Arlesey Bomb

[Horrocks]

I'am doing some research about the invention of the arlesey bomb. I know, that Richard Walker is not the first Angler who "invents" the pearshaped lead with a swivel. In 1977 Walker admits in "Succesful Angling" that he only reinvents the Arlesey Bomb.

 

I've read (Clifford, History of carp fishing), that the idea of the swivel came from A.J. Rudd, who suggested it in 1935 in his book Coarse Fishing. Now I own and read the book of A.J. Read - but there is now lead with a swivel. He fished only with drilled bullets...

 

Can anybody help me!?

[Peter Waller]

The pear shaped bomb was around log before Walker reinvented it. I think that he just perfected the shape and added the swivel. Why he should have added the swivel has always puzzled me. I'm quite sure someone will tell me what its advantages are but the logic of my fuddled brain can't see it!

 

The pear shaped lead was in use both on the Broads and off the beaches long before the 1950's. Paternosters, with pear leads and including booms, were in common usage by Broads bream anglers well before WWII. Angling guides for the Broads show scaled down beach fishing rigs, with pear leads, in common usage even in the early part of the 20th centuary.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Peter Waller

[Steve Burke]

The pear shaped bomb was around log before Walker reinvented it. I think that he just perfected the shape and added the swivel. Why he should have added the swivel has always puzzled me. I'm quite sure someone will tell me what its advantages are but the logic of my fuddled brain can't see it!

 

From Walker's book "Still-water Angling": "If the tackle becomes twisted as it flies through the air, the swivel allows the twists to come out as the tackle sinks. The line runs easily through the eye of the swivel, no matter what the direction of pull....."

[chevin]

From Walker's book "Still-water Angling": "If the tackle becomes twisted as it flies through the air, the swivel allows the twists to come out as the tackle sinks. The line runs easily through the eye of the swivel, no matter what the direction of pull....."

 

The Arlesey Bomb was designed specifically by Walker when he was in pursuit of the perch in Arlesey Lake. Long distance (in those days) casting was essential and Walker could not find any leads suitable for the job. The first made did not have a swivel; that was a later innovation. There is more - probably previously unpublised - information on the production of the first Arlesey Bombs in a book I am writing on Richard Walker and which should be published within the next few months.

[Horrocks]

And what's about A.J. Rudd? Clifford says that Rudd adds the swivel to a paternoster lead, which was still in use in 1935 for decades. I read the book three times - but there is no lead with a swivel in it!? Knows somebody the book?

[Andy Macfarlane]

I read a book years back that suggested Dick Walker was fishing with the intention of letting his bait roll down the incline of the reservoir bottom without his line tangling. Apparently (which means it's probably not true...lol) he'd cast his bait parallel 90 deg. to the bank and allow the bait to roll down the incline of the reservoir bottom, until the line was almost pointing straight out from rod, hoping for a hit on a moving bait, before reeling in and repeating the process. I believe it was big perch he was targeting. By adding a swivel, he solved the problem of repeated twisting.

 

This kind of idea.....

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Poa...pg?t=1171998249

[Peter Waller]

Perhaps Mr Rudd, what a lovely name for an angler, used a swivel with a link at the bottom of his paternoster? The bream angler's paternoster traces of my youth had swivels at both ends. They were exact copies, albeit scaled down, of the paternoster traces that you could buy for sea-angling in those far off, halcyon days.

[chevin]

I read a book years back that suggested Dick Walker was fishing with the intention of letting his bait roll down the incline of the reservoir bottom without his line tangling. Apparently (which means it's probably not true...lol) he'd cast his bait parallel 90 deg. to the bank and allow the bait to roll down the incline of the reservoir bottom, until the line was almost pointing straight out from rod, hoping for a hit on a moving bait, before reeling in and repeating the process. I believe it was big perch he was targeting. By adding a swivel, he solved the problem of repeated twisting.

 

This kind of idea.....

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Poa...pg?t=1171998249

 

 

Hi Andy, I think that you got it right when you doubted the truth in that story. Dick designed the Arelsey bomb to address a situation that existed in Arlesey Lake. In actuallity Arlesey Lake is/was a gravel pit that flooded over a very short period of time and there were deep trenches in the bottom at the deepest point which was around 80' I believe. Dick decided that he needed to fish those trenches and so he made the Arlesy bomb streamlined enough to assist in his casting the distances required. He was certainly in pursuit of large perch though.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Hi Andy, I think that you got it right when you doubted the truth in that story.

 

That was actually a little joke on my part. Most stories starting with 'apparently' turn out to be ****s. In truth, I was pretty sure my story was accurate.

[chevin]

That was actually a little joke on my part. Most stories starting with 'apparently' turn out to be ****s. In truth, I was pretty sure my story was accurate.

 

Not long before he died, Alan Brown of Hitchin was interviewed by John Mason on my behalf and part of the interview dealt with the Arlesey bomb the begiining of which Alan took a major part. The interview was to gain some material for a book I am compiling on Dick Walker so I am reluctant to give any of the details of what Alan told us at this stage. But the part about the Arlesey is quite interesting.