THIS is the largest carp ever caught in the UK.

The 68 pound behemoth was landed by a Wokingham greengrocer last week.

Dean Fletcher, who works at Ashridge Manor Farm in Forest Road, finally landed the record beast after a three-year battle.

Tipping the scales at 68lb 1oz, the carp was landed on Wednesday, January 13, at the Wasing estate near Woolhampton.

The 53-year-old angler said he could be the first person to hold two angling records at the same time if his next hunt is as successful.

He said: “The biggest fish before it was 67lb 8oz, caught in Kent.

“The fish has been caught before, maybe three or four times a year but because we had such a mild winter it has been putting the weight on. It was actually quite simple to catch. It’s not known for its fighting qualities and makes up for it with weight.”

He uses specialist bait for the fish. The hard boiled balls are treated so they are inedible for other kinds of fish and only carp can crack the bait.

The record holder, who lives on Donkin Hill in Caversham, said: “I have been fishing for carp for 37 years now. I used to go fishing with my auntie when I was six or seven.

“She would bait the hooks with maggots for me because I didn’t like doing it.

“When I first started there weren’t many carp around. California Lake in Finchampstead was one of the few in the area but now they’re everywhere.”

Having landed the largest carp in the country, Mr Fletcher said his next target was a monstrous tench in Woodley.

He runs the Tippings Lane lake and says that one of the tench in the lake weighs nearly the same as the UK record, currently tipping the scales at 15lb 3oz 6dr.

If he does net the tench, he would be the first person to hold two separate records for the heaviest fish caught in the UK.