Basildon youngster Bobby Barnes is flying high after the British Record Fish Committee accepted his claim for a new British Record black bullhead catfish.

Bobby caught the 1lb 0oz 1dr fish at Billericay's Lake Meadows Fishery on March 20th. The fish was identified as a black bullhead catfish by fishery manager Mick Toomer, whose verdict was confirmed by Alwynn Wheeler, Scientific Advisor to the British Record Fish Committee.

The fish was then accurately weighed at the Post Office in Tesco's at Pitsea, and the paperwork rushed through to get the record claim before the British Record Fish Committee at their half-yearly meeting last week.

Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Billericay schoolboy Aran Sexton is top of the class after landing a superb 24lb 4oz mirror carp at Lake Meadows.

The big fish was Aran's first carp from the water, and fell to a shop-bought boilie cast out from the houses bank. Aran was fishing two rods, his carp rod and a second improvised set of gear incorporating his quivertip rod and 4lb line.

Amazingly the fish was hooked and successfully landed on this makeshift set of light gear. The carp, a new personal best, took more than 15 minutes to bring to the net.

Lake Meadows was also the successful venue for Nick Lickfold who landed a 19lb-plus carp from the sluice bank.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.