Strange Discovery!!!?

The fishing club I am a member of has a work night every Monday night and I went along to do my bit as I do every week.
I was raking out a few of the swims when I pulled in a legnth of sea line. When I pulled it right the way in I noticed it was connected to a home made fish trap, it had been made out of an old pop bottle and from the state and smell of it, it had been there for some time.
When I opened the trap up I found it was full of semi decomposed sticklebacks.
The trap also contained about half a dozen dead beetles. They were about 3cm across and 5cm long and they looked like something out of The Mummy!
Actually they looked a lot like cockroaches, but Im sure cockroaches dont live in ponds.

Does anybody have any idea what these creatures could have been?

Cheers
Matt

They could have been pondskaters, they have dark shells and long back legs.

Water scorpions perhaps

The only one I can find of anything like that size is a "Great silver water beetle" -- Hydrophilus piceus -- body length of 34--48 mm

The next largest is the "Great diving beetle" Dytiscus marginalis -- body length of 27--33 mm

I can only think of two dead Beatles, John and George :0)

Sorry

Sounds like the Great Diving Beetle to me.

Dytiscus are incredibly carnivorous, especially in the nymphal state.

Trout love 'em.