The catch was reeled in at Loch Awe

Ken struggled for almost 30 minutes before landing his 30lbs 8oz catch, which measured more than 40 inches in length.

The 43-year-old, who teaches technical subjects at Woodfarm High School in Thornliebank, Glasgow, caught the record-breaker in the middle of July.

"When she hit the net and she rolled over and the hooks dropped out of her mouth my knees buckled. I had to sit down," he said.

"It was an awe-inspiring occasion."

Ken has been fishing for almost 40 years, and has spent the last four years hunting big fish.

'Keep focussed'

He estimated that it took up to 500 hours of fishing before he landed the big one.

"This time the dream came true - I got the big one," he said.

Asked for the secret of his success, Ken said: "You have got to look for big bait, you have got to be patient and relentless, and you have got to keep focussed."

He also highlighted the advice given by angler Ron Greer in his book "Ferox Trout and Arctic Char" and paid tribute to the efforts of the Ferox 85 group.

Ken's catch beat the 1996 record

It was formed 15 years ago in an attempt to break the British record, a feat its members accomplished in 1993 and 1996.

The most recent record-breaker was landed by Andrew Finlay, whose catch weighed in at 25lbs 5ozs.

Mr Greer, a biologist from Perthshire who helped set up Ferox 85, was delighted that Ken had followed some of the advice from his book.

He said there were a number of factors which combined to create the conditions on which Loch Awe had founded its reputatiuon for producing big trout.

He thought it possible that a 40lb fish could be landed at the loch - beating the world record of 39lb 8oz.

"It is the only place that is going to produce a 40lb-plus fish," he said.

And Ron said there were plans to bring a group of expert trout anglers to the loch for a concerted attempt at the world record.

A spokesman for the Guinness Book of Records added: "It must be something they're putting in the water there."