Blackburn angler’s 52kg carp catch hailed as world record

An angler from Lancashire has landed a carp being hailed as a new world record after travelling to a lake in Hungary.

Ash Hegarty, from Blackburn, caught a 52kg (114lb 10oz) common carp and said landing the fish was “indescribable”.

Photographs and videos of the catch have been shared widely online, with Hegarty receiving calls from German and Swedish journalists.

Hegarty said: “I’m just an ordinary lad from Blackburn who loves fishing, and somehow I’ve found myself at the centre of a story being shared around the world after catching what is being described as a new world-record carp.”

“If there’s one thing I wish I could do right now, it would be to pick up the phone and tell my dad. I know how proud he would have been,” he said.

Hegarty, who travelled more than 1,300 miles (2,092km) to Euro Aqua Lake, shared the moment with his older brother, Nigel.

The 32-year-old said their late father had introduced them to fishing when they were young and the pair had continued to fish together ever since.

“Fishing for us is a break from business and a break from life,” he said. “When we go fishing, we literally switch off. Whether we’re there for one night or five nights, it’s good for your mental health and your soul.”

The brothers made the journey to the lake, which is renowned among anglers for producing some of the world’s largest carp.