Littlehampton angler nets a 12-stone monster carp

Jake (right) with some assistance holding his mammoth catch SUS-180716-143204001

Jake Casson, 34, of Beaumont Park, netted the 180lb Siamese carp after battling for over an hour to wear the animal down.

Mr Casson, who caught the giant fish on a hair-rigged, double halibut pellet bait, took home a tidy prize of £1,250.

“It was a relief to finally get it in the net,” he said, adding that this fish was well known among regular visitors to the lake.

Jake with his monster 180lb Siamese carp SUS-180716-143154001

After posing for photographs, with some assistance in holding the 12-stone beauty, he released it back into the lake.

Victory in the competition capped off a successful trip for Mr Casson, who also landed one of the largest species of freshwater fish in the world, an arapaiama.

Although unable to weigh the catch, he estimated it tipped the scales at between 220lb and 250lb – between 15 and 18 stone.

While battling a fish for over an hour may sound tiring, Mr Casson recalled a catch lasting 12 hours in 2015.

Jake holding an arapaima which he estimates weighed between 220lb and 250lb SUS-180716-143143001

After hooking what was undoubtedly a mega carp, he said had to be fed throughout the day, given sun cream and water as he couldn’t take his hands off the rod.

The encounter ended in heartbreak, as the fish slipped its hook and escaped during the titanic battle.

Landing this behemoth is sure to go some way to making up for that disappointment.