5,000lb of carp in just 6 hours!

When you’ve weighed in a total of 388lb 12oz and yet only managed to finish sixth in a match you know you’re part of something very special – and that’s exactly what happened after a recent contest at Chart Fishery, in Kent. 

The incredible match, fished by the Medway Trotters angling club on the venue’s Coarse Lake, resulted in more than 5,000lb of fish being banked by the 15 participants. 

The top three all landed over 600lb with the winner, Del Lockwood, taking the top spot with 669lb of carp. 

Angling Times spoke to Stephen Peters, who managed 628lb only to finish second! 

He said: “The day was mental – we started the match with great anticipation after we arrived to find the carp cruising very close to the bank. On this occasion it did not matter what swim you were in, as nearly every angler bagged a personaL-best weight. 

“I started fishing a pole top kit plus one section down to a dibber float set at about 14ins depth.

“With a banded 10mm pellet on the hook, I fed 8mm pellets over the top and stayed on that method for the whole match,” he added.

The rules at Chart Fishery state that your accumulated catch must be weighed midway through the six-hour competition. 

At this halfway point Steve had already caught 302lb of carp. 

He added: “Most of the fish were commons in the 4lb-12lb bracket – and at that average weight there’s no way you can bully them in. 

“The difference on this occasion was that you did not have to wait for a bite – the float would go under in a matter of seconds”.

The result proved that commercial fisheries can provide spectacular match sport at this time of year, and Steve reckons that even bigger weights could be on the cards. 

 He said: “I ached for two days solid after the match, but what a fantastic water that Coarse Lake is.”