THE biggest grass carp ever caught in the UK was landed by David Beagley at a whopping 53 lb 12 oz.
The huge grass carp came from the same special nine acre lake that once produced the old 4 lb 9 oz British crucian carp record.
David caught the giant grass carp from Little Moulsham Lake on the historic Yateley complex on the Surrey-Hampshire border.
It was a weekly winner in the Angler’s Mail Fish of the Week, sponsored by bait giants Richworth.
Fishery boss Alan Cooper, who recently caught a 46-pounder, said: “It is a carp syndicate but there are about 12 grassies, of which we currently think there are at least six over 45 lb.
“Most members get about one a year so they are not an easy proposition but one guy has had seven out.”
Grass carp beats 51 lb 4 oz lake record
Alan continued: “This is a new lake record following on from a different fish that was caught at 51 lb 4 oz in October 2015 so it will be interesting to see how big that fish is now.
“These fish are huge and are something to behold when they leap out of the lake.
“Recently I was in a boat and there was shoal of them just ahead of me and they spooked and shot under the boat with massive bow waves, it was just like killer whales trying to knock seals off floating ice.
“When David caught this fish it leaped clear out of his landing net twice so had to play it to the net three times. They really go ballistic close in,” added Alan.
Florist David, from Fleet, Hampshire, used a Perfection Ground Baits Choc Orange pop-up boilie. It was fished at 40 yards off the side of a baited area, in a channel between two islands.
The lake was previously owned by CEMEX Angling before they sold on all their waters including Horton Church Lake in Berkshire which is thought to have had the same stocking of grass carp in the 1990s.
Horton had produced the previous biggest grass carp with a 52 lb 10 oz beast caught by Martin Bowler in 2016.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH OR GOT SOME NEWS? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@ti-media.com – you could appear in the must-read print magazine.
SUBSCRIBE TO ANGLER’S MAIL PRINT MAG AT A LOW PRICE!
The best weekly print magazine, Angler’s Mail, can be delivered to you every single week.
Just subscribe to one of the top Sale deals online at our official website for magazine subs: magazinesdirect.com.
You’ll then get Angler’s Mail print magazine delivered to your door, anywhere in the world.
Discounted rates from just 96p per week (print) – and even less for the digital iPad/iPhone version!
You may also like to read these Angler’s Mail stories…
76 lb grass carp!
AN Englishmen has stunned the big fish world by taking probably the biggest haul of specimen grass carp including a…
Massive day ticket grass carp
This giant 40 lb 2 oz grass carp fell on Edward’s debut session to day ticket Strawberry Fields in Kent.…
Second biggest grass carp ever
Horton Church Lake regular Dave Levy spotted some fish on the surface and decided to give them a go at…
Dangerous venue yields record grass carp
Tudor Prosser landed this Welsh record beast from The Wharf in Cardiff using a pineapple pop-up boilie tipped with plastic…