STU LENNOX was meant to be at Cambridgeshire’s wonder water Holme Fen for four nights but packed up on the second day to celebrate - and get warm - after matting this huge 58 lb mirror carp.
Medmenham, Buckinghamshire-based Stu offered a home-made 12 mm white corkball pop-up and he fed a gallon of maggot, little and often with a bag of Manilla Active Mix when casting.
The 33-year-old said: “The wind changed and grew in ferocity. An hour later my brolly caught the wind and blew away… and just after rescuing it and pegging it back down again the rod was away with this 58 lb lump.”
Holme Fen produced the colossal carp known as Captain Jack at 68 lb in 2017 – although one of the two scales tests made it 4 oz heavier at 68 lb 4 oz.
The British Record Committee recognised the lower weight so could not even consider the catch as a record weight.
All eyes are on the day ticket venue to see if it will be caught again over the 68 lb 1 oz official British best… and then officially claimed and accepted by the BRFC as a record in 2018.
The venue with super heavyweights
The Meadows lake on the Holme Fen complex was planned to be one of the most prolific big carp waters in the country – and careful investment has created exactly that.
The 26-acre lake can be booked for individuals or groups at £40 for 24 hours but with a minimum of a two night stint.
Captain Jack was stocked in 2011 at under 40 lb in a batch of around 200 carp that had been legally imported into the UK at 2-3 lb and grown on.
Captain Jack was first caught at The Meadows in August 2014 at 41 lb and it has grown steadily on ever since.
There’s at least one other known 60-pounder after a 60 lb 2 oz giant was caught by Jon Faupel last summer.
Other super heavyweights caught in the recent past include fish of 59 lb 12 oz and 58 lb 8 oz. They too are likely to top the magical 60 mark when caught in 2018.
Plus there’s around 40 fish over 40 lb with a big head of 30-pounders that are growing fast too.
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