Haven't we met before? Angler catches same giant carp he hooked 14 years ago but this time it's DOUBLE the size

This huge carp has literally taken the bait again after it was caught by the same angler, 14 years after their first encounter.

Angler Tim Cosens was surprised to see an ‘old friend’ on the end of his fishing reel when he caught the same common carp at Strawberry Fields fishery in Tunbridge Wells, Kent that he had reeled in back in 1999.

Photographed with the impressive 26lbs carp back then, Mr Cosens posed for the same picture with the same fish, now doubled in size - a huge 54lbs 12ozs.

An 'old friend' takes the bait again: Angler Tim Cosens poses with the same common carp he caught back in 1999 which has since doubled in size

While the keen angler has fished elsewhere since his 1999 catch, he returned to the lake and cast his rod from the same spot, hoping for similar success.

After three hours, he got just that when he felt a nibble. He spent the next 40 minutes reeling in the carp only to discover that the fish had the same distinctive bald patch halfway down one side as his previous catch, 14 years before.

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Mr Cosens, a builder, said: ‘I used to fish at the lake years ago but moved on to somewhere else after I had caught most of the carp in there.

‘I decided to pop back recently and returned to the same swim where I first caught the carp at 26lbs 14 years ago.

The first catch: When he caught the fish back in 1999 it weighed 26lbs. He noticed it had a distinctive bald patch halfway down one side, the very same unique mark he recognised on the carp he caught recently

‘I was there for three hours when I had some luck but it wasn't until I got the fish into the net that I saw its bald patch on one side.

‘It was a big fish back then and it's obviously even bigger now.

‘I was really chuffed because at 54lbs it was a personal best catch for me. It was nice seeing the same fish again, like meeting up with an old friend.’

Mr Cosens returned the carp, which is estimated to be about 20-years-old, back into the water after their reunion.

It was caught at the 1.5 acre fishery which is home to more than 150 fish.