The country’s busiest park lake is probably the last place you’d expect to see Nick Helleur. By his own admission, Nick seeks the lesser trodden paths through life. However, throw into the mix a couple of incredibly old carp, in a huge sheet of underfished water, less than half a mile from his house and the prospect becomes hard to ignore! 

Virginia Water, part of Windsor Great Park, is one of the largest of its kind, and having been stocked with carp while Nick was knee high to a grasshopper, the potential for something truly magical was a very real possibility. Having first visited the park as a child, Nick knew there were carp present and if some of those fish had survived to present day, they could be something to behold. The draw to take on the mighty challenge became overwhelming, and he simply had to find out for himself.

We followed Nick every step of the way and documented his journey which turned out to be just what he needed, having struggled to be enthused by UK carp fishing since his Thames campaign. We hope you enjoy Nick’s story, as well as the incredible visuals compiled over the course of nearly two years.