The Waterside Common, the fish behind the official 68lb 8oz British carp record, has been reported dead. Angling Times has reported the news, while CarpRadar lists its death as September 2026. A sad loss for Waterside Fishery and those who caught or hoped to catch this remarkable common.
Living in Kingfisher Lake at Waterside Fishery in Buckinghamshire, the common secured its place in angling history when Mike Nixon caught it on 1 May 2026. The capture was subsequently ratified, with the official British Record Fish Committee list recording Mike’s fish at 68lb 8oz. It surpassed the previous 68lb 1oz record set by Dean Fletcher with The Parrot in 2016 by seven ounces.
The fish had come tantalisingly close to that record before. Chris Lines caught it at 68lb in May 2024, and George Benos landed it at the same weight in February 2026 — just one ounce below the record at the time. Those captures made it a serious contender long before Mike’s historic session.
Its story also included captures by Martin Clarke, Neil Spooner and Darrell Peck. Spooner landed it at 67lb in June 2026, while Peck caught it at 65lb 4oz in August. Each capture added another chapter to the history of a fish that eventually reached the very top of the British record list.
The exact date and cause of death have not been verified for this post, so it would be wrong to speculate about what happened.
For the anglers who shared a moment on the bank with it, the photographs and memories will remain. The Waterside Common’s place in British carp fishing history is already secure.