THEY say that size isn’t everything.

But five-year-old identical twins Matthew and Markus Pretorius would probably disagree after one caught a 12lb carp with their plastic toy fishing rod and the other a little tiddler.

The boys, from Middleleaze, went on a fishing trip with their father Albert to South Cerney on Monday and Matthew stunned seasoned anglers at the lake by catching the whopping fish with just the toy rod and a single piece of sweetcorn.

Unfortunately, Markus was unable to match his brother’s impressive haul but he did manage to hook a scaled-down version of the huge fish his brother caught.

The boys’ mother Michelle said: “The 12lb carp was the first fish caught using a 4ft rod with a single piece of sweetcorn.

“It was quite a scene to see this little rod pull out that size fish without breaking.

“It was a great day out and totally unbelievable.”

Matthew said: “It was really, really massive and it was exciting. We will go again.”

Markus said: “It was cool. I catched a small one but it was sparkly.”

The boys, who go to Brookfield Primary School, and their father set up their rods on Strait Lake and didn’t expect to catch much.

But when the monster fish was the first catch of the day, it drew the attention of other anglers at the lake.

Bill Nythe, who has been fishing in the area for more than 20 years, said: “This is unbelievable.

“A fish of that size would pull down with a lot of weight, so the fact this little chap managed to reel it in using a small plastic rod and a piece of a sweetcorn is just astounding.

“I think a few of the guys here would take some tips from these youngsters.

“There are some big fish here, but that one is definitely the largest for a very long time.

“What a cracking tale – it’s definitely one to tell the grandchildren.”

The boys now have a taste for fishing and have well and truly been hooked on the sport.