I first crossed paths with Chris is 2017 when I illustrated for his book “Historical Carp Waters” which was published by “The Little Egret Press.” More than a dozen emails back and forth, and a chat over the phone regarding images for reference material, Chris allowed me to just crack on with the drawings, being very relaxed about the whole process, while Wayne Cryer from LEP dealt with most of the nitty gritty stuff for the book.
We kept in touch with each other, random emails about all things carpy, always a gent with his time and information, he would give me a little update of his latest captures and adventures.
He was still catching regularly off the surface even as early as march time when most carp anglers wouldn’t even contemplate dusting the floater rod down. With a string of big Commons finding the back of his net, and a New Pb “off the top” at 39lb in 2022, all on his beloved vintage tackle, he was still out there doing it, while still retaining that boyhood enthusiasm.
It was common knowledge he was in his element surface fishing, one that saw him take some of the countries finest off the top, right back to the Wraysbury glory days, along with many other waters both known and not so, giving up their gems to his surface tactics.
Chris has already recorded his own angling journey in many publications, and needs no introduction…..his work and life are ingrained into the fabric of our sport, he remained bang up to date with the modern scene, even becoming the president of “The Carp Society” a couple of years ago……the boy had been around and wrecked the t-shirt.
What’s clear is there wont be another Mr Ball. His life spanned both the past and present eras of carp fishing, not only in his documentation of the game, but also with his own personal angling and connections with many of the past greats. His knowledge was simply mind-blowing, how one man could amass such an archive related to angling is hard to comprehend, a true carp encyclopaedia.
We recently chatted about Continental Carping, and he fired over a few images of his early days fishing the River Lot in France, and how he had snaffled numerous fish off the top in waters aboard. He missed his adventures, with a hope of rekindling a road trip in the coming years.
At this point I had mentioned Swanshot to Chris, informing him of my intentions, and where we wanted to take it. We chatted about the connection to the wild world, how nature is at the core of my own angling and existence, and why it had kept me balanced and sane throughout my life, and this is something he totally related too.
I posed the question if he would write an article for us, while wincing behind the computer screen when I hit send. Imposter-syndrome kicking in again I didn’t want to overstep my mark, but he was more than quick to reply with ‘No problem, more than happy to help….what would you like me to talk about’?
I knew Chris had met numerous times with the king of country writers…”BB” and also “Walker” so I asked if he would put something together about his meeting with either of them, this was around Feb of 2023. In June he sent me an email to let me know he had nearly finished a chapter, not covering one of the two greats but both of them, and pictures too back it up. Shizzzzz, I was taken back and thanked him so much for his time, but what came next was the shock. He passed away early August, a total sideswipe for the carping world, and I was totally oblivious to him being ill. No hint of this in his emails, and to think he gave his time up at such a point in his life, made the news even more heavy to swallow. His two stories of meeting “Denys Watkins-Pitchford (BB)” & “Richard Walker” at their houses is a personal story, and literally one of the very last things he wrote before his passing, something that hit’s home about the generosity of the man, willing to help when he had far more pressing things to deal with to say the least.
It only seems right we save his stories for publication at a later date, nothing immortalizes words more than ink on paper, and for a literature giant in our sport, it’s the only way we can show him maximum gratitude and respect.
Rest well up there Mr Ball, wherever that maybe. You will be missed by many, and I’m sure you made your family proud, a legacy not to be forgotten.
Big Love
Swanshot
