ABERGAVENNY angler Alex Dyer started 2009 with the ambition of catching a 20 pound plus fish, never did he imagine in his wildest dreams that before the year was out he would have caught two pristine Pike - weighing in at over 30 plus pounds - on the same afternoon.
And to make matters just a little bit more surreal, Chris Tarrant was on hand, not to throw the landed fish a lucky lifeline, but to congratulate the fortuitous fisherman on his champagne catch and make that million dollar moment seem just a little bit more magical.
27-year-old Alex, who has been fishing from the age of six explained, "I often go fishing at Chew Valley reservoir near Bristol, and although my goal this year was always to catch a 20 pounder, I never expected on the day in question to reel in two fish of this size."
The first pike dragged from the deep weighed in at 34lbs 1oz and the second beast from the bottom of the blue was fractionally lighter at 30lbs and 4oz.
So what sort of honeytrap did Alex lay to bait the two scaly sensations? The sorcerer of line and length revealed, "The first pike was caught on a smelt deadbait and the second on a mackerel deadbait."
And was it a memorable and gruelling contest of ferocity and finesse between man and fish, to be whispered upon riverbanks and lakesides up and down the country, as the pike were plucked from their watery abode to be planted on pastures new?
Alex told the Chronicle, "The first fish fought really hard and took a lot of line. All in all he gave an admirably long and strong fight before I managed to bring him in."
"The second was the smaller of the two, and didn't seem to have as much fight as the first one, but he was still by no means easy pickings.
"To catch two fish of this size in one day is just amazing. My personal best up until this point was 16 pounds and two ounces. I've now doubled that with this catch.
"I am not sure how many other anglers have achieved the feat of catching two pikes over thirty pounds in the same session, but I'm sure it must be extremely rare or even unheard of here in the UK.
"On a personal level it's definitely going to be a tough watermark to beat."
Alex's story is as they say the stuff fisherman's tales are made of, but the catch of the day had just a tad more spicy seasoning added to it when a celebrity angler in awe-struck admiration gave Alex a metaphorical pat on the back to celebrate his catch of watery whoppers."
Alex said, "I had heard that Chris Tarrant often fished at Chew Valley but I had never seen him before. However, when I was reeling in the second pike, he approached the shore on his boat to congratulate me. Which was just the icing on the cake to cap a perfect afternoon's fishing as far as I was concerned."
And what became of the fish you may ask.......Well it was a simple case of catch and release.
Before the two pike were told to take a hike they were caught, weighed, cradled in Alex's arms for their 15 minutes of fame and photo opportunities, before being returned once again into the aquatic arena to beseech all their cold-blooded friends to - NEVER TAKE THE BAIT!