This is the picture of a giant bream that topped the scales at 21lb 6oz and was caught from a 90-acre stillwater in the North West.

It’s a specimen that captor Robert Machin described as the ‘catch-of-a-lifetime’ when he targeted the ultra-tough venue where it’s not uncommon for bream fishing fanatics to go years without a bite.

The 51-year-old Tenchfishers member laid his trap that consisted of two buckets full of groundbait, chopped boilies, hemp, and tiger nuts, which he deposited over a spot at just over 100 yards from the bank with the help of a boat.

His alarm broke the silence at 2 am following the first night of a four-day session after the personal best it picked up a single 12 mm Sticky Baits Manilla boilie fished on a helicopter rig made with a coated braid hooklink and a size 10 hook.

“I’ve recently returned to the water after a four-year break as I just needed a rest from this style of fishing and this venue because it’s very tough and demanding,” Robert told Angling Times.

“It’s a fish that’s been out a few times during the last few seasons, so I just had to have a go for it as it’s not going to be around forever. It’s not about pounds and ounces. It’s about the angling challenge that fish and venues like this present and this catch means a great deal to me.”

“For the last 19 years I’ve been after big bream and my previous personal best was 17lb 10oz from the same venue, but even this didn’t prepare me for the shock when I saw this colossal fish in the net under the light of my head torch. It’s a moment that I will never forget.”