British carp records, are the stuff of envy, disputes, and controversy, but as yet, thankfully, no blood has been spilt. The British Rod Caught Committee do their level best to maintain the integrity of all record listings, however verification of a rod caught fish is difficult. One dram could tip the scales towards a new record, as could a wet weigh sling that hasn’t been accurately accounted for, or indeed a wet weigh sling that has been accounted for, but hasn’t been held steady. Witnesses, photographs and a blinding pair of scales are the order of the day, but other issues abound.
At present, only Mirror, Grass and Crucian carp are ratified by the Committee. These three species are widely accepted as pure breeds, indigenous to Britain. But of course other hybrid varieties are widely recognised by carp anglers as species in their own right. Wild carp, leather, linear, and fullies and are all hybrid strains of Mirror. Common, Ghost and Koi all owe their parentage to the humble goldfish.
UK Carp Directory Rod Caught Carp Record Listings are a bit of fun. They will be all inclusive, but we must stress, unofficial. Please submit your unofficial record entries here.
For official verification of all Mirror, Grass and Crucian records please visit www.nfsa.org.uk. For county carp record listings, check out Carp Talk’s excellent Big Carp Register