Catching a 50lb carp is the dream of many carp anglers across the globe, but it is one of the ultimate achievements for any angler in the UK to catch a 50lb fish on home soil. Angler Phil Spinks went one better, catching this enormous 51lb 8oz common carp whilst fishing on the surface - a truly remarkable feat of angling.
Phil was fishing at Homersfield Lake in Suffolk, with a few spare hours and the weather looking ideal for surface fishing, he decided on an impromptu floater fishing session at this prolific venue.
"My carp rods have been gathering some dust recently due to an obsession with bass," Phil shared.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment session with the floater gear, just hoping to get a bend in the rod more than anything."
Phil quickly managed to catch a mirror carp around the upper doubles, but he soon identified a much larger fish amongst the seagulls and geese that were feeding on his mixers.
"For the next couple of hours, it was tunnel vision as I tried my best to hook the big common I had noticed."
“Eventually persistence paid off, and after a huge explosion I had hooked it.”
"After a terrifying scrap on the small barbless hook and 2lb tc rod, I was elated to see the carp roll into the net."
The carp was even bigger than Phil had expected. After carefully lifting the fish onto the scales, the needle swung around to an unbelievable 51lb 8oz, making it one of the biggest UK carp ever caught "off the top."
"It well and truly made my day, in fact, probably my year," Phil concluded.
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