The 50 Greatest Carp Of All Time: Part 1

1. Mary

Venue: Wraysbury 1
Pic credit: Terry Hearn
History: One of the most iconic shots of a generation is pictured here, with Terry Hearn holding this baby whale known as Mary, from Wraysbury. He caught it at a new British record of 55lb 13oz; the year was 1996 and we are sure that many of you will remember it very well. Although the name given to this fish was Mary, it was indeed a male carp and was moved from Rayners Lake in 1986 along with Cluster, Mallins and The Pug.

2. Split Tail

Venue: Sheepwalk
Pic credit: Rick Hurley
History: Here is one of the finest mirror carp the Colne Valley has produced, a fish known as Split Tail. This prehistoric-looking fish lived in a lake called Sheepwalk, a notoriously difficult water, albeit the rewards would be certainly worth the effort, as Rick Hurley discovered. Rick hatched a plan to bait a channel for months through summer, autumn and winter, which proved to be Split Tail’s downfall in 2005 when it weighed 39lb 9oz.

3. Causeway Fish

Venue: Causeway Lake
Pic credit: Terry Hearn
History: In 1999 some truly special carp were being caught and it was Terry Hearn (who, as you’ll discover when you flick through this supplement appears many times!) who banked more than his fair share, including Black Scale from Runcton, The Pet from the Priory, Toadless Leather from Frogmore and this cracking old mirror known as the Causeway Fish. Terry knew of this carp’s existence, although at the time very little had been publicised about this fish. Before long the Causeway Fish was discovered by friend Glynn Gommersall in a small bay and, as they say, the rest is history.

4. Caravan Park Linear

Venue: Maxey Syndicate
Pic credit: Jim Wilson
History: In recent years so many big carp have been caught, but very few look as majestic as this one from a Cambridgeshire venue with an exceptionally long waiting list. Jim Wilson undertook a two-year quest in pursuit of the Caravan Park Linear after receiving his ticket and was eventually rewarded with the lake’s biggest and most beautiful prize, topping the ‘fifty’ mark at 51lb 10oz. A truly stunning, stunning creature.

5. Heather The Leather

Venue: Yateley Car Park
Pic credit: Robin Dix
History: One of the largest true leather carp we’ve had the opportunity to fish for swam in the depths of Yateley Car Park. Heather The Leather was one of nine original fish that all grew to be extremely loved and sought after. One who inspired many to fish the ultra-difficult pit was known angler, Robin Dix who landed Heather in 1986 at a weight of 41lb 12oz.
What an iconic shot.

6. Two-Tone

Venue: Conningbrook
Pic credit: Jon Mac
History: Here is another carp which has held the British record more than once and which many anglers will recognise as the largest mirror carp to have lived in Conningbrook. Jon Mac managed to bank the land’s largest at the time weighing 64lb 5oz. The fish reached its peak of 67lb 8oz and held the record for many years. Everything was huge on this carp, including its tail and the pectoral fins.

7. Mary's Mate

Venue: Wraysbury 1
Pic credit: Jon McAllister
History: Many of you will have seen Pete Springate’s iconic shot of Mary and Mary’s Mate which inspired so many - including Jon Mac - to pursue the fish, which lived in the 120-acre Wraysbury - and contained under 20 carp at the time. Any carp caught from the big pit was a major result, but to catch the best looking fish in the lake at 41lb 4oz was a dream come true for Jon. It is thought that Bill Keal, a local angler, helped introduce this incredible fish into Wraysbury 1.

8. Royal Forty

Venue: Richmond Park
Pic credit: Nigel Sharp
History: The angling world became aware of the Royal Forty after Ritchie McDonald had caught the great fish many years ago now. A large mirror carp which lived in a Royal estate water, Richmond Park, just a ‘days’ venue. The challenges of the lake have been well-documented but one thing’s for sure it was one of the finest carp to have ever lived. Here is Nigel holding it after making a return with intentions of reacquainting himself with the fish, and he did just that, at a weight of 46lb 10oz.

9. Black Mirror

Venue: Colne Mere
Pic credit: Terry Hearn
History: The first man to catch the iconic Black Mirror from the Colne Mere was Jason Hayward. There are many rumours surrounding where this fish came from as the lake was never officially stocked, and its capture blew carp anglers’ minds. At the time, the country contained very few forty-pound carp. This somewhat unknown and beautifully proportioned fish weighed 46lb, which soon become the carp anglers’ all-time favourite fish.

10. Burghfield Common

Venue: Burghfield
Pic credit: Scott Lloyd
History: The last capture of the mighty Burghfield Common was nothing short of spectacular and the angler fortunate enough to catch it was Scott Lloyd, at 62lb 8oz. The number of times the Burghfield Common
has been caught is only in double figures and to catch the fish is what many consider to be the biggest challenge in carp fishing to date. Only a percentage of the lake is accessible to anglers and the water is around 90-acres in size, meaning finding a 60lb common can be more than challenging at times!

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