Frank Schmidt carp records – three 40 kg fish in three countries
Frank Schmidt has been one of Europe’s best-known big-fish carp anglers for decades. His catch record includes 136 carp over 30 kilograms from eight countries. What makes it truly exceptional: Frank has caught three different carp over 40 kilograms in three different countries – a record series that impressively sums up his decades of chasing big carp.
- 3× over 40 kg: three different big carp from three different countries.
- 136 carp over 30 kg: Frank’s big-fish tally is spread across eight countries.
- Germany: One of his best-known home captures is a 40.8 kg common carp.
- Decades of big fish: Germany, Croatia, Hungary, France and other countries shape his exceptional catch history.
Three carp over 40 kilograms from three different countries: this is the record that makes Frank Schmidt’s catch list stand out even within the international big-fish scene.
❓ What carp records does Frank Schmidt hold?
Frank Schmidt has caught three different carp over 40 kilograms in three different countries. On top of that come 136 carp over 30 kilograms from eight countries. His best-known exceptional fish include a 40.8 kg carp from Germany, “Damon” at 40.9 kg from Croatia and “Uno” at around 41 kg from Hungary.
Who is Frank Schmidt? Decades of chasing big carp
Frank Schmidt has focused on targeting specimen carp since the 1980s. Early on he was drawn to big European waters – long before international big-fish trips became a matter of course in modern carp fishing.
He has been fishing intensively with boilies since 1985. Later came product development, Anaconda and – together with his son Nico – Schmidt Experience. All of this rests on the same foundation: decades of experience on the bank and a targeted search for exceptionally big carp.
You can read how Frank approaches big public waters strategically in the article Frank Schmidt – Strategies for Public Water Fishing. This page focuses on his exceptional fish and records.
136 carp over 30 kg – a big-fish tally from eight countries
For most anglers, a single carp over 30 kilograms is a fish of a lifetime. Frank Schmidt has now passed that mark 136 times.
What matters is not just the number but the spread across eight different countries. His catch list can’t be put down to one exceptional lake or one particular stock of fish. Different waters, countries and conditions shape the tally.
That is exactly why Frank’s story is more than a string of big weights. It documents decades of big-fish angling on all kinds of European waters.
The record: three carp over 40 kg in three different countries
The absolute standout in Frank’s catch list is three different carp over 40 kilograms from three different countries. Even a single 40 kg carp is a real rarity. Three such fish from Germany, Croatia and Hungary make this record series something special.
| Big carp | Country | Weight | What makes it special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exceptional German fish | Germany | 40.8 kg | Historic German 40 kg carp |
| Damon | Croatia | 40.9 kg | Big carp from Zajarki |
| Uno | Hungary | approx. 41 kg | Caught twice by Frank, later world-famous |
These three fish form the core of Frank’s exceptional 40 kg tally. They come neither from the same water nor from the same country – and so stand for completely different big-fish situations.
40.8 kg in Germany – Frank’s historic standout fish
One of Frank’s best-known captures is a 40.8 kilogram common carp from Germany. At the time of capture, this fish was among the biggest publicly known German carp and drew plenty of attention on the scene.
For context: weights in German big-carp fishing kept moving on. Later, Jörg Schlegel caught the mirror carp “Cuello de Toro” – which translates as “bull’s neck” – at 41.3 kilograms. At the time, specialist media classed this fish as the German record mirror carp.
So Frank’s 40.8 kg fish was later beaten on weight – though by a mirror carp, whereas Frank’s fish is a common carp. For his own record series it remains key either way: it is one of the three carp over 40 kilograms from three different countries.
Cuello de Toro at 41.3 kg – Jörg Schlegel’s exceptional fish
The story of Cuello de Toro is also interesting because it is directly linked to Frank Schmidt and Schmidt Experience. Jörg Schlegel has known Frank for decades and is a successful German big-fish angler himself.
The 41.3 kg mirror carp was caught in an old gravel pit of around 16 hectares in Bavaria. Because of its massive build, the fish was named “Cuello de Toro” – bull’s neck.
The approach was surprisingly straightforward: over a long period, Jörg consistently built up a baited spot with 30 mm Yalla Yalla boilies. He fished a simple stiff rig on an inline lead set-up, and the hookbait was also a 30 mm boilie from the Yalla Yalla range.
This is where things come full circle back to Frank: together with his son Nico, Frank Schmidt puts decades of carp fishing experience into developing boilies and carp baits that catch. You can find out more about the bait brand and its story in the article on Schmidt Experience.
Damon from Croatia – a 40.9 kg big fish
The second exceptional 40 kg fish in Frank’s series comes from Croatia: “Damon” from Zajarki at 40.9 kilograms. With it, Frank broke the magic 40 kg barrier again – this time in a different country and under completely different conditions.
Damon shows particularly clearly why Frank’s record series is not simply a catch list from one big-fish lake. Each of the three 40 kg fish comes from a different country.
Uno from Hungary – caught twice and later world-famous
The third 40 kg fish takes us to Hungary and Euro Aqua. Frank caught the mirror carp “Uno” twice: first in September 2010 at 30.8 kilograms and again later in January 2015.
On the later occasion Uno weighed around 41 kilograms. Twelve ft. also documents Frank’s later capture of the fish at 41 kg, as well as a total of three carp over 40 kilograms in his catch history.
Uno then kept growing and became one of the most famous big carp in Euro Aqua. To find out what happened to the fish next and what record history the lake went on to write, read the article on the Euro Aqua carp record.
1990 at Lac du Salagou – big fish long before social media
Frank’s big-carp story began long before catch photos landed on Instagram or Facebook within minutes. As early as around 1990 he was fishing big French waters and gaining experience that would decisively shape his later angling.
This historic photo shows more than an early capture. It documents how long Frank has been fishing big European waters and deliberately searching for exceptional carp.
Lac de Saint Cassien – the early years of the European big-carp hunt
The legendary Lac de Saint Cassien is also part of Frank’s early big-fish story. Back then, France was one of the most important destinations for German carp anglers looking specifically for exceptional fish.
Early trips to France like these are an important part of a development that, decades later, shows in a catch record of 136 carp over 30 kilograms and three fish over 40 kilograms from three different countries.
Back to the roots – Frank Schmidt at Lac du Salagou
Decades later, Frank still keeps returning to the waters that shaped his big-fish angling. At Lac du Salagou this connection is especially clear: the early trips to France turned into decades of experience on big public waters – and Frank still fishes there specifically for exceptional carp.
The 31 kg carp from Lac du Salagou builds a strong bridge between past and present. The same type of water, the same fascination with big public waters – but decades of extra experience.
How Frank reads big, freely accessible waters like these, locates the fish, chooses his spots and builds up baited spots over the long term is covered in our focus on his strategies for public water fishing.
What’s behind three 40 kg carp from three countries?
A record like this can’t be put down to a single bait or a particular rig. Different waters demand different decisions. What runs through Frank’s angling instead is choice of water, location, patience, controlled distance and the willingness to build up a promising spot over the long term.
This page concentrates on his fish and records. How Frank reads big waters and approaches public waters is covered in the feature on his talk – link at the end of this page.
Frank Schmidt, Schmidt Experience & Anaconda – decades of big-fish experience
Frank’s experience doesn’t end with the catch photo. He has worked in carp tackle product development since 1994. In 1998 he co-founded the Anaconda brand and has been connected with it ever since as a product consultant and brand ambassador. His official biography confirms these details.
Together with his son Nico, Frank also puts decades of carp fishing experience into developing boilies and carp baits that catch at Schmidt Experience.
You’ll find more on both topics separately at Anaconda – Carp Tackle & Team and in the editorial background article on Schmidt Experience – Boilies & Carp Baits.
Frank Schmidt’s big-fish record – more than just a number
136 carp over 30 kilograms. Three carp over 40 kilograms. Three different countries. These numbers explain why Frank Schmidt has been one of the defining big-fish anglers on the European carp scene for decades.
Even more interesting is the time span behind them: from the early trips to France around Cassien and Salagou to big-fish waters in Germany, Croatia and Hungary, one long thread runs through decades of his angling.
If you want to understand the method behind the record weights, the next step is Frank Schmidt’s strategies for public water fishing – from location and big waters to building up a promising spot over the long term.
See Frank Schmidt live: at his talk at Carp Austria – Austria’s biggest carp fishing show at Arena Nova Wiener Neustadt – you can put your questions to him directly. → Get your Carp Austria ticket
