Holy carp! Two English fishermen are making waves in the media after going on a fishing trip in memory of their late friend.

The pair used his ashes as bait in a touching tribute, and it paid off in a huge way. They ended up catching a gigantic 180-pound Siamese carp!

According to The Telegraph, 64-year-old Ron Hopper died of cancer just before a much-anticipated Thailand fishing trip with his friends Paul Fairbrass and Cliff Dale.

 Fairbrass and Dale visited Hopper just before he died, and the three agreed to take Hopper's ashes to Thailand with them, by mixing the ashes with a special bait mix called "boilies".

"A few days before he died he asked us to take his ashes to Thailand and scatter them around the lake because he had really happy memories of the place. 

"I told him we would go one better than that and turn him into boilies and catch a big fish with them. He just cracked up and said it was a brilliant idea," Fairbrass said.

 The two friends named the special mix "Purple Ronnie", and used it on their hooks throughout the entire nine-day trip. 

Whether it was by chance, luck, or maybe even Ronnie's help, a humongous Siamese carp latched on to the special bait. 

Fairbrass and Dale spent three hours reeling in the carp, and took a now-viral photo with it before releasing it back into the lake, despite it's jaw-dropping size. They then took the time to thank their friend Ron.

"I am not a religious person, but it felt spiritual. but it felt like Ron was there with us. After we caught this fish I looked to the heavens and said 'thank you, Ron." 

The carp that was caught is one of the biggest on record - in fact, the world record is 134 pounds. However, the International Game Fishing Association stopped listing them because they come from protected waters.

The Telegraph reports that this is believed to be the first time that the 180-lb carp had ever been caught in the lake, and that it will now be nicknamed "Ronnie" in memory of the late fisherman.