A keen little angler from Toothill was over the moon when he caught a massive fish over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Jayden Stratford caught a 15lb 8oz carp when he went fishing with his dad Mark on Sunday.

The six-year-old reeled in the whopper all by himself with his dad stepping in to help get it in the net.

Mark said: “It’s a remarkable catch for such a young kid.

“He’s caught a few little fish before, then I saw the story in the paper about the young girl who caught the big carp.

“I showed it to him and he got really excited and wanted to move on to catching bigger fish.

“He was inspired by her, he said: 'If she can do it, so can I'.”

The father-and-son team prepared for the big catch with Mark setting out all the proper gear and Jayden picking his own bait, a sweet-smelling beetling mix.

Then they set off to the lakes at Wick Water in Cirencester and waited for two hours before the alarm on Jayden’s rod sounded and he struggled with his prize catch.

Mark added: “It’s really fun watching him do it, he found it all quite funny.

“He was laughing his head off when the fish pulled the rod and I was standing by in case he needed help.

“I didn’t expect something quite this big but he did really well and I’m really proud.”

Jayden’s mum Kirsty said that the experience had made him more enthusiastic about the hobby.

She said: “He’s more into fishing now, he wants to go out with his dad more instead of going on his tablet or watching TV, it’s quite nice as a lot of children would rather stay inside.

“Jayden’s hoping to save his pocket money up and buy his own equipment now.

“We were amazed by what he caught, he was ecstatic and exhausted.”

Mark is a member of the South Cerny Angling Club and hopes his son will follow in his footsteps as a lifelong fishing enthusiast.

The 32-year-old added: “I’ve been fishing all my life and I’ve been passing all my knowledge down to him over the years and he’s taken it all in, he knows how to spot the fish in the water, how to put the bait on, everything.

“There were a few other youngsters out fishing when we were out there and it’s good to see them getting into it and enjoying it so much.

“I take him out fishing most weekends, I started as soon as he could walk, and I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”