Revealed: UK's next super carp

A new species of fish could soon be filling nets at some of the UK’s biggest commercial waters. And pictured above is a computer-generated image of what it could look like.

The man who was involved in the creation of the revolutionary F1 carp has this week exclusively revealed that 15 tonnes of his new, hard-fighting strain, called the ‘F1 Ghost’, have already been sold.

Babylon Fish Farm owner Jason Dorkings has been working tirelessly on this project for the last three years at his Kent facility. He has now revealed that instead of using a common or mirror carp to create the famous hybrid, he’s added a ghost carp to the winning mix.

By using this species, he’s created a fish that has all the usual hallmarks of an F1 carp, which is willing to feed in the coldest conditions and is immune to Koi Herpes Virus (KHV). Jason hopes that the ghost carp element will mean that this fish will fight even harder than the original F1.

“This is just like an F1 carp, but a new improved, version,” Jason exclusively told Angling Times.

“The trouble with the original F1 is that they all look the same and feedback from anglers has revealed that some, especially pleasure anglers, get bored of catching them because of this.

“By using a ghost carp we hope the fish will have individual coloration and unique scale patterns, which will make them a much more attractive prospect.

“It’s also common knowledge that ghosties scrap really hard, so we predict that this quality will mean that this fish will not only look really attractive, but also fight even harder than the original.

The F1 Ghost will be available from October next year. Some of the fisheries that have already placed orders include Woodland View, in Droitwich, Warwickshire’s Tunnel Barn Farm and Heronbrook Fishery, in Staffordshire.

“We’ve kept this really close to our chest, but there’s a real buzz developing about this fish among those who are in the know, which is emphasised by the fact that we’ve already sold 15 tonnes of them to some of the most popular fisheries in the country and they know what their customers want,” Jason said.

46lb 8oz pike rocks record

A record-shaking pike weighing 46lb 8oz has been banked.
The specimen - just 5oz short of Roy Lewis’ long-standing British record - was taken by keen predator angler Darren Clark last weekend at Wykeham Lakes near Scarborough.
It’s the sixth time the predator has been caught and it became the largest pike ever landed from an English water back in 2014 when it was landed by Wyndon Coole (pictured) at 46lb 11oz.
“For it to come out at a weight like this at this time of the year is incredible and if you consider that it hasn’t reached the full potential of its growth it’s scary to think what this fish could weigh,” said fishery manager Jake Finnigan.
“The fish is still in immaculate condition and we are very proud that we have such pristine pike that could easily do the record.”
Wykeham’s Trout Lake that produced this incredible fish has operated on a syndicate basis for the last three years.
Former pike record holder Neville Ficking has fished the venue for the last four years and he was on the bank at the famous water when he was contacted by Angling Times.
“This venue never ceases to amaze me and I know that this isn’t the only big pike that’s swimming around in here,” said Neville. “Considering this fish has been caught a few times it really is an incredible pike, but I’m convinced there are other fish in here to get excited about.”

17lb barbel hit for matchman

A matchman who’s been barbel fishing for only five months has banked one of the biggest braces of the species in history.
Former British match record holder Craig O’Brien banked two barbel of 17lb 10oz and 17lb 8oz, along with another fish of 13 lb 11oz during an incredible session on the River Trent.
The Birmingham match ace took a break from 15 years on the competition circuit during the summer, and since then has banked 27 double-figure barbel from rivers across the UK.
But despite his unprecedented success with the species, nothing could have prepared him for the day’s fishing that unfolded on the banks of the venue that many believe could produce the next British record.
“This barbel fishing is that easy I might have to go back to the match scene,” joked Craig.
“It really has been incredible as I really can’t do anything wrong at the moment. Some of my specimen fishing friends are a little miffed to say the least – they’ve now nicknamed me ‘golden balls’.
“I was a specimen angler before I got into match fishing and used to fish all the famous carp waters such as Wraysbury, Savay and Yatley, so it’s not as if I haven’t targeted big fish before.”
The biggest barbel sets a new personal best for Craig, who once held the British match record with a 308lb 6oz net of carp taken from Earlswood Reservoir. He tempted the fish with feeder tactics and a home-made krill and coconut pellet.
It’s not just the Trent that has produced huge fish for him – he’s also banked doubles from rivers such as the Avon and Severn.
“I love travelling to different venues in search of the biggest barbel because they all offer a different challenge,” he said.

Three 30lb carp in only a day

Tom Abbot bagged three Devon thirties in a day during a weekend session at Milemead Fisheries.
Arriving on Saturday morning and opting for peg 5 on the Tavistock site’s Specimen Carp Lake, Tom set a new venue record with the biggest of the trio at 34lb 1oz.
The fish, known as Machiavellian, was the second carp of the session and the first of a hectic Sunday.
 “Sunday morning looked spot on,” said Tom. “The wind had died down to a breeze and there was that misty rain. The water had taken on a bit of colour and I saw a couple of fish top out in front. I reset everything as bite time appears to be between 9am and 1pm.”
Just as Tom was beginning to wonder when the bites would come, Machiavellian arrived at 11.45am. “It behaved very well and looked immense at 34lb 1oz,” he said.
A lost fish followed at 2pm, but just half an hour later Tom made amends with a fish known as Wannabe at 31lb 7oz.
He said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it was another lump, I was over the moon.”
At 3.45pm another bite materialised and another big carp took off. “It wiped out both the other rods, but I didn’t care as it looked close to another thirty. I was shaking but between me and the other guys we confirmed it at 30lb 2oz.”
Tom, who fished a variety of pop-ups over about 1kg of free offerings, also had two twenties.
He added: “A very wet, smelly, but happy angler packed up and bored his wife with all these details!”