The mammoth specimen was caught by lure fishing ace Gary Edmonds who boated it from Cambridgeshire predator hotspot, Grafham Water.

The Angling Trust ambassador tempted the giant fish using a home-made fly named by Gary as ‘the Zander Lander’ due to its effectiveness at landing the sought after species.

Fishing with his son Sam, the Hertfordshire based rod’s epic battle started after the pair spotted a huge pike roll on the surface 100 yards from where they were anchored.

Within minutes, they had moved the boat and Gary cast out a fly tied to a size 2 hook and 15lb wire trace. In no time at all he was playing what was to be a new personal best.

Pure Fishing consultant Sam told Angling Times: “We knew it was something big the moment Dad got the take and we didnt speak during the whole fight out of nerves.

“His light 10 weight rod looked like it was going to explode and at one point the line was grating against the anchor rope and we thought he would lose it.

“When we finally netted it I had never heard my dad swear so much.”

Amazingly, the fish, which beat Gary’s old PB of 28lb 14oz, a fish he also took at Grafham in 2001, had a longer measurement than the current British record pike of 46lb 13oz at 124cm.

However, the capture almost never materialised due to an injury Gary was carrying at the start of the session according to Sam: “Dad had been having a problem with his elbow and said he was only going to have a few casts but after catching that pike he was too engrossed and wanted to catch a double-figure zander and 3lb plus perch so carried on fishing.

“He ended up catching several more pike, an 8lb zander and a 2lb 14oz perch but he paid the price the next day as he had to have a cortisone injection in it.”