It’s the dream of most anglers to catch big fish when they go fishing and while records are often personal, whether it’s chasing a PB or aiming to beat a lake record, few would refuse the chance to catch the largest specimen of their target species anywhere in the world. When it comes to carp, Euro Aqua in Hungary stands alone, home of the current world record carp, it offers anglers a realistic shot at banking a truly monstrous fish.
On a recent trip to the renowned big-fish superwater, UK angler David Knock became the latest to realise a lifelong dream, banking the world’s largest common carp at an almost unbelievable weight of 47.8kg (approximately 105lb). This giant fish came after he banked another huge carp in the 80lb bracket, which topped off a truly memorable week's fishing with his good friend Russ Bryant.
"The trip was planned 18 months previous, in conjunction with my friend Paul Crone, and I had been excited to visit the venue ever since we booked it," David told Angling Times.
"There’s really nowhere else that compares when it comes to big carp fishing. The anticipation that the next fish to take your bait could be over 100lb is hard to explain," he added.
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In preparation for the trip, David conducted extensive research on the lake through various angling media outlets and YouTube videos to ensure he was fully prepared for the week’s fishing. Long-range casting isn’t something he typically does in his own angling across various Essex syndicates, but it was clear this would be important, so he took to a field with a rod in tow and taught himself to cast accurately up to 30 wraps. It was this level of dedication that would ultimately see him bank the fish of a lifetime.
"There were eight of us on the trip, and my best friend Russ and I were sat in peg 4 for the week ahead, and I must admit I was a little disappointed, as all the information I had convinced me that this area of the lake wasn’t the best for really big fish."
"The aim of the trip was to beat a 56lb fish I caught at Brittany Mills, so anything above that would’ve made my week!"
"Over at Euro-Aqua, you’re allowed to take a boat out to find spots and bait up, but all casting must be done from the bank. While prodding with the marker pole, I was pleasantly surprised to find some firmer areas in the swim, as the lake is generally quite silty."
Accuracy is a big part of David's angling, and to ensure he was hitting his spots perfectly, his friend Russ walked around the lake. While on the phone together, the pair relayed information about how close he was getting to the marker pole. Once they were satisfied with the casting, everything was set.
"When I was out in the boat, I noticed that many anglers weren’t casting as accurately as they thought they were, so I wanted to make sure I was bang on the spot!"
"I put out about 50 pints of maggots, along with 10kg of boilies and probably the same amount of stewed buckwheat to kick the swim off."
"In the first 24 hours, I landed a 51lb fish and a low-40, which was a great start, but the fishing tailed off pretty quickly after that, and it became a struggle."
To make matters worse, a shoal of bream descended on David. Despite trying to fish through them and changing hookbaits and rigs, they plagued him throughout the next couple of nights. Exhausted from lack of sleep and the constant casting and rebaiting, and with 60lb+ fish being caught around the lake, he was getting a little frustrated.
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"The next morning, I was probably a bit tired, and my cast wasn’t quite on the money, landing a couple of rod lengths to the left of the spot. I decided to leave it, just to try something different."
"It worked as the next take was clearly a bigger fish and definitely not a bream. After carefully playing it to the net, I banked a massive 80lb carp, it was job done, I was absolutely over the moon. It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around in fishing."
"Despite sharing the swim, Russ was struggling to get into any of the better fish, so I told him he could use my rods for the rest of the session. I’d broken my PB and my session was already made."
"But he wouldn’t have it, saying that if he landed a big fish on my rods, he’d feel too guilty."
"With that, the middle rod positioned tight to the marker pole ticked off slowly."
David didn’t want to get ahead of himself, as at Euro Aqua, it’s easy to convince yourself a take is from a giant, only for a smaller fish to pop up. However, the longer he played this one, the more he started to believe it might be something special and when the fish finally surfaced, his legs went to jelly.
"It was absolutely massive, and I just went into meltdown. I’m so glad Russ was on hand to keep me composed," he recalled.
"'It won’t go in the net,' were the words I heard Russ mutter, but thankfully, we managed to shuffle it in."
"As per protocol, we called the owner, Jacqueline and her partner Michel. Thankfully they came round quickly to help with the weighing."
"By this point I was in complete shock, with everything that followed becoming a bit of a blur. We weighed the fish, and Michele read out 47.8kg, exclaiming it was a record. I was in total disbelief that I’d actually caught it."
"After returning the fish and receiving congratulations from the other anglers, I sat back with Russ to soak it all in, before calling my wife to tell her what had happened."
"That’s when reality hit, and I don’t mind admitting I got a bit emotional. This is the fish I’ve always dreamed of catching, and to have actually done it… it was surreal. A session I’ll never forget!"
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