Despite falling off his pushbike and hurting himself along the way, Carl Wood proved his dedication to fishing by continuing his journey from Westcliff to Rochford's Doggetts lake.
The agony and the ecstasy - Carl Wood, complete with gashed head, shows off his monster mirror carp
Fortunately his efforts were well worth the pain as he was rewarded with a superb 22.2lb fully scaled mirror which was caught from the long arm.
Local angler John Choat, from Rochford, also had a very successful trip to the south bank by beating his personal best with a 19lb mirror.
Fellow fisherman Dave Walton had to make do with a little 11.5lb mirror.
Not to be beaten however, Walton returned for a second trip this time fishing the north bank.
And his determination to get among the big fish helped him reel in a 24lb mirror, which put up a tremendous battle in such a tight swim at the lake.
Juniors Ross Hogger and Dave Crocker hooked into a 15lb mirror and jointly claimed the fish as it took both of the lads to play and land the fish.
Published Wednesday September 1, 2004
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