TWO DAYS, TWO BRITISH RECORDS!
6lb 4oz perch and 75lb 2oz carp banked in epic 48hr window
TWO ANGLERS have etched their names into the annals of history this week after banking perch and carp at new British record weights.
First up was Matt Atkins, who became the envy of perch fanatics nationwide when he landed a phenomenal 6lb 4oz stripey during a dawn raid at a southern stillwater.
The 43-year-old and his friend Chris Hewett had already enjoyed a successful morning’s sport, with each landing a fourpounder, when Matt received a take just after 8am and struck into another hefty fish.
He told us: “As soon as I set the hook I could feel the heavy headshakes and said to Chris that if this wasn’t a pike, it would be a truly huge perch. After a short scrap we saw it surface and were just both speechless.
“The next few moments were a bit of a blur as I tried to keep my focus and ease the largest perch I’d ever seen over the net. That moment still hasn’t sunk in.”
The duo weighed the perch on two sets of Reuben Heaton digital scales, with each registering a weight of 6lb 4oz.
Despite his catch beating the official British best by 1oz, project manager Matt revealed that he won’t be submitting a claim to the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC).
“At the end of the day I’m content just knowing I’ve caught a fish of this magnitude, but ultimately I want to safeguard the venue because it has so much potential. Over the last few seasons I’ve enjoyed what’s possibly the greatest perch fishing in the country there – landing 15 fish over 4lb, of which three have been 5lb-plus.
“Now I’ve seen what it’s capable of I want to try to protect the venue more than ever.”
Although worms and prawns are the most popular baits for big perch, Matt has enjoyed success using small roach deadbaits and a unique rig, which he explained.
“The biggest I’ve taken have all fallen for two to four-inch roach, which I pop up 2ft off the bottom using foam inserts,” he said. “The baits appear almost alive as they waft around in the water.” Just 48 hours after Matt banked his astonishing perch, another angler was writing his name into the angling history books by smashing the British carp record out of sight with a huge 75lb 2oz mirror.
Carp Team England member Wayne Mansford banked the massive fish from Meadows Lake at Cambridgeshire’s Holme Fen Fishery, obliterating the current record of 68lb 1oz.
In 2018 the 63-acre complex hit headlines when it produced a 69lb 10oz carp known as Captain Jack, but the BRFC rejected the record claim on the grounds that the fish was stocked at too high a weight.
It was Captain Jack that Wayne was hoping to connect with during his trip, although the 38-year-old was informed by the owner upon his arrival that the fish had sadly died. But Wayne’s disappointment was shortlived, because less than 24 hours into the session his 10mm Mainline Essential Cell wafter was picked up by a fish even bigger than the former king of the lake.
“The bite was savage, with the rod butt practically ending up in the alarm,” he told us. “It dogged it out over a gravel bar for a while, making savage runs. It was heartracing stuff, as I could have been cut off.”
After banking his prize Wayne had no idea of the sheer size of the fish in his landing net because his headtorch batteries went flat during the fight.
“After a short scrap we saw it surface and were just both speechless.”
“I struggled to lift it out, and I shouted to the other anglers around the lake to come round and help as I couldn’t get my head round what the scales were reading.”
Despite catching a carp eclipsing the current British best, Wayne admitted having doubts about submitting a claim because of comments made by other anglers.
“I’ve already received a lot of negative feedback,” he added. “At the end of the day, to me a carp is carp, and I’m in a great place knowing what I’ve achieved, but I know that previously people have received death threats for catching carp like this, so I’ll have to think long and hard whether it’s really worth that hassle.”