A huge carp weighing less than half-a-pound short of the official British best hit the bank last week.
The 67lb 8oz ‘Waterside Common’ was caught from Waterside Fisheries in Buckinghamshire by Gareth Smith. Having made the journey from his home in Somerset, Gareth arrived a day later than the three other anglers fishing – and still found himself with nearly half of the lake to himself.
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“Fish were clearly present, although they were clued-up and knew that they were being fished for,” Gareth told us.
“Over the first two days of fishing things were quiet, but I knew there were carp in the snags opposite me. That night, I baited a bit heavier with two pints of maggots and some crumbed Mainline Cell boilies, tight to the snags to try and entice them out.”
Fishing a piece of yellow foam and seven maggots, Gareth had a subtle drop-back bite that evening.
“It came right under the rod-tip, and I could see that it was a good common,” he added.
“It then plodded around in the deep margin, but when I netted it, I realised just what I had caught! The rest was a blur.
“After 30 years of carping, I’d just caught a proper English 60lb common! ”
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