MY NAME IS BIG EARL!

After previously evading capture for 18 months, Earls View Carp Fishery’s largest resident gave itself up twice in the space of a week, the latter to Wirral-based Tim Cottrell.

The 44-year-old was visiting the Shrewsbury day-ticket venue for a 48-hour session when he hit into the big mirror known as Big Earl, which tipped the scales at a PB-shattering 45lb 5oz.

Tim, who also had two other fish to 26lb 8oz during his stay, opted to fish for a bite at a time, offering SLK Corker wafters amongst a mixture of pellets and particles in the margins.