tragedy for all england

[Ken Gargett]

may i extend my sympathies.

From The Times August 4, 2009

<H1 class=heading>Angling world in mourning for Benson the celebrity carp</H1><H2 class="sub-heading padding-top-5 padding-bottom-15"></H2><H3 class=section-heading>Related Links</H3>

• Famous carp Benson swims with the fishes
  

• Polished rod can take shine off your efforts
  

• Big is not always best when it comes to fishing
  

But no more. Today she is sitting in a deep freeze waiting to be mounted, and the angling world is in mourning.

“We are all rocked by Benson’s death. She was an iconic carp,” Tony Bridgefoot, the owner of the Bluebell Lakes complex near Peterborough, said. “We are all still trying to come to terms with her death. Money could not have bought Benson. She had that celebrity status. I can’t stress how famous she was in the angling world. All fisherman wanted to catch her. It was the size of the fish, but also the fact that she was scale perfect. It looked as if the scales had been painted on.”

But in their keenness to land the queen of the people’s carps, did some anglers go too far? Mr Bridgefoot said that a quantity of nuts — which can be used as bait, but can be fatal if not processed properly before use — was found on the banks of the old gravel pit that was home to Benson. “This looks like the work of some irresponsible anglers,” he said. “Large quantities of nuts have been found on the bank and in the margins; empty bags have also been found in the skips. It seems her demise was caused by the introduction of foods that are harmful to fish.”

The Angler’s Mail columnist Gary Newman said: “Whenever anything dies there are rumours. People have to find a reason why. If it was something to do with the bait it would have been more than one fish that turned up.”

Not necessarily so, according to Mr Bridgefoot. “If there were nuts, she would have eaten the lot. She was a greedy fish.”

Her age was also a cause of debate. Mr Bridgefoot said that he got Benson — who was named after a hole the shape of a cigarette burn in her dorsal fin — as a 24-pounder when he stocked the lake in 1995, and that she would have been about five years old. She arrived with a companion called Hedges, who disappeared down the River Nene in the flood of 1998.

Mr Newman said that he thought she was older than 20. “It would be quite unusual to have something that young that size. It probably died of old age as much as anything. There have been cases of them living to 65 or 70, but 45 years is more normal,” he said.

At least anglers will have their memories. Mark Pitchers, of Middlesbrough, landed her on his third attempt at 11pm one night in October 2003. “I lifted the rod and knew that it could not be anything other than Benson,” he said. “The feeling was unbelievable. I had two or three nights afterwards when I could not sleep.”

One angler wrote on the Bluebells Lakes online forum: “I have followed the capture of this great fish for years & years, from carp magazines to this website & the forum! A true great fish from a true great fishery!!!!!! RIP Benson!!!!”

Did she suffer from being caught so often? Research by scientists in Edinburgh in 2003 suggested that fish felt pain, although others have reached different conclusions. “It makes you wonder,” Mr Bridgefoot said. “She seemed happy on it. I think she liked having her picture taken.”

Some anglers, however, suggested that she had not been looking her best recently. There will be no inquest and, no doubt, the controversy will soon die down. After that, immortality awaits. “She is in my deep freeze at the moment,” Mr Bridgefoot said. “She will be mounted and put in the lodge. We will have guided tours and they will be full, I’m sure.”

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[Colt45]

“She is in my deep freeze at the moment,”

no use carping about it now - carpe diem!

[Froggy]

Strangely, I found the info very interesting... but still my only comment is: it's soooo saaad!!!! bouuhooo!!! bouhou!!

[greenpimp]

There is a carp magazine?

[El Presidente]

There is a carp magazine?

Stunned me too !LOL!

[Jakester]

Despite a history of being maligned as a sport fish for decades here in the U.S, carp are treated with reverence across much of europe and asia. In fact, there is quite a mania about them, and highly specialized tackle and techniques have been developed to catch them. There are many carp tournaments and clubs around the world.

As a fly fishing addict, I've become highly interested in carp over the last few years. Only a family of young kids has kept me off the water to date, but I'm about to begin tying up carp flies for next season, readying for the chase to come. Here in the U.S., they have drawn the attention of the fly fishing community big-time. They are generally pursued in very shallow water, and sight-fished just like bonefish. The two fish actually share many similarities, of course the carp can grow much larger. As a lover of bonefishing, I can't wait. As an added bonus for the anging community, carp are widely available and within easy reach of interested fisherman. Studies have also shown them to be superior in intelligence and wariness to species which anglers generally regard as the "premier" sport fish, such as trout and salmon.

As soon as time allows, I'll be plying the Potomac River near home, just west of Washington D.C., for carp on the fly. Try googling "carp fishing" or "carp fly fishing," and you will likely be surprised at how much material comes up.

Cheers!

[Ken Gargett]

Try googling "carp fishing" or "carp fly fishing," and you will likely be surprised at how much material comes up.

Cheers!

just don't mis-spell it!

are carp native to the states?

as for why the poor thing died early, i would have thought being regularly and fearsomely ripped out of its natural habitat, held up and manhandled for photos and tossed back was not a life enhancing experience.

[FlyFishingDude]

CARP? For those guys that can't catch trout, or Carp, the other white meat......

[Jakester]

Ken,

I don't remember if carp were introduced to the states or native; I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually of Asian origin. I do know they are actually members of the minnow family, and are widespread across North America.

As far as fly fishing for them, it is a telling indication that U.S.-based luminaries such as Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser and Dave Whitlock are big fans. I'm fortunate to live within easy driving distance of Lefty. He's my casting mentor, and his hand-written directions to a couple good local carp fly-fishing spots is a prized posession - one day I will check them out. Here's a link to a great article written by fly fishing icon Dave Whitlock:

http://www.flyfisherman.com/midwest/dwcarp/

Enjoy!