Inside fishing history
Angling historian Keith recalls the life of a gentleman angler, author and countryman whose writings live on till this day...
“He was responsible for some of the finest books on angling”
DENYS WatkinsPitchford (‘BB’) was responsible for some of the finest books on angling.
He also wrote about shooting and the countryside, as well as penning many hugely popular children’s stories such as Little
Grey Men and Brendon Chase.
While he wrote as ‘BB’, drawings in his books were credited to his given name.
His most famous angling book is Confessions of a Carp Fisher, written several years before Dick Walker caught the British record carp Clarissa from Redmire. BB infers that some men fished here for the species to escape their nagging wives! The book is still in print, and a signed first edition is worth around £500.
Pictures of ‘BB’ actually fishing are few and far between, but in the grainy black and white photo shown here he is ensconced at Hunstrete Lake, also known as Lackey’s Leap, not far from Bath. Details of his catches are just as rare, but there’s no doubting his ability as a writer, or his artistic skills.
Some of his artworks still come up at auction – paintings, scratchboard etchings, drawings and lino-cuts – all techniques he used to enhance his books.
‘BB’ was a teacher at Rugby School until his books started to bring in a viable income, when writing and art became his profession, allowing him time to fish in summer and shoot in winter. He held both coarse and game angling in equal merit and, despite a distinctly privileged upbringing, embraced both branches of the sport.
In 1951, with Dick Walker and Maurice Ingram, ‘BB’ founded the Carp Fishers’ Club, probably the first time this most enigmatic of fish was deemed worthy of specialist attention. One year later Clarissa came along, and changed the face of angling forever.
In case you’re wondering, the nom-de-plume ‘BB’ came from the shot size D W-P used for much of his wildfowling.