Gillingham goalkeeper coach and 2009 Wembley winner Simon Royce showed footballs aren’t all he can catch.

Lake fishing is back and Royce made the most of it, reeling in this impressive specimen.

The mirror carp was caught at Darenth Big Lake, near Dartford, and weighed in at an impressive 32lb 12oz.

Perseverance paid off for the 48-year-old, landing the catch on his final morning of fishing at the lake.

Owner Warren Farrance was delighted to see it.

He said: “He was grafting and grafting and then caught it on the last morning and it was really good to see.”

Royce has always been a big lover of fishing and posted his catch on twitter this week, saying: “Made the most of the angling restriction lift to bag this beauty.”

What made the trip even more rewarding was that it was his first visit to the venue in 21 years.

And while it’s certainly a catch to be proud of Darenth Big Lake have some even bigger beasts, with their largest mirror carp tipping the scales at 52lb.

Lakes across Kent were reopened a fortnight ago following the easing of lockdown regulations by the government and Mr Farrance say they have been extremely busy.

“I think fishing is going to be very popular this summer if the lakes are anything to go by,” he said.

“We’ve been ensuring we follow the social distancing guidelines and it’s been manic. We have been turning people away.”

Darenth Big Lake have an exclusive members lake and another for day ticket anglers.

Fishing was one of the first sports to resume with lockdown regulations eased and the Farrance family will be eager for other sports to resume too, including rugby.

Mr Farrance has two sons who are professional rugby players, both of whom have honed their skills out in France over recent years.

Former Sevenoaks player Zak Farrance progressed through the Saracens academy before spending time with Oyannax. He’s set to play for Jersey Reds next season, a club in the second-tier of English rugby.

Beau Farrance, meanwhile, is the younger of the two brothers and he’s played rugby for England under-18s. He’s currently with Angoulème in southwestern France.

Training in France could resume soon.

Sea anglers, meanwhile, are making the most of the chance to return to our shores in England with fine plaice and dab showing as well a some large smoothounds off the North Kent coast.

Read the latest angling column from Wesley Shrubsole, where he warns of some fish that must be treated with care.

More on sport in Kent