700lb-plus haul smashes match record!

THE six-hour match record at a top northern fishery has just been obliterated with an incredible 714lb 15oz of carp.

Mosella Quaker-backed bagger James Roper was fishing peg 38 on Angel of the North Fishery’s Bowes Lake when he netted fish to 14lb on a mixture of margin and shallow tactics to beat the 642lb best.

“On the day my peg looked perfect as it was red hot and the wind was blowing in,” he told us.

“In the first hour alone I had 100lb down the edge on 6mm expanders over micros, then for the rest of the match I caught steadily on 8mm hard pellets fished shallow at 10m range.

“The peg was solid, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t exhausted – I even had cramp in my forearms three times!”

Using a strong pole and a size 20 elastic, James landed a carp every two minutes and ended the contest with 17 keepnets in the water – half of which he stored in the next peg due to a lack of room!

Just part of James Roper’s phenomenal haul of carp