Specimen angler Derren Burr from Leighton had cause for much celebration on New Years Eve when he banked a superb 3lb 8oz roach marking an end to a memorable fishing year for the former Vandyke Upper School pupil.

The personal-best redfin was caught with a chopped lobworm tipped with a fake red maggot on Jones' Pit in Leighton which had been frozen for two days.

Derren, 39, chanced his luck in bitterly cold weather and found just three swims fishable, one of which he earmarked as a likely area for big roach and set about plying it with maggots.

His patience was rewarded at 1.30pm when the quivertip of his 12ft Avon style rod swept round. Derren, who works for Brown's Angling Centre in Leighton, said: "It was a cracking fight and I knew instantly that it was a big roach or perch, but I wasn't sure which until I saw it. The pit has thrown up roach in the 2lb bracket before to carp anglers using boilies, but they are largely ignored, as are the perch and bream ­ everybody fishes for the lake's carp and catfish.

"I usually fish rivers such as the Great Ouse, but it was flooded so I thought I'd try the pit with proper roach tactics ­ but I never expected one this big."

Our readers with an interest in angling may like to know Derren used a simple running rig incorporating a 30g Kamasan block end feeder, 6lb mainline, an 18ins long hooklink of 3lb mono and a size 14 hook.

His previous personal-best roach weighed 2lb 14oz. But his biggest catch by far was a 70lb catfish.

Derren's latest netting is only 12lbs off the British Record.