World record carp

Austrian angler bags giant from Hungary’s Euro Aqua

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THE biggest carp ever has been caught from Euro Aqua in Hungary.

The world-record fish weighed 49kg (just over 108lb), and was caught by an Austrian angler.

It’s a different fish from the previous world best, another Euro Aqua giant which weighed in at more than 105lb in 2015.

“I have 200 carp over 30kg,” Euro Aqua boss Alexander Horvath told Carpfeed on the phone from Hungary.

“The angler who caught the world record had 11 carp from 80lb to 90lb. He is a young man, from Vienna, an officer in the army I think. The week before, in the same place, the guys had no fish above 70lb, but that’s fishing.

“This is a good catching time at my lake. There is a lot of crazy wind and my lake likes wind.”

Alexander initially used the lake as a private retreat but now opens it up to members for €1500 a week, including food and 25kg of bait. He said the lake was stocked with carp in the 1950s and 1960s, when Hungary was a communist state. The site now totals 150 hectares, with the lake occupying 33 acres.

However, Euro Aqua was put up for sale in 2016 and Alexander confirmed to Carpfeed he is close to retirement. “I have made this lake for 20 years, but I work every day, I have maybe one year left operating the venue,” he said.

“I have a good hunting area, I just want to go hunting. Every day I am working, if I keep working maybe I will have a heart attack.

“Since this fish I have had 5,000

emails – this is the craziest thing all over the world. I am happy. I have my membership of 300, 60 English people, lots of nice English people like Rob Hales, Steve Briggs, Rod Hutchinson.

“I allow a maximum of 12 people a week only in the spring and autumn. In July and August we are closed because it is too hot for the big carp. In December the lake is normally frozen.”

Alexander makes no secret of his weekly feeding regime at the lake. One venue regular told Carpfeed he had seen eight tonnes of feed introduced by the owner in a single week.

In an interview with Rob Hughes in 2015, Alexander said he typically baits up with three or four tonnes of cooked corn and 300kg-400kg of boilies each week, much more in spring and autumn.

Manchester angler Warren Harrison, who has caught two 90-pounders and a 101lb 7oz mirror from Euro Aqua, told Carpfeed: “What a fish! I’ve not caught it before, but I think it’s the one a Dutch angler called Carlo caught at 90lb the day after I had the 101lb mirror in March 2016.

“I think the same fish was out in May this year at 42kg, but I’m a bit out of touch with the place.”