As anglers, we often reminisce about the leviathans we saw as kids, often wondering if those huge fish we thought we saw, really were as big as they appeared. One angler who managed to reunite with such a fish was Kaylan Cooper when he landed a common carp he first saw years ago at 53lb.
Returning 8 years later, Kaylan walked around the 120-acre pit near where he grew up, after thinking about the fish recently. To his astonishment, on his first walk round of the lake, he saw a huge fish and a plan was hatched immediately to try and catch it.
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"After stumbling across the lake as a young lad and seeing a wild lake of around 120 acres, it was really daunting," Kaylan told us.
"Since then, it’s always been on my mind after seeing that monster fish."
"I had never tackled water quite like it. Fast forward 8 years, and I have gained a lot of big fish knowledge and caught many UK 40's from a variety of wild lakes."
"There aren't many wild, untouched waters left, and I often thought of the old big pit, wondering if the fish I saw as a lad was still in there," he added.
"After spending hours in good light conditions, I once again saw what I can only describe as a monster!"
After seeing the fish, Kaylan's enthusiasm peaked, and he just had to try and catch it. He began prebaiting the lake in the area where he had seen the fish with large quantities of Sticky Manilla and Bloodworm boilies, using upwards of 10kg at a time to try and instigate a feeding response from the fish.
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"With conditions looking promising, I just couldn't resist an overnighter as I couldn't get the fish out of my head."
"The rod had only been on the spot for a couple of hours and I couldn't believe it when it ripped off and what ensued was carnage."
"Taking a good 80 to 100 yards of line and then destroying me under the rod tips for around 30 minutes, battling in heavy winds and pitch black," he recalled.
"Shining my head torch into the gloom, a massive gold bar appeared and it was the fish I had seen in the shallows!"
Kaylan was lost for words and sank to the floor when he netted the fish, with an overwhelming sense of achievement that he had managed to return and catch a fish he had thought about for nearly 10 years.
"I had to reel in and readjust to what I have just achieved, not only the fish I wanted but the first uk 50 I had ever had!"
"Weighing 53lb on the nose on three different sets of scales, it is my PB and most memorable moment of my fishing to date," he concluded.
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