The tagged trout with a price on its head has been released into the lake on the Kent and Sussex border and, from August 1st, anglers who pay an additional supplement of £2.50 on top of their usual ticket price will be able to claim the £2,500 bounty if they land the prize fish.

But they’ll need a lot of luck as well as skill and judgement, as the Golden Trout has joined the 27,500 other trout that have been used to re-stock Bewl since Tunbridge Wells-based Markerstudy Leisure bought the site in January.

“The Golden Trout was released into the middle of the reservoir, which can hold up to 31,000 million litres of water, so it could be anywhere by now,” said Howard Mackenzie, Estates Manager at Bewl Water.

“There is no time limit to the competition, it remains open until whenever the Golden Trout is successfully landed.

“We wish the best of luck to all those anglers who set out to catch it.”

Day prices at Bewl Water range from £12 to £28 for fishing tickets, with boat hire starting at £18.

 For more information and details of how to pre-book tickets, visit www.bewlwater.co.uk/fishing