Biggest freshwater fish in British waters

Written by:
Hans Kruit, 25 October 2013

A police officer is celebrating after he caught the biggest freshwater fish in British waters, but only after he spent 10 minutes reeling it in.

Constable Matt Bryant was on a two day angling break when he hooked the carp, which is known to local fisherman as `The Parrot`.
It is the biggest freshwater fish in the country, tipping the scales at 62lbs 4oz - or about four-and-a-half stone.

The 25-year-old has spent nine years trying to land the common carp which was given its nickname beacause of its narrow mouth, which resembles a bird’s beak.

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The biggest carp ever caught in the world weighed 99lb and was landed by British angler Ambrose Smith in June 2009 at a lake in Dijon, France

A typical female of the species will produce up to a million eggs in a year
Carp are among the longest-lived species with wild specimens over 60 years old having been recorded.

British anglers tend to throw the fish back but in central Europe, carp is a popular dish which is eaten on Christmas Eve.

source: Daily Mail