513lb in five hours

The glut of mammoth weights taken from commercial fisheries hit new heights this week when a top match angler filled an astonishing 13 keepnets during a five hour event.

Preston Innovations ace Lee Kerry was competing in the Drennan Knockout Cup semi-final at Worcestershire’s Cob House Fisheries on the prolific Wyatts Lake and hauled out 513lb 13oz of carp to seal the win and smash the complex record.

In order to comply with the venue’s strict 50lb limit, he was forced to stake nets throughout his swim, severely restricting his options of where he could actually fish come the final whistle.

Incredibly, last placed Ian Didcote still caught an enormous 375lb and required eight keepnets.

Over 2,200lb was shared between the five competitors and Lee told Angling Times: “The managers supply all the nets and when they gave us 100 to share at the beginning I thought they were mad.

“I used caster shallow over groundbait in the margins and at one point I was catching a fish a minute. I enjoyed it and obliterated my previous best of 225lb, but I’m not sure I could face doing it again in the near future,” he added.

Runner up Michael Buchwalder placed 452lb 5oz on the scales and will now compete against Lee in the final at Docklow Pools later this year. “I’ve fished a few bagging waters during my career but this is by far the biggest stocking I’ve ever seen - I had 188 carp averaging over 3lb each,” he said.

“I probably spent half an hour putting nets in and working out where to put them! It was an incredible day and I don’ think I’ll ever experience anything like that again.”

Venue bosses have seen countless huge weights recorded in recent years and owner Helen Taylor insists that fish welfare is their top priority. She said: “With the calibre of anglers on show I felt a record was on the cards. Our net limits help keep the stocks in top condition and everybody involved commented on the great shape all the carp were in.”