Fishing for information on carp

CARP are among the most extraordinary freshwater fish in Ireland and carp anglers are among the most extraordinary of fishermen. This struck me the other day on a visit to Maynooth. I went to the Lyreen Fishery which consists of three small ponds on the outskirts of the Co Kildare town.

One of these ponds contains the largest known carp in Ireland. I didn’t go there to fish. I needed to find out more about carp for a project I was researching so I went to pick the brains of experts.

One small lake at Lyreen contains two carp that are known to weigh in excess of 40 lbs. Carp anglers are fond of the old imperial measures, but 40lbs is just over 18 kilos. Both fish have been caught several times, weighed meticulously, photographed and carefully returned to the water. The photographs show how truly huge they are .