Ashmead's finest out at 55lb 10oz

THIS jewel in the crown of the Ashmead syndicate has been banked by Martyn Skoyles after a five-year quest.

Single Scale weighed 55lb 10oz and provided the 29-year-old with a heart-stopping fight after revealing itself early on in the battle.

The fish was the only carp of a three-night session at the Somerset venue for the Daiwa-backed angler, whose father Brian is also a well-known carper.

Martyn, who works for Oxford University, told Angling Times: “It came shortly after I moved swims on the second day. The fish surfaced almost straight away so it was a pretty terrifying 10 minutes or so for the rest of the fight.”

He added: “I've been lucky enough to be a member of the lake since 2008, and the nature of the venue with its numerous bays, channels and mountains of weed make it a unique place to fish.”

Single Scale picked up a Nutrabaits Trigga and Blue Oyster boilie over a bed of matching freebies.

Martyn’s rig featured a 2oz square pear lead on a Korda leadclip, 10 inches of Korda N-Trap Soft and a size-eight Nash Fang hook.