A BUDDING young fisherman was left delighted after making his first ever catch on his debut fishing trip.

Matt Taylor took son Tommy, 6, to George Hall lakes in Ardleigh to try his hand at landing a big fish.

He explained how after a ten minute battle, the six-year-old managed to get his prize into the net – a 17.5 Grass Carp – nearly half Tommy’s weight.

It was almost as long as the six-year-old St Joseph’s Primary School pupil, in Dovercourt, is tall too, with Tommy being a foot taller than the 2ft 9in fish.

Mr Taylor, 28, said “We arrived at George Hall early at about 7.30am with a great day of weather ahead of us; Tommy was excited to get his rod set up.

“We had a quick scout around and picked a spot, so set his rod up and he chose his bait – a single piece of sweetcorn – before casting it about three foot out.

“Tommy waited and watched while I set up my rod and within 15 minutes he was saying ‘daddy I’ve got one’ as his float disappeared.

“The fight became tough and the fish was testing Tommy’s very light setup and rushing wasn’t an option. After ten minutes the fish started to tire and we were able to reel it into the net and secure his first ever fish.

Mr Taylor, who works as an events executive, explained the day added to his already great memories at the lake.

“I chose George Hall as our first outing due to having great memories there before and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Overall we had seven carp but Tommy’s was the biggest of the day,” he said.

“He was so excited by the whole experience and he wants to continue to fish in his spare time into the future, with the hopes of trying to top his personal best over the summer.”