nash in 2007 and now is renowned as the energy behind the organisation as Kevin Nash's right hand man and is truly the face of the company. His enthusiasm for all things fishing, the sheer amount of youngster's he inspires to carp fishing anywhere they can be found, his ability to catch carp from anywhere on a variety of tactics, his contribution to the sport and his positive stance make him a natural inductee this year into the Hall of Fame. Together with his fiancé Chloe and children Myah and Fern, he is all that is good about modern day carp fishing and it's growing appeal to all types of anglers.

Inducted: January 2020

John Carver has been involved in carp fishing for a long, long time. He joined the British Carp Study Group in its very early days, in 1972, and has been a staunch and involved supporter ever since. He was a member of the famous Redmire syndicate under the leadership of Jack Hilton and Tom Mintram, in the 1970s, and was on the Redmire management committee. He also had the responsibility of netting Chris Yates’ amazing record carp caught in 1980. As well as being a highly successful catcher of carp himself for over half a century, John has contributed on various carpy matters in countless magazines and numerous books, and was at the forefront of carp fishing innovations such as bait development and long distance casting.

Inducted: January 2020

Len was just a 13-years-old when carp fishing captivated him. Carp waters were in short supply back then, however Len caught his first carp in 1967 and within three years his first 20-pounder, a glorious 27lb 10oz leather (a real big fish of the era) from the ultra-hard Longfield fishery near Heathrow airport.

Len earned his living as a precision toolmaker, and with his talent he started to make and also invent equipment for carp fishing. He created beautifully constructed superior electronic bite alarms for himself and friends and also came up with an ingenious way to make the none-turning line roller of a Mitchell reel (in widespread use at the time) to rotate thereby be far kinder to the new era of pre-stretched monofilament lines. And of course he made his now classic and sought-after carp landing nets, originally from quality fibreglass then later carbon fibre.

Early on Len became friendly with big fish anglers Bill Quinlan and Bob Buteux, who introduced him to further members of the Herts-Chiltern Anglers that included such luminaries as Jack Hilton, Roger Smith, Pete Frost, Frank Guttfield and others.

Len joined Jack Hilton’s Redmire syndicate in 1973 and in 1984 co-wrote with Kevin Clifford the seminal Redmire Pool book. Len has written for most of the major angling publications and has penned a number of bestselling angling books, which besides carp includes books on tench and barbel fishing.

In 1990 a pinnacle of his angling career came when he won the most coveted and prestigious award in big-fish angling, the Drennan Cup.

Inducted: January 2020

Len Gurd founded Linear Fisheries in 1973 using his great passion for carp fishing. Those early beginnings led to the later creation of Linear Fisheries Oxford Ltd and the Linear complex in 1993 - a joint venture between Len and family-run aggregates company Smiths of Bletchington based in Whitney.

Len was a talented man who during his life wrote and illustrated a number of books. His artwork was used by tackle and bait companies including the packaging of Richworth Baits and Mistral Baits.         

He was also the man behind many of the early carp fishing videos through his business, The Original Video Company. He filmed and produced countless titles including, Harefield Hauling, Tel & Jacko Go Carp Fishing, a trio of Floater Fishing for Carp films by Chris Ball, besides the Fox Guide to Carp and Pike fishing and the extensive Gardner Tackle Carpwise series. To cap it all he helped direct and produce the Total Fishing programmes featuring Matt Hayes which was aired on the Discovery Channel in 1990s and 2000s.

Len was also heavily involved in charity work with the MNDA being very close to his heart. For a number of years, an MNDA fundraising event was staged at Linear Fisheries Oxford, with many of carp fishing’s top names attending who were on hand to help other carp anglers with their fishing. Over the year’s tens of thousands of pounds was raised.

He died in 2018 and was described by many as a true gent, and one who always had time to listen and what he didn’t know about running a carp fishery wasn’t worth knowing.

Inducted: November 2021

Bob fished from a young age and gradually became interested in carp fishing in the 1970s. Later this took him to Furnace Pond in Sussex and Painshill Park in Surrey where he landed his first 20-pounder. He met Albert Romp through the haulage trade and they started to carp fish together at Painshill Park, then extensively at Savay, The Fisheries (Bob landing his first UK 40lb plus carp
in the mid-1990s) and in France where Bob banked,
amongst others, two massive carp weighing 78lb 12oz and 85lb 8oz.

For many years he was the owner of the famous Richworth Baits company that he ran with his family. He enjoyed success on numerous carp waters, including being a member of the Savay syndicate, and a number of other high profile Colne Valley waters, including Pit 4. He enjoyed success at Redmire Pool, including the capture of the famous nude leather. He was not high profile as a writer, but his friendship with Albert Romp resulted in him featuring in Rod Hutchinson’s book The Carp Strikes Back as ‘Bob Bigfoot Baker the Famous Carp  fisherman’. Sadly Bob died in 2020, but his fame is assured through the innovative success he made of Richworth Baits through the last twenty years of his life – and his association with Hutchy, Albert Romp, and the inaugural Savay syndicate.
Through Bob’s friendship with Len Gurd of Linear
Fisheries Oxford, Richworth became the main sponsor of the Linear complex for a number of years.

Inducted: November 2021

Bob Morris has a number of claims to fame, including being the first angler to catch 100 carp doubles in a season in the early 1970s, and the
capture in 1993 of a record barbel of 15lb 7oz (and
numerous big fish of various species) from the Medway. Following the capture of 100 doubles, achieved from Kent venues, Bob also achieved
success at the legendary Savay, Redmire and Yateley lakes complex. At the time of his induction (2021) he is still recognised as a skilled rod builder and he has always been viewed as one of the most innovative anglers of his day.
His life in fishing (he insists he should not be considered a mere carp angler) can be followed through the pages of his acclaimed book Carping Aside… Don’t Write Me Off published in 2013. Bob’s mischievous sense of humour permeates the book, which is a fascinating read about his angling adventures and successes. In addition to his book
Bob has appeared frequently in numerous  magazines and books over the years, and he contributed to the 2020 book Redmire Remembered. He was a member of the historic Redmire syndicate during its final year of 1984-
85.

Bob is from the Dartford area of Kent, and his interest in carp baits was sharpened when he met and befriended Fred Wilton around 1970. It is a friendship that has survived to this day, and Bob is aware that Fred’s bait philosophies work for all species of fish. He opened a shop close  to the Darenth complex in the eighties and for many years was a successful angling retailer. Bob is part of the fabric of carp fishing with an enviable record dating
back into the mid-1960s.

Inducted: November 2021

The likeable Ian Russell is one of those natural carp anglers who seem to enjoy success on every water they fish, which has resulted in him having an impressive big-fish record. He is a star of videos and carp publications alike, including featuring in some of the Gardner Carp Wise films, and is in high demand as a speaker with his highly successful talks and slide shows. One-time proprietor of Heathrow Baits Ian has a great knowledge of
baits, and is in demand as a bait company consultant. Such is his prowess as a catcher of carp that he has represented Carp Team England on a number of occasions, and was a winner of the Classic Carp Competition with his capture
of one of the big Summerleaze mirrors.

He is one of the first names on the list for Fish With the Stars events, and he always makes the effort to participate. Ian passes on his carp knowledge and experience through tutorials, for which he is in high demand. Undoubtedly one of carp fishing’s successful good guys!

Inducted: November 2021

Les Bamford is a house-hold name, largely through his association with the running of Redmire Pool since 1988, but on a number of other levels, too. He has been a successful carp angler since his Darenth days in the 1970s, and at the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame continues to enjoy
success on a number of highprofile carp waters. He has been a committed Carp Society supporter since the early eighties, and enjoyed spells as the Chairman in the 80s and 90s. It was as Chairman of the Society that Les first became involved with Redmire Pool, and when the Diedrich scheme fell through in the close season of 1988 it was Les who had the money required for the high rent, and he was able to lease the water ‘on behalf of the Society’. When he stood down as Chairman of
the Society he took over the running of the pool on an individual basis on behalf of the owners. Les’s own story about his involvement with Redmire can be found in Tony Meers’ book Redmire. He has proved to be the longestrunning and most successful custodian ever of the pool’s
fishing and oversaw both the de-silting of the pool in 2018, and the installation of the otter fencing round the site the following year. Such has Les’s dedication to the running of Redmire Pool been that when he took over the running of the pool he relocated from Rickmansworth to live on the Bernithan estate.

Inducted: November 2021

A successful specimen hunter and carp angler Marsh has claims to fame on a number of
counts as his book The Road to Orchid Lakes,
published in the last year of his life, reveals. He was
fishing-mad from a very early age and caught
specimen fish of a number of species, including a
famous overnight three-bream catch from the ultra-hard Queenford Lagoon. He was one of six children and his early life was a struggle financially but eventually he aspired to the purchase of Orchid Lakes in Oxfordshire ‘The Home of the Thirties’, which he ran and developed successfully for the last twenty-plus years of his life.
Marsh was a former Marine and a tireless worker for
charitable and angling causes. He served the NASG
and the Carp Society well, including as a Chairman of the Society, and later as a director, and he was a onetime member of the British Record Fish Committee. He bravely battled cancer for the last two years of his life and remained upbeat until the end in late 2020. His marvellous fishery, Orchid Lakes, remains a permanent testament to the love and care he lavished on the waters during his lifetime, and many anglers have him to thank
for their personal best fish from the venue. The island on the Orchid main lake is Marsh’s final resting place.

Inducted: November 2021

You have to wonder why it has taken so long for Roger Smith to be inducted into the Hall of Fame because there could be no more fitting Hall of Famer. Roger went back a long way in carp fishing, and working for Jack Hilton ensured he was soon at the sharp end of it. Brooklands was one of his early carp waters, then Ashlea, and Redmire. He was a member of the Redmire syndicate formed by Jack in 1968, and later became the only carper to have
been an inaugural member of the Redmire and Savay syndicates. He remained a committed carper to his dying day and was bivvied out when he suffered the stroke that led to his death.
He became a good friend of Rod Hutchinson at
Savay, and the friendship Roger and his close friend Kerry Barringer formed with Rod became a long-standing carp fishing and social one. He coined a number of Rogerisms which have survived him, his best known being, “This is what carp fishing’s all about,” when he was in his cups – which was a frequent occurrence! Brian Hankins’ funeral
eulogy to Roger spelt out how important the social side of carp fishing had been to him! He was a successful catcher of carp and invented
the D-rig during the rig revolution of the early 80s at
Savay. His first trip to France was to Cassien with Hutchy (immortalised in Carp Now and Then) and later he and Kerry became frequent visitors to France, and even had a swim named after them at Cassien.
Roger’s contribution to the carp scene included him
having been a regional organiser, chairman and president of the Carp Society. He was a larger than life figure who loved life, carp fishing, friendships, ‘smelling the flowers along the way’, and dogs. He was an essential part of the carp scene during the last fifty years of his life and will long be remembered by all who knew him, and many
who didn’t. Roger featured in both Hutchy’s books of the 1980s, The Carp Strikes Back, to which he made a written contribution, and Carp Now and Then.

Inducted: December 2022

A Home Counties’ angler who moved to Cornwall many years ago Ken goes back a long way in carp fishing and has enjoyed consistent success at home and abroad. Carp anglers with long memories will recall that Ken helped pioneer some of the Southwest waters, including the famous College Reservoir. When he moved further afield his association with Chateau Lake in northern France became even better-known and he was able to promote the prolific French venue for many years. As a successful member of the carp-fishing establishment Ken has always been popular with commercial interests, including associations with Nutrabaits, Haiths and Fox. Ken and carp-fishing wife Carole were among the first of the Carp Society’s regional organisers and ran successful meetings in the Southwest for many years. Ken’s fascination with bait means he has always been associated with the subject and has led to his long-running relationship with Haiths of Grimsby, where Rod Hutchinson unearthed many of his early ingredients. Ken has contributed numerous chapters to books and features for the carp media over the years and was the author of the 1998 book ‘The Beekay Guide to Carp Baits’. Ken and wife Carole (aka Tat) feature strongly in the Carp Society’s book Every Picture Tells a Story.

New Paragraph

Inducted:  September 2023

The entry for Ritchie in A Century of Carp Fishing reads: ‘Surrey. High profile and successful big fish angler of the late 70s, 80s and early 90s. First angler to catch three different forties. Excellent speaker and the author of Ritchie on Carp, where many of his exploits are described. Gave up carp fishing in the mid-90s.’ It hardly does him justice! He enjoyed success on Ashlea, The Crayfish Pool, Yateley, Longfield, Savay, Redmire, Cassien to name but a few of his stamping grounds! His book was up-dated to Ritchie on Carp, the Whole Story in 2014, by which time Ritchie had emerged from retirement to restart his pursuit of carp. It should go on record that when Ritchie caught Bazil from Yateley North Lake in October 1984 Chris Yates Redmire fish of 51lb 8oz had still not been accepted as a record by the BRFC, although the world of carp fishing and the NASA-formed Record Fish considered it to be the record. Ritchie could have claimed the record, but didn’t and soon after Chris’s fish got its due recognition in the BRFC record lists. It's fair to say that Ritchie is (or was) a ‘colourful character’ and a bit of a jack-the-lad and when his Redmire membership was terminated (he felt unfairly) he poached the pool the following close season by way of a degree of revenge. Colourful character or not it’s true to say that Ritchie was at the pinnacle of carp fishing during the golden age of carping from 1975 through to the mid-80s. He had a long lay-off from carp fishing but has recently resumed his efforts, concentrating on the Korda Embryo water of Norton Disney. As with Tom Mintram it could be said with some justification that his induction into the Carp Fishing Hall of Fame was well overdue.

Inducted: September 2023

It is on record in Forces of Nature that Kent carper Oz is an angler with soul. His dedication and uncompromising nature ensure that he leaves no stone unturned in his relentless pursuit of anything he sets his mind to, and that single-minded focus and vision, accompanied by intense self-belief, takes him through the most demanding situations in both his working life and angling situations. Spending 20-plus years as a firefighter taught Oz to be a humble man: never one to shout about his achievements, he is always there for his family and friends, and lives a life of uncompromising balance. His carp-catching record compares more than favourably with anyone’s, from British record-holder (Two-tone from Mid-Kent at 67lb 14oz) to Burghfield commons and ancient Leneys, to the big mirrors of the Kennet Valley, not forgetting the harsh realities of life on the Sailing Club Pit on a quest for the rarely caught Baby Black Mirror. Oz’s stunning beautifully-illustrated 2014 book Forces of Nature is a testimony to his love of nature, the carp fishing environment, and his carp-catching record to that point, a success story which has since continued unabated. In 2023 he added his selfless organisational ability to the world of carp fishing when he organised and ran the MNDA Fish With the Stars fund-raiser at Linear Fisheries in memory of his friend the late Paul Forward. His efforts raised in excess of £50,000 for the MNDA and Oz hopes to make the fund-raiser an annual event.

Inducted: September 2023

Successful Nottinghamshire angler Paul Forward moved to Kent in the 1980s through his love of carp fishing. He was unfailingly successful throughout the years until his death from Motor Neurone Disease at far-too-young an age early in 2023. Paul was charismatic, and high profile through his consistent carp captures, his involvement with the media, and interaction with his many friends in carp fishing. Famously he was a regular contributor to Carpworld with his cult, highly popular Mr F features from early this century onwards and contributed a revealing chapter to the Carp Society’s 2021 book Every Picture Tells a Story. His consistency was amazing and he managed to keep fuelling his monthly column with captures from the pressured Kent waters, and beyond, throughout the fifteen years or so his column ran. Paul teamed up with his great friend Dave Lane many times for both his session fishing and their highly popular and entertaining talks at carp gatherings. His popularity was such that following his premature death a Fish With the Stars event was organised by friend Oz Holness at Linear Fisheries to commemorate his passing, the proceeds going to the MNDA.

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