THE carp record was smashed with a 68 lb 5 oz giant – but again the fish won’t be considered for an official British record.
Controversy surrounds the carp record again as the legally-imported Israeli fish was caught at the huge weight from Cambridgeshire’s prolific Holme Fen… but the captor decided to avoid any publicity.
He won’t be putting a claim through to the BRFC for the record, even though the fish exceeds the No.1 of the official list.
In fact, the angler only known as ‘Bill’, hasn’t revealed any pictures of him actually holding the fish, just cropped images of the fish itself which came from the main Meadows Lake.
Ironically, the fish called Captain Jack was caught on ‘International Talk Like a Pirate Day’ – but the only talking being done is when will a record-sized carp actually be accepted as a record?
Last year Big Rig, from the exact same Israeli strain was caught twice above the official record at 71 lb 4 oz and 69 lb 3 oz at Rob Hales’ Shropshire syndicate The Avenue. But the British Record Fish Committee rejected a claim for the fish as it had been ‘artificially reared’ before being stocked.
‘Bill’ and the ‘carp record’
Captain Jack is the country’s biggest known living carp as Big Rig died earlier this year.
That was shortly followed by the death of the current official record The Parrot from Berkshire’s Wasing Estate that went 68 lb 1 oz.
Martin Dawson, co-owner of the day ticket Holme Fen, explained the latest catch of Captain Jack at an all-time high, and the background to it.
“Bill’s view is that he fishes for himself and his own pleasure and hence his catches are personal and he has no need to share them,” said Martin.
“Besides all you seem to get from trying to claim the carp record these days is a load of grief and aggravation.”
A different angle on the giant 68 lb 5 oz carp, held over the water by ‘Bill’.
Martin said: “Bill was with a party from my Woodpecker syndicate (Earith Lake Fisheries) who booked The Meadows for four days.
“On the afternoon of the first day Bill cast out from the Look Out Swim to a spot approximately 110 yards towards the left hand bush on Part Point and after five hours hooked into the fish which was weighed on two sets of scales and witnessed by a handful of anglers.”
Home Fen’s massive carp
Martin continued: “All the fish in the lake here were legally imported from Israel by Premium Carp with the majority held in stock ponds prior to release into Meadows, and we then left them for a further three spawnings before we opened for fishing.
“Captain Jack was also caught three weeks ago but bottomed out 65 lb scales. Before that, the last time it was caught was a year ago at 64 lb 11 oz.
“It is a male fish and its weight generally only fluctuates by a couple of pound either way and it has put weight on year-on-year since we opened the fishery.
“He is the largest known fish in Meadows Lake which has produced backup fish of 60 lb 2 oz, 59 lb 12 oz and 58 lb 8 oz this past 12 months.
“Captain Jack did come out about six times last year, four in quick succession of each other, so it is possible it will come out again this year.
“I’m sure it will be caught again probably at an even heavier weight and maybe the lucky captor will want to claim the record,” he added.
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