PETER STONE
Peter Stone was born on 27th November, 1927, in Oxford, a town where he was to spend all his life. Immensely talented in so many fields, in his working life, he worked for thirty-nine years as a bookbinder at Oxford University Press, and then set up as a taxidermist (his cased fish still being much valued today). His other passions included piano-playing, amateur dramatics, speedway racing and of course, most importantly for us, angling.
Peter was the Angling Correspondent for The Oxford Mail for twenty-eight years and a major figure in angling at a time of great change in the sport. His name ranks alongside those of Walker, Taylor, Venables and Yates in terms of the influence that he had on the anglers of the day.
The Thames was the river that he fished most, and became most identified with. Beginning as a match angler, he became one of the new breed of specimen hunters in the 1950s and helped found the Oxford Specimen Group. He was particularly interested in chub and barbel, but fished more broadly than this and caught some legendary record fish: pike to 35lb, Thames carp to 28lb and chub of over 7lb. He also held the record for rainbow trout for a while. Peter became the first President of the Barbel Society.
Peter wrote numerous magazine articles and twelve books, including Come Fishing with Me. In the 1990s he wrote an autobiographical book called Old Father Thames, in which he recalls his fishing adventures along this river. It is a book that beautifully reflects the spirit of the man - his gentle humour and generous spirit. Along the Way followed this in 2002 as an account of his 'not necessarily biggest but best' fish. In his later years he worked on a book that he envisaged as another Drop Me A Line - a book of the angling correspondence between himself and Dick Walker. This book - The Stone-Walker Letters - was published, with the help of Peter's widow, Sue, in 2006. It provides a unique window on to one of the great angling friendships of the century, and an insight into the theories and ideas that they were bouncing off each other during that period. Peter was also a great friend of the actor, writer and angler Bernard Cribbins.
Peter died on his birthday, on 27th November, 2000.
Other titles by Peter Stone include:
Specimen Fish - How to Catch Them Medlar edition 2012
Fishing for Big Chub 1983
Coarse Fishing 1971
Gravel Pit Angling 1983
Peter Stone was born on 27th November, 1927, in Oxford, a town where he was to spend all his life. Immensely talented in so many fields, in his working life, he worked for thirty-nine years as a bookbinder at Oxford University Press, and then set up as a taxidermist (his cased fish still being much valued today). His other passions included piano-playing, amateur dramatics, speedway racing and of course, most importantly for us, angling.
Peter was the Angling Correspondent for The Oxford Mail for twenty-eight years and a major figure in angling at a time of great change in the sport. His name ranks alongside those of Walker, Taylor, Venables and Yates in terms of the influence that he had on the anglers of the day.
The Thames was the river that he fished most, and became most identified with. Beginning as a match angler, he became one of the new breed of specimen hunters in the 1950s and helped found the Oxford Specimen Group. He was particularly interested in chub and barbel, but fished more broadly than this and caught some legendary record fish: pike to 35lb, Thames carp to 28lb and chub of over 7lb. He also held the record for rainbow trout for a while. Peter became the first President of the Barbel Society.
Peter wrote numerous magazine articles and twelve books, including Come Fishing with Me. In the 1990s he wrote an autobiographical book called Old Father Thames, in which he recalls his fishing adventures along this river. It is a book that beautifully reflects the spirit of the man - his gentle humour and generous spirit. Along the Way followed this in 2002 as an account of his 'not necessarily biggest but best' fish. In his later years he worked on a book that he envisaged as another Drop Me A Line - a book of the angling correspondence between himself and Dick Walker. This book - The Stone-Walker Letters - was published, with the help of Peter's widow, Sue, in 2006. It provides a unique window on to one of the great angling friendships of the century, and an insight into the theories and ideas that they were bouncing off each other during that period. Peter was also a great friend of the actor, writer and angler Bernard Cribbins.
Peter died on his birthday, on 27th November, 2000.
Other titles by Peter Stone include:
Specimen Fish - How to Catch Them Medlar edition 2012
Fishing for Big Chub 1983
Coarse Fishing 1971
Gravel Pit Angling 1983