Massive 53lb plus specimen takes title of the biggest carp so far this year.

One of the Midlands' most popular big fish venues has produced the heaviest carp of the year so far with a huge mirror banked at a weight of 53lb 8oz.

Beating the previous biggest carp of 2012 - a fish of 51lb caught last week from Essex’s Fryerning Fisheries - the massive specimen was caught from RH Fisheries’ The Avenue in Shropshire, smashing the venue’s record by 4lb.

Caught this weekend just gone (February 25) the carp came to the rod of Richard Griffith, product developer for tackle firm Shimano Normark, during a 24hour session that saw the angler also land two other fish of 30lb 4oz and 28lb 12oz.

“I arrived at the fishery at around 4pm on the Friday and spombed out a carpet of bait just as it was getting dark,” Richard told Total Carp. “The night was very quiet but then things really livened up the next morning.”

Richard’s baiting consisted of spombing out 3pints mixed dead and live maggots over a 5meter clear area located at the end of a gravel bar at around 50yards range. This was topped off by a couple of spombs of Dynamite Baits maize to add scent. Over this the 33-year-old presented popped up maggots on a simple fluoro rig, which proved too much for the carp to resist.

“I had a screaming run at around 11am on the Saturday which was the 28 pounder, and then 30minutes later I had the 30,” continued Richard. “I topped up the maggots after that and then missed another run, pulling out of a fish on the strike. My next run came at 3pm when I had a very slow take from a fish that felt very big.

“When I struck into the fish it was just a huge dead weight on the end of the line and it plodded around apart from one run where it stripped 60yards of line from the reel.

“Fairly early on in the fight I saw the side of the fish and straight away recognised it as the biggest fish in the lake, that’s when my knees went to jelly.”

Luckily everything went to plan, with venue owner Rob Hales on hand to net the fish, which also gave 33-year-old Richard a new UK personal best.

"It was an amazing fish to catch and I'm over the moon to have a new UK Pb," added Richard.

Richard beat of his fish using a Shimano Tribal Longcast 12ft 3lb TC rod coupled with a Shimano Aero Technium reel loaded with prototype Technium fluorocarbon 0.33m
Line.

At the business end he used a Fox S3 size 6 hook with a 16.5lb Grand Max fluoro hooklength along with a Nash Diffusion lead clip carrying a 1oz Avid flat pear lead.

For more details on fishing The Avenue and other RH Fisheries venues, click here.