53lb 4lb mirror carp practically rips the rod from the rest

David Crouch didn’t let a hit-and-run driver ruin his fishing. He dusted off his van and went on to bank this 53lb 4oz mirror.

The day before his weekend session at Grenville Lake, a vehicle caused £3,000 of damage to his fishing transport, but with the van still driveable, David wouldn’t be beaten.

“It’s a day I will never forget, I have to say,” he recalled after catching the big mirror from the Cambridgeshire venue.

Arriving to find only six other anglers occupying the 72-acre lake, David had a good look around with the aid of his bicycle and settled on peg 12 after seeing a fish at long range.

Having found a clear spot next to a weedbed 80 yards out, David baited with 20 Spombs of CC Moore Odyssey XXX boilies and managed a 21lb 4oz mirror on one of his 12mm Northern Special hookbaits at 3am.

“Nothing happened until about 8.30am, when I was watching the water and seeing a lot of fish showing at about 150 yards out. 

“The next thing the rod I had recast in the night was ripping off, nearly being dragged from the rest. I pulled into this and felt a big weight. I could tell straightaway that this fish was altogether different from the other.”

A fraught battle, which saw David get into the water in his waders, eventually came to an end after 10 minutes.

“I could see this was indeed a good fish,” he said. “Once I was happy I lifted the net out, and oh my god, this was a special fish, it felt very heavy! On to the mat and peeling back the net, a huge mirror carp lay in front of me. I was gobsmacked –this was massive!”

David beckoned two passing members to help weigh and photograph the fish. 

“It was an immense male carp,” he said. “A real brute of a fish, and we all stood in awe of him.”