British angler catches the world’s biggest CARP after gruelling 80-minute battle to land the giant 232 lbs fish in Thailand
- John Harvey, 42, landed the enormous Siamese carp after a 80 minute battle
- The property developer from Devon said he was proud of his ‘only claim to fame’
- He celebrated the catch by buying everyone at the lake in Thailand a beer
A British angler is celebrating today after catching the world’s biggest carp fish that weighed a staggering 232lbs.
John Harvey, 42, landed the enormous Siamese carp after a knee-trembling 80 minute battle to reel it in at a lake in Thailand.
British-born John from Westleigh, near Bideford, Devon, couldn’t believe his eyes when the monster broke the surface of the water.
It tipped the scales at 16 and a half stone (105kg).
John Harvey, (centre) 42, landed the enormous Siamese carp after a knee-trembling 80 minute battle to reel it in at a lake in Thailand. Left: Lagoon guide Nanwam, right: fellow angler Dan Hastings
The colossal carp had to be weighed using scales on a robust stainless steel tripod.
And John needed help from two other anglers, Dan Hastings and Lagoon guide, Nanwam, to lift the huge specimen to pose for a picture with it at the Palm Tree Lagoon at Chedi Hak in southern Thailand.
His catch beat the previous world record set for a Siamese carp by 10lbs.
John, a property investor, celebrated by buying all the anglers on the lake a beer.
The Briton, who has been fishing since he was three-years-old, said: ‘As soon as it took the bait I knew it was going to be a big fish.
‘It wasn’t fighting against me too hard, it was the weight of the carp that was the real challenge’.
He added that experience was ‘nerve-wracking’ as he was cautious of making a mistake,
John, who has been fishing since he was three-years-old, said: ‘As soon as it took the bait I knew it was going to be a big fish.
‘After 80 minutes I finally brought it to the bank, and I couldn’t believe my eyes’ he said.
‘It was absolutely enormous, the pictures do not do it justice at all.
‘It was so difficult to even get a proper grip on the fish, it was huge’
‘When we put it on the scales I couldn’t believe the weight of it’.
After he reeled it in the fishery owners reset his rods in order to let him carry on, but after an excruciating work out he deiced to have a break and by everyone a beer instead.
‘Being a world record holder is the only claim to fame I’ll ever have – I’ve been showing everyone the pictures of the fish since I caught it’ he continued.
‘I’m just a casual angler so really I felt sorry for some of the other anglers in the area who spend much more money and don’t catch fish anywhere near that size.’
John has lived in Pattaya, Thailand, with his girlfriend Jenny Jaikumkao, 33, for the past 14 years.
Siamese carp are the biggest species of carp in the world and they are found naturally in river basins in Asia.