An angler in east Kent has landed a 67lb carp after trying to catch it for eight years.

John Bird, 26, hauled in the huge fish at Conningbrook Lake in his hometown of Ashford, at 0200 BST on Sunday 13th April 2008.

If the British Record Fish Committee verify the catch, it will break its current record for the biggest freshwater fish landed in the UK.

Mr Bird released the gigantic carp, affectionately known to anglers as Two Tone, after taking a photograph.

He described catching Two Tone as a very emotional moment.

It was 2.30am when the bite alarm went off. Some 15 minutes later the fish was safely in the net. I only realised it was the record fish when I saw the colouring of its fins.

"I have had so many calls I had to turn my phone off at work, but it has been really great and I have been touched by all the messages of congratulations, " he added.

Two Tone, who was brought to Connington Lake in the late 80s by Mid Kent Fisheries, has been caught before at a slightly lighter weight.

Chris Logsdon, manager of Mid Kent Fisheries, said they expected him to grow even larger.

"This carp has been growing and growing over the last 20 years, and we hope to be the first water in the UK to get a 70lb carp."

John took the massive mirror carp at Conningbrook using a snowman hookbait on a John McAllister Rig with a Size 6 Mk2 Stiffrigger hook, 15lb JRC Coated Hooklink and JRC Leadcore. The winning bait was an 18mm Winter Seed Mix and a 16mm Essential Baits Cranberry Popup.

John has been fishing Conningbrook for 8 years and has captured 25 different carp from the water. Conningbrook is a tough water when you consider that no carp had come out of the water since October 2007. But John's patience paid off with the capture of "Two Tone".