BIG FISH ace Jason Richards followed up a huge chub with one of the biggest grass carp in the world - a 79 lb monster.
Jason kick-started his run of form with the cracking chub from a local river… before he went to France’s Vallee Lake 1 for the gigantic grassie.
The Dorset-based 33-year-old landscape gardener told his full story to Angler’s Mail, starting with the local chub success.
Jason said: “I asked (partner) Hannah if she fancied a walk along the river, and decided to sneak a rod in the back of the car.
“Second cast caught me this lovely chub (pictured below). I was absolutely gutted we didn’t have the scales with us.
“This was caught on SSP Monster X boilie.”
This huge chub came just before Jason went to Vallee Lake.
Jason continued: “Then we went to France and the fishing had been reasonably slow until Monday morning, halfway into our week.
“Vallee Lake 1 is known to only do night bites the majority of the time so Hannah and I were shocked when my left-hand rod went screaming off at around 10am.
“I have never seen anything like it, the reel was stripping line so fast the alarms didn’t register the take.
“The battle was unremarkable initially until it was near the net when it suddenly came to life.”
Vallee Lake 1 giant carefully handled
Jason continued: “Knowing the fragility of these wonderful creatures I popped it into the sling and kept a good flow of water going through while making sure the gap wasn’t big enough for it to dive out.
“This was the first grass carp any of us had seen on the bank so we took extra care with it.
“Three of us carefully got it out of the lake and onto the unhooking mat, eager to get it back into the lake. I was lucky Hannah snapped this picture when I lifted it up to get the net removed from underneath it.
“It instantly bottomed my 60 lb scales so, as a friend ran to get bigger scales from the bailiff, we got it back to the water. We continued to keep it covered with oxygenated water.
“The fishery owner and bailiff came to assist and witness the weighing and when it was confirmed at 79 lb it’s safe to say we were all gobsmacked.
“It was caught on SSP Monster-X bottom baits around a scattering of particle and System-X boilie.
“I added a few carp to 41 lb 2 oz and two catfish to 60 lb-plus,” added Jason.
Last month we exclusively reported the biggest grass carp ever caught in the UK, a 53 lb 12 oz stunner to David Beagley. It was landed at Little Moulsham Lake on the historic Yateley complex on the Surrey-Hampshire border.
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