Man 'ecstatic' to catch near-record fish

Spencer Lunn said the fish was so big it was "like lifting a five-year-old child"

A man has said he is "ecstatic" after catching a carp just 3lb (1.4kg) off the British record.

Spencer Lunn, 52, caught the 64lb 8oz (29.3kg) specimen at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Wokingham, Berkshire, in December.

He said it was a "testament" to the quality of the water in the fishing lake, and how well the park was run.

The fish was returned to the water, where it is hoped it will be caught again when its weight has exceeded the record.

Mr Lunn, a building inspector from Wokingham, has been fishing since he was a child, and carp fishing "since I was about 12".

He said he was "ecstatic" to catch the fish, which was an "unbelievable weight".

"It's getting on a bit now but it has been growing steadily over the last few years," he said. "It was like lifting up a five-year-old child."

Record hopes remain

The fish was stocked in the fishing lake at Dinton in 1991, and has been growing at a rate of 4-5lb (1.8-2.3kg) per year over the last six years, Wokingham Borough Council said.

The lake "deserves" to secure the British record, Mr Lunn said.

He added it would "mean the world" if he re-caught the fish at a record weight.

But the chances of that were "really slim" he admitted, and that was not his motivation for fishing.

He said the park had a community feel and his fellow fishers were "my social circle".

"I love being there," he said. "I go there every week. It's my release in life."