Weight - 26lb 4oz

Where Caught - Lanark Loch

Date of Capture - 3rd July 1999

Captor - Calum Boyd, Linlithgow

Method of Capture - 12lb Line, Nash Whisky Boilie, Daiwa Rod, Shimano Reel.

The Record Fish

Map of Lanark Loch

Calum's 18lb fish

My brother opted for the Wishing Well bay where he had had 4 takes the previous day.   I opted for 'The Car Park Swim' as I had seen numerous big fish head and shoulder also from the previous day.

To cut a long story short, I had one rod in the margins and the other two to the peat mounds.  For anyone who is unfamiliar to peat mounds, they are big lumps of peat that grow in the summer, some grow as
large as transit vans and are obviously hot feeding areas for the carp.  I ended up falling asleep as I had only 5 hours sleep the night before ( I was making up my bait). I ended up waking up to the baitrunner on my right hand margin rod, yes fish on! It was a scale perfect  11 lb common.

I soon recast to produce a violent take only 5 mins later on the same rod.  It felt a lot bigger and battled for 15 mins to the net.  When I saw it I knew I'd broken my p.b of 12 lb.  The mirror weighed 18 lb and was an unknown fish.  I eventually caught another double at 12 lb and two commons at 9 lb apiece, all from the margin rod.

The peak of the session came when I landed the biggest carp to ever grace the banks of Scotland.  It weighed 26 lb 4oz and beat the old record set 10 years ago by 2 oz.  It was weighed and photographed by 3 anglers and witnessed by 20 old (and young) grannies and dog walkers.  I was well chuffed to catch a carp out of my wildest dreams and to have beaten my personal best twice in one day.  

Lewis  landed two from the wishing well bay.  I ended up with in all 8 takes, six fish and a Scottish record to boot.