Donavan and Ridge are Northern Carp Cup champs

Chris Donovan and Craig Ridge are the 2016 Northern Carp Cup champions following a dominant display at Wyreside Lakes Fishery.

After a sluggish start, the pair caught seven fish for a total weight of 106lb 3oz on Sunnyside Two at the seven-lake complex.

Fishing from peg 1 on the Road Bank, Chris and Craig banked all but one of their fish in a hectic spell between 10.30am and 7pm on day two of the 48-hour match. 

They also caught the biggest fish of the weekend, a 24lb 10oz common.  

“They had all sorts of weather, from strong wind, to heavy rain, to bright and hot sunshine,” said organiser Belinda Coxon.

With the fish well spread out, eight of the 12 pairs caught a total of 22 carp. Second place went to Simon Bury, who fished without partner Steve Blow, with four fish for 66lb 15oz, only just ahead of Dan Robson and Shane Fletcher, who also caught four fish for a total of 65lb 11oz.

The winners collected £2,000, with second place netting £1,000 and third £500. The event, along with other British Carp Cup events, will be screened on BT Sport this November.

Extreme fishing gets its reward with 47lb 12oz common carp

It was a bit of an epic Saturday morning” is how Dan Taylor described the extreme lengths he went to to land this giant 47lb 12oz common.

The 28-year-old came up with an ingenious plan to hook the fish just a foot from the bank in an unpopular swim containing a “savage gravel ledge” that severely hampers line lay.

But that was just half the battle at the Kent syndicate, as the fish surged through five weedbeds and led him a merry dance in a boat before eventually succumbing.

“It’s an unpopular swim that no-one fishes because it basically contains a cliff face and a savage gravel ledge,” said the tree surgeon. “But I’d seen this big common in the area a week before and decided to prebait.

“I had to give it a bit of thought to be able to fish the swim, but in the end I put a second buzzer bar on a storm pole and draped the slack line over it to avoid the ledge.

“Having prebaited, I placed just a single hookbait on a really short hooklink and a big lead in the edge. At 5am I woke and hadn’t had anything and I was just making the first tea of the day when I received the take.

“The lake is about 90 per cent weed at the moment and the fish powered through it all, hit the surface and just ground to a halt.”

The Ashford angler took to a boat and patiently kept the fish moving through a succession of weedbeds before it “absolutely powered off around the lake”.

Eventually, though, Dan won the battle and was able to admire a fish that had not been caught this year. “It was last caught at 52lb,” he said, “but it doesn’t matter about the weight – it’s a huge fish and must have been 4ft long.

“It took a bit of thought and process to catch it, which made it all the more rewarding.”

46lb Ashmead carp falls to guest

A guest session on Ashmead gave Spencer Wright one of the venue’s most resilient residents.

The 46lb 4oz mirror, known as Moonscale, was attacked by an otter as a much younger fish, but has since gone from strength to strength.

Spencer, from the Isle of Wight, said: “I was fortunate enough to be asked to join some friends on a weekend social to this very special lake. 

“I was lucky enough to have fished it a couple of years back as a guest, so I knew what a testing lake it could be.”

Plotting up in the New North swim at the Somerset venue and finding a hole in the weed, the 43-year-old had to wait until the Sunday of the weekend session for a fish to enter his water.

He said: “I estimated it to be a mid-twenty from its position low down In the water. It cruised about around the weedbeds for an hour or so, before I noticed it swirling just to the left of the spot I’d found the previous day.

“Fifteen minutes later, while attempting to take a photo of a young grebe catching rudd, my rod bent over as my Neville screeched and line was ripped from a tight clutch.”

Although the fish swam straight into a weedbed, Spencer applied pressure and walked backwards up the bank, guiding the fish into his net just two minutes after getting the bite. 

He added: “The scales settled at 46lb 4oz. I was completely blown away by what was happening. I stood in the water holding her, totally in awe of the special fish and the history it had and all the anglers who had caught it over the years. For those couple of minutes, it was my time.”

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.”

43lb 4oz personal best carp after family bereavement

An emotional Eddie Warde caught the fish of his dreams just days after his dad passed away.

Having lost his father Wez to cancer, the Northamptonshire angler was determined to fulfil
a long-standing social session – and it turned into a trip he will never forget.

“Two weeks before the trip my dad Wez was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and just five days before the planned outing I received the heart-wrenching news that he had sadly died,”
said Eddie. 

“I was devastated but adamant the trip should still go ahead. I told friends and family members that something special would grace my net, but I had one particular fish in mind that I really wanted and I said Wez would give it to me!”

Eddie and Rushden Angling Centre owner Nick Whitmill headed to nearby Ecton Lakes in search of that special fish.

On the first night, Eddie went to bed at about 11pm and told Nick “I’m having the Big Lin”.

Four hours later, Eddie was woken by a single bleep and hit into a fish. “The rod was solid with rafts of floating weed covering the line,” said the Higham Ferrers angler, who donned his waders to help with the fight.

“Gradually the fish came into view and it was one of the lake’s two big linears! At this point I
was shaking and thinking ‘could
it really be the one?’.”

Indeed it was – 11 months after its last capture, the Big Lin at a personal-best weight of 43lb 4oz. 

“Nick was speechless and I was in pieces, so after weighing we sacked her as sunrise was almost upon us and raised a celebratory beer to my beloved dad, knowing he’d made my dreams come true. 

“I just sat in the water with the Big Lin, sobbing until sunrise. 

“A monumental moment in our hearts and minds, a trip that will never be forgotten.”

Dave Lane catches his eighth UK fifty

Dave Lane cemented his reputation as one of the best carp anglers of all time with the capture of his eighth British 50-pounder.

The Suffolk-based angler caught the stunning 52lb 12oz fish, known as Colin, from the Shallow Lagoon on the St Ives complex in Cambridgeshire at the end of a productive spell brought on by a change of tactics.

After managing just four fish in as many months, Dave’s last four weeks on the syndicate venue has produced 16 carp. 

The TFG and Mainline-backed angler said: “This season has been particularly tricky as the carp have been totally preoccupied with the vast array of natural food. After four months of hard angling, I only had four fish to show for it.

“However, a change in tactics, involving huge amounts of particles, seeds and chopped Mainline Hybrid boilies, soon started to turn things in my favour.

“I eventually identified two spots where the carp were willing to feed and kept these topped up with bait as often as possible.

“Once the bites started to come I decided to keep my results a secret, hoping to capitalise on the situation before anyone else noticed and the area became busier as a result.

“In all, I managed a four-week run, fishing two or three nights a week, and I caught carp every morning at some point between 4am and 11am.

“My final bite came at 5.45am on a Wednesday morning when, after a heavy battle in the thick weed, I slipped the net under my obsession at 52lb 12oz.”

Writing on Facebook after the capture, Dave added: “I can’t possibly reply individually to the hundreds of well-wishers who have commented this morning but thank you all.

“It is quite humbling to see how many people actually take an interest in my little obsessions.”

Cambs venue’s 61lb 4oz lake record tops feeding spell

An incredible fortnight at one of the country’s top open-access waters produced 16 thirties, eight forties, four fifties and the same 60-pounder twice.
Meadows Lake at Holme Fen Fishery in Cambridgeshire only opened last year but has already provided dozens of anglers with new personal bests.
It can be fished by anyone on a pre-booking system and owner Martin Dawson said it was an “incredible” period with “pbs being broken on a daily basis”.
The lake’s biggest resident, Captain Jack, first fell to Darren Price in a 24-hour 10-fish hit from Harry’s Swim. He caught the big mirror at 60lb 6oz along with others of 41lb 2oz and 38lb 8oz.
The following week, Barry Mann also caught Captain Jack at a new lake record of 61lb 4oz from the Dugout. Barry, who fished white pop-ups on hinged stiff rigs, also had mirrors of 48lb 4oz and 43lb 4oz.
Brothers Trevor and Darren Frisby fished for six nights and also cashed in.
Darren managed five fish, including a 48lb 10oz specimen and a 44lb 15oz fish from Party Point, while Trevor had seven to 52lb 2oz from the Dugout.
Trevor, from nearby Yaxley, told Angling Times: “It was a phenomenal week, it just blew us away. An average fish in that lake is 30lb, and I caught almost all of mine in a 24-hour period.
“We got there on Monday and within an hour of starting Darren had a new pb of 36lb 10oz.
“I had a 16lb 8oz common from Party Point Single on Tuesday morning, but then moved to the Dugout and found new spots on the Friday morning.
“Between 12pm on Friday and mid-afternoon Saturday I had five thirties and a fifty!”
Elsewhere, Graham Peach caught a 52lb 8oz mirror on his final day in the Beach, while Mark Shaw in Party Point had mirrors of 52lb 2oz and 51lb 6oz.

Dean Fletcher's 68lb 1oz carp is ratified as a record

The British Record Fish Committee has ratified the country’s first new carp record in eight years – and says it’s doing all it can to speed up future claims.
Dean Fletcher has been presented with a certificate to confirm his capture of the Parrot at 68lb 1oz, eclipsing Oz Holness’s 67lb 8oz record set in August 2008.
However, Dean told Angling Times the five-month wait between landing the fish and having it confirmed as the record was “absolute rubbish”.
The Berkshire greengrocer said: “The fish has been caught three times since I had it, and I was just lucky that I took it at its peak weight. If I’d caught it at a record weight in November rather than January I could be the official record-holder but someone might already have beaten it. It makes sense to verify the record as soon as possible, especially with carp, that can fluctuate in weight.”
Dean submitted his record claim within days of catching the Wasing Estate mirror and got his scales officially checked less than a fortnight later, but the British Record Fish Committee meets only twice a year to rubber stamp new records.   
He said: “I think it’s absolute rubbish. They said it was up to me to get the scales verified and they would get the stuff done as quickly as possible, but then said they wouldn’t be having a meeting until June.
“It doesn’t take too much to get a few people in a room one evening. I think the record should be confirmed as soon as the scales are verified.”
They said: Mike Heylin, chairman of the BRFC, said he sympathised with the frustrations but said that committee members come from all over Britain and cannot be brought together every time there is a new claim.
“We were really pleased to approve this record as it’s a new fish after Two Tone had bounced in and out of the records,” said Mike.
“In this instance, the freshwater sub-committee communicates electronically so there was a provisional record within a couple of weeks before the whole committee met to make it official. It used to be all done by post, and could take forever.”
Mike said scales checks caused most delays and cited the dwindling number of councils offering the service, the use of metric weights to test imperial scales and the frequent failure of officials to follow the BRFC’s strict procedures as key factors.
He added: “If I could find another way of doing it I’d bite the hand off the person who offered it. We are getting the claim process to where we want it to be, with a provisional record accepted within two or three weeks.”

Minimal baiting pays five carp to 40lb 6oz

A change of swims and a minimal bait approach helped Ross Ryder enjoy a ‘crazy day’ at Ringwood.
The Dynamite Baits-backed angler managed five fish including the Immaculate Common at
40lb 6oz and a 30lb 4oz mirror.
The Hampshire angler said: “Waking at first light, there were plenty of fish showing at close range a few pegs down from where I was.
“Flicking out blowback-style rigs did the business. All the fish fell to single hookbaits with small PVA web bags of boilie crumb covering the hook in low-lying weed.
“I managed commons of 19lb, 24lb, 27lb 14oz and 40lb 6oz, plus a 30lb 4oz mirror, making it a crazy day to remember.”

Terry Dempsey’s 53lb 14oz cracker

Terry Dempsey’s first overnight fishing trip with his son ended in the capture of this 53lb 14oz personal-best common.
Having chased the massive fish for three years, the legendary carper finally slipped the net under it with son Daniel in tow.
The early Father’s Day present left the Urban Bait boss shaking. It is the latest in a trio of giant commons that Terry has landed in the last year alone.
He told Angling Times: “I have been after this big common for three years now and caught it while taking my son Daniel on his first-ever night’s fishing.”
The fish, known as the Long Common, came from a syndicate water in Kent. Terry, from Bromley, added: “The weather was cold with a fresh northerly breeze blowing into our bank, so after 24 hours of blanking I moved the rods to completely different spots and had a take within 15 minutes.
“The fight was incredible, with the fish taking 40 yards of line
off me at a time. Once it was 10 yards from the bank I knew which fish it was straight away so I started to shake.
Once on the bank we weighed the beast at 53lb 14oz, and the third different common that I have landed over 49lb in eight months.”
Reacting to a wave of congratulations on social media, Terry said the carp was bigger than his son, and added: “It’s going to take a while for this one to sink in.”

Finding Nemo in Suffolk fishery

This surface-caught torpedo gave Aiden Sharpe ‘by far the best fight’ he has ever had.
An early morning change of swims at Suffolk Water Park led the Ipswich angler to the 37lb 4oz mirror, which is known as Nemo.
“I was awakened by a tench at 3.30am and it didn’t look great in front of me,” said the 29-year-old, “so I decided to have a stroll up the bank to where the fish were showing the day before.
“I catapulted a few mixers out and had one carp start to feed, so I packed all my gear up and drove up to the peg.”
The self-employed builder and bricklayer then rigged up a large controller float to reach the fish, which were more than 50 yards out, and Spombed out some more mixers.
He continued: “It wasn’t long before I was bent into a hard-fighting fish. I knew it was a good one from the way it was plodding and the power it had, stripping line off me.
“It was by far the best fight I’ve had, and it managed to snag me in the reeds for a couple of minutes before powering off again.
“By this time the bailiff had come down to give me a hand with the net and after about 30 minutes I finally had it in the net. Happy days!”

‘Bait and wait’ for five forties to 48lb 8oz and three thirties

Baiting up and leaving the fish to it for a day paid off for Craig McEvoy, who banked five forties and three thirties in a session.
Fishing one of the open-access weeks at Shropshire’s Acton Burnell, the Black Country carper knew the arrival of his group of six anglers would put the carp on edge – so he bided his time.
Craig found fish in a shallow bay and plonked 5kg of Mainline Cell and Hybrid boilies on their patrol route, just 15 yards out.
“I then went home,” he said. “The plan was to give them a load of free grub with no lines in the water. Plus I won some brownie points with the wife and took her out for the night!”
He added: “I arrived back on Sunday afternoon and when I walked into the swim I stood in awe – it looked like a Jacuzzi out there! The carp were having it big time.”
Spacing his three rods across the swim, Craig did not have to wait long for a 33lb mirror to pick up one of his hookbaits.
After the bay quietened down, the next take came in the middle of the night.
“Its first run saw it strip over 60 yards of line and I had no choice but to follow it out into the shallow bay.
“So in I went fully clothed, and it was a surreal experience playing a monster in the pitch black, standing in the middle of the lake.
“After around 30 minutes I eventually netted a great big male mirror called the Attwell Male.
“I was absolutely made up and at 42lb 8oz I couldn’t stop smiling.”
After a top up of bait, Tuesday morning brought carp of 37lb 2oz and 33lb 2oz.
Then, after Craig had rested the swim again, a midnight bite produced a 40lb 2oz mirror.
Not long after, another brutal fight lasting 45 minutes brought the aptly-named Arnie to the bank at 42lb 8oz.
After resting the swim yet again, and taking his wife out for a pub lunch, Craig returned to the swim and received another take early the next morning, banking the Ottered Mirror at a new pb weight of 48lb 8oz.
“To say I was in shock was an understatement,” said Craig.
But the haul wasn’t over yet. At 3pm the fish known as Lord Lucan made an appearance at 44lb 4oz.
“She was my fifth forty of the session and that was four forties in four consecutive bites – incredible! She was a stunner and I was completely blown away.
“This was my session of a lifetime, and I know that I will never repeat such a catch.”

40lb Yateley common falls after four seasons of trying

If you’re struggling for a bite at the moment, take comfort from the determination of David Tudor, who caught this 40lb Yateley common after an incredible three-and-a-half-year blank.
The 43lb 10oz fish, known as Snub Nose, ended an epic drought for the 29-year-old at the famous complex’s rock-hard North Lake.
Having moved on to the lake in September 2012, David endured a biteless first season – and that was only the beginning.
“By early 2015 another season had passed and I was really feeling it,” the insurance manager said.
“Two-and-a-half years had flashed by, and I then really started doubting whether I wanted to keep at it. I had jokingly taken a lot of ribbing from my fellow anglers on the lake, and I think it was the thing that spurred me on to yet another season.”
A breakthrough came in May last year when David hooked two fish in one night, but lost them both.
“I really felt like that was the last straw,” said the Farnborough angler. “I packed up and headed home to find that literally as I had loaded my gear into the car another angler had turned up and landed a nice mid-30 mirror!”
Fast-forward to April this year and despite remaining fishless, David was convinced this season would be different. The blanks initially continued but a two-night session earlier this month changed everything... eventually.
First, David moved out of the Islands swim only to watch his mate move in and catch a 22lb mirror almost instantly. “My heart sank, but I was happy for him at the same time,” said David, who had moved to the Fighting Post swim for his final night.
At 6am the next day, David’s right-hand rod sprang to life and he instantly knew it was not just a fish, but a good one.
“I suddenly went weak at the knees and they felt like jelly,” he said. A nerve-shredding half-hour battle followed but eventually he bundled his new pb into the net.
“It’s possibly the longest blank in carp fishing history, but would I have it any other way?
“Definitely not!” David said.

Anglers flocking to famous carp reservoir after massive changes

One of the most prolific and iconic day-ticket fisheries in the UK has just got even better.
Venue bosses at Drayton Reservoir in Northants have announced the biggest revamp in the record-breaking stillwater’s history, and have announced that it’s busier than ever as anglers flock from miles around to target its huge stocks of carp.
Months of renovation work, which included the complete rebuilding of the most popular pegs and improved access and facilities, were completed ready for a sell-out weekend which saw some anglers bank 700lb of carp at a single sitting!
And with water temperatures on the rise, venue experts predict that the water, whose carp now average around 14lb, will enjoy its best year ever.
Mark and Angie Ryder have managed Drayton for the past nine years, and since the improvements have been made they say the buzz surrounding the fishery has been ‘incredible’.
“We opened some of the improved areas over the May Bank Holiday weekend and the days leading up to it were manic.
“The phone didn’t stop ringing day and night and there wasn’t a peg left,” said Mark.
“One angler banked 54 fish to well over 20lb in a 48-hour session, and it’s not uncommon for visitors to bank 1,000lb of carp in 24 hours. That’s what this place is capable of, and we are immensely proud because it’s immaculate and continues to play a massive part in showcasing what fishing should be all about.”
Drayton is owned by the Canal & River Trust, and National Fisheries and Angling Manager John Ellis said: “This fishery has been breaking records since we opened 22 years ago.
“The place looks incredible after all the work we’ve done, and the investment and improvements will mean that it’s only going to get better. In fact I’d say 2016 is set to be its best year ever!
“I know for a fact that well over a quarter-of-a-million have fished here since we opened, and it’s changed from being a match venue with weights well over 400lb to one of the country’s premium venues for large numbers of big carp.”
Top match angler Phil Ringer is a big fan of the place, and he said: “The changes made will make Drayton even more popular. There are few better lakes for anglers wanting to catch big carp.”

Personal-best common carp on his first visit

Matthew Lockett’s debut visit to his new target water resulted in a three-fish catch topped by this immaculate 40lb 12oz common.
Despite high air pressure and strong northerly winds, he picked up commons of 12lb 10oz and 20lb 2oz before connecting with the new personal best on day two.
Matthew targeted the southern venue with CC Moore Live System boilies, and caught the forty on an Acid Pear pop-up cast to showing fish.

Wood Common at 49lb 8oz completes a fine double

Andy Hargreaves has become the first visiting angler to bank both of Spitfire Pool’s coveted commons.

His capture of the Wood Common at 49lb 8oz comes after he caught the Norfolk venue’s Long Common at 41lb last year. Only venue owner Rich Wilby had previously completed the double.

The Wood Common came in the final hour of Andy’s final day of a week-long session.

The 29-year-old told Angling Times: “I started fishing there for this fish and I wasn’t leaving until I caught it.”

The Salford angler added: “Catching the Wood was incredible. I fish to collect a set from a venue and it was the same at Spitfire. To catch both commons was a hard task having only been done by the Rich before. I just kept jumping about screaming – what a session!

“I personally think they are two of my three favourite commons in the country,” added the leisure manager, who is now after the third of those fish, an under-the-radar 50-pounder.

48lb 2oz pb carp arrives at pack-up time

A last-gasp bite, a nerve-shredding battle and this 48lb 2oz mirror combined to make “a dream come true” for Dan Ashmore.

The day-ticket giant, from Quarry Pool at Staffordshire’s Baden Hall, hadn’t been caught for 18 months and put up a huge scrap not long before Dan was due to leave the site.

The 28-year-old from Chorley, Lancashire, said: “I had to be away by 11am and I had begun the slow pack-down by 9.30am when I was having a cuppa, thinking conditions looked mint.

“Then my right-hand alarm erupted and an angry carp peeled line off my reel. There was no stopping it and the bend in the rod was ridiculous! After nearly 30 minutes there was no sign of the carp giving in.

“My heart was pounding and I was shaking with the thought of what I might have hooked. Realising I had packed my waders away, I threw my phone and wallet out of my pocket, took my boots off and entered the water.

“A few minutes later another angler arrived to help out and into the net she went.”

Dan, already beaming after banking a 31lb 4oz common earlier in the two-night session, added: “The scales slammed round to 48lb 2oz, a new lake-record mirror and pb for me.

“Everybody was buzzing doing the pics in the water, even when the inevitable bucket of cold water covered me.”

47lb carp one of two personal bests in a six-day stint

Mike Deakin banked a personal-best common and mirror during a six-day session at history-soaked Horton Church Lake.

The long trip from his home in Runcorn, Cheshire, to the Berkshire venue was more than justified as the 48-year-old production manager captured Hercules at 48lb and Sid at 37lb. Mike also banked a 29lb 9oz fully scaled mirror and a 38lb 10oz mirror know as Chunky.

“Sid is probably the oldest fish in the lake. It’s an old Longfield fish and there’s a pic of Terry Dempsey with it back in 1992, so it goes back a long, long way,” said Mike, who added: “I blanked for the first two nights then moved swims. I blanked again for the first night in the new swim, then the action started.”

Mike baited with an initial 6kg of mixed particles and boilies, then added up to 3kg each night.

The fight from the 48lb Hercules was a brutal one. Said Mike: “The scrap was incredible. It beat me up for 10 minutes and when I got it in the net I was blown away.”

Dan Taylor’s 60lb carp is a record for Kent lake

Dan Taylor’s incredible run of fish has reached another peak with Britain’s newest 60-pounder.

The 60lb 8oz mirror is the 27-year-old’s sixth UK fish over 50lb and came from the Carp Lake at Kent’s Wingham syndicate.

The lake-record fish, known as Black Spot, is Wingham’s first sixty and had previously been caught at 50lb and 54lb having been born in the incredibly rich lake.

Last season, tree surgeon Dan had three 50-pounders from the syndicate, including a 59lb 8oz common, plus another fifty from the Essex Manor. His new personal best came on his first trip back to Wingham since August and was part of an incredible triple take.

The Ashford angler had netted a low-twenty common just after dawn on day one of a three-night session when his second rod produced a 29lb 14oz common. As he was weighing that second fish, his third rod ripped off.

“The third fish put up a tremendous scrap and my heart was in my mouth when I saw the black spot on her flank that meant I’d hooked the lake’s biggest mirror,” said Dan.

“When I eventually landed her I was shaking. 

“I was shaking even more when the head bailiff weighed her at 60lb 8oz! I was still shaking as I struggled to lift her for the photos.”

Wingham boss Steve Burke said: “When Dan first came to do some tree surgery for us I didn’t expect he’d join the staff, let alone catch four fifties from the Carp Lake in less than 12 months.

“Neither did I expect a sixty so soon, as we’re still five or six weeks away from spawning.

“This fish was born at Wingham and is still growing fast, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what weight she’ll eventually reach.”

43lb 8oz mirror gives its captor a right run-around

The General lived up to its hard-fighting reputation by giving Sam Mee’s tackle a stern test at a Hampshire stillwater.

The 43lb 8oz brute beat the 24-year-old’s personal best by over 5lb and fell during a weekend session at a Ringwood lake.

“The fight was filled with long, powerful runs but the initial run must have been a good 30 yards,” said the mechanic “The fish is known for a great fight and it kited right and left, weeding me up too!”

The Dorset angler added: “Effort is key over here and I had been walking its banks during the week to keep me in touch. I knew where the fish had been holding up and after talking to a couple anglers it seemed they hadn’t moved too far during the week.

“I had a walk round a large chunk of the lake and saw a few fish showing themselves a fair bit further out than I could fish, as quite often seems the way. “However, I was confident and pretty sure that they would turn up on me the next morning, so I dropped into a gap. After a quiet night, I set the alarm early and was up just after first light.

“A few fish were showing in my zone and by 10.30am I was into a fish which ripped off at a rate of knots.”

Sam fished CC Moore pop-ups on hinged stiff rigs on lead clips and leadcore.