Ash Egarty, a 32-year-old English angler from Blackburn, has caught what could become the heaviest common carp ever recorded. The fish weighed 52 kilograms and was landed at Euro Aqua, a private lake near Lake Balaton in Hungary.
Egarty shared his excitement on Instagram, saying he was struggling to believe the achievement and that his phone had been constantly ringing. Although he has already described himself as a world carp-fishing record holder, the catch has not yet received official homologation.
The reported weight exceeds the previous record, held since November 2018 by a mirror carp known as “Big Girl,” which weighed 51.2 kilograms. Common carp typically weigh between 3 and 15 kilograms, while specimens weighing 30 to 40 kilograms are considered exceptionally rare. France’s national common carp record remains 44 kilograms.
Egarty arrived at Euro Aqua on Wednesday, October 28, and began fishing with six rods. After several successful casts, he sensed that something significant might happen. A few days later, an electronic bite alarm sounded, and his wife spotted a large carp on one of the lines.
The angler said the fish had taken the bait on the rod carrying a key ring with the only photograph he has of his father and his son together. The struggle was intense, and Egarty eventually needed help from his brother, Nige, to lift the carp from the water.
The catch carried particular emotional significance because Egarty’s late father used to take him and his brother fishing when they were children. After weighing and photographing the carp, Egarty released it back into the lake.
The fish’s weight has been confirmed, but recognition as an official world record remains uncertain. Records caught at privately operated, paid fishing venues can be controversial among anglers, and the International Game Fish Association does not always recognize catches made under those conditions. The final decision is therefore still pending.
Sources: Le Figaro.