World record carp: Ash Hegarty and Angelina, 114 lb 10 oz
A lad from Blackburn, a week's fishing in Hungary with his brother, and a new world record common carp. This is that night in Ash's own words, from the strange calm before the take to the little photograph on his rod pod.
Ash Hegarty with Angelina, 114 lb 10 oz (52 kg), at Euro-Aqua.
On the third night of a week at Euro-Aqua in Hungary, Ash Hegarty landed Angelina. She is the new world record common carp, and she weighed an incredible 114 lb 10 oz.
Since that unforgettable night his phone hasn't stopped, with journalists from all over the world getting in touch. When we asked Ash about the capture, he wrote back about the strange feeling on the lake, the little girl the fish is named after, and a small photograph clipped to his rod pod. We have kept his words for you to read exactly as he wrote them.
“Something I genuinely cannot explain”
in his own words
There was something about that night that I genuinely cannot explain.
We were on our third night of a week's fishing at Euro Aqua, and everything just felt different. The lake was completely flat calm, there was hardly a breath of wind, and there was this really strange feeling in the air.
I know that probably sounds mad, but it's the only way I can describe it.
I'd travelled 1,300 miles from Blackburn to Hungary with my brother to fish one of the most incredible carp lakes in the world. We were living the dream, doing something we've loved since we were little lads.
I'd even said before the trip that I was going to catch a 90lb carp. But never in a million years did I think what was about to happen was actually possible.
Looking back now, I genuinely get goosebumps thinking about that night.
130 yards out, in the dark
130 yards is a long way out to be playing a fish that size. There were five other rods out in the swim, and when Angelina took off she went straight through the lot. In the pitch black, that means working out which line is yours while a record fish does her best to wrap up everything around her.
Ash was fishing Katran Crypton Elevate, a double tapered mainline, with a Katran W/B 460 PRO head torch on blue light. The first message he sent to Luke at Rig Locker, Katran's UK partner, said it all:
"I've just caught the world record at range on the Elevate tapered main line, and with the blue torch it made things easy when she was doing matrix with the 5 other rods!"
Ash HegartyFishing at that range was no fluke. Long-range casting coach Terry Edmonds wrote after the capture that Ash and his brother have been training with him to sharpen up their distance fishing, driving four hours from the North to put the work in.
Ash's reel that night, with Elevate glowing green under the blue beam of the head torch. Keep an eye on the little photo on the keychain. We'll come back to it.
“A bloody car tyre in my net”
When Ash first looked down into the landing net, this is how he described it on his own Facebook page:
"This was the exact moment I had the WORLD RECORD carp sitting in my net, looking down at the sheer size of it thinking... WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! When I rang Dan, the only way I could describe it was... 'Mate, I've got a bloody car tyre in my net!'"
Left: Angelina in the net. Right: 114 lb 10 oz in Ash's arms.
Angelina
This is one of the things that makes the whole experience even more unbelievable.
Angelina was named after Jacky and Michel's little girl, which is already such a lovely story.
But what makes it even crazier is that on the very day I caught Angelina, their little girl had come to visit the lake for only the second time ever.
What are the chances of that?
Out of all the days, all the nights and all the anglers who have fished that lake, everything somehow lined up on that particular day.
It's one of those things that gives me goosebumps every time I think about it.
People can call it coincidence, fate or whatever they want, but for me, there's something incredibly special about that.
This was so much more than just catching a big fish.
Celebrating Angelina on the bank.
The keychain on Ash's rod pod at Euro-Aqua.
Three generations on the rod pod
This is probably the most emotional part of the entire story for me.
That little keychain might not look like much to anyone else, but to me, it's absolutely priceless.
It's the only photograph I have of three generations together: me, my late dad and my little boy, Henry.
My dad was the reason me and my brother Nigel fell in love with fishing in the first place. He introduced us to it when we were just little lads, and it's something that's stayed with us our entire lives.
Sadly, he's no longer here to see what we've achieved.
But having that photograph sitting there on my rod pod, right beside me when I caught the biggest carp in the world, means more to me than any record ever could.
I went all the way from Blackburn to Hungary chasing a dream, and somehow, on the biggest night of my fishing life, I had three generations of my family right there with me in that little photograph.
People will remember the size of Angelina, the weight and the world record.
But for me, I'll always remember that my dad was there with me in the only way he could be.
The man who started my fishing journey was right there beside me when I achieved something I never thought possible.
And that, to me, is worth more than any world record.
My dad was there with me in the only way he could be.Ash Hegarty
“Just a lad from Blackburn”
My life has been an absolute whirlwind since that night.
My phone hasn't stopped ringing, my messages have gone absolutely mental, and I've had journalists and newspapers contacting me from all over the world.
I've seen my face everywhere, and I'm still trying to get my head around what's happened.
I'm just a lad from Blackburn who grew up fishing with his brother because our dad introduced us to it when we were kids.
Fishing has always been our passion, our escape and something that's brought us together.
And now, somehow, I'm a world record holder.
If I could give one piece of advice to another angler, it would be to never stop dreaming and never stop believing.
Put the effort in, learn your craft, listen to people who know more than you and don't be afraid to push yourself.
Because I'm living proof that sometimes the dreams you think are completely impossible can actually come true.
And when they do, I promise you, there's no feeling in the world quite like it.
Sometimes the dreams you think are completely impossible can actually come true.Ash Hegarty
Photos from the night
8 photos
The tackle behind the record
The mainline and head torch Ash was using the night he landed Angelina.
Crypton Elevate
Double tapered mainline with the shock leader built in.
Head torch W/B 460 PRO
White and blue light. Under the blue beam, Katran fluorescent lines glow at night.
Words: Ash Hegarty, with Katran Fishing Line. Photos: courtesy of Ash Hegarty. Thank you to Ash and Nigel, to Jacky and Michel at Euro-Aqua, and to Luke at Rig Locker.