Catfish are a species that aren't to every anglers liking, but for those who enjoy catching them there is no greater fish to catch. Despite your opinion on catfish, there is no disputing their power and for anyone that has hooked a catfish, there is nothing else like them swimming in our waters for brute strength and power.
One angler who was tested to his limits during his latest session was Liam Newton. Fishing at the popular big fish venue, Fishable Houchins in Essex, he managed to bank the lake record at a whopping 134lb, just 9lb under the current British Record.
YOU NEED THE BEST FISHING RODS TO TARGET HUGE CATFISH LIKE THE ONE LIAM CAUGHT.
"It was 23:00, and my dad and I were relaxing in our chairs after rebaiting the rods and sending them back out with the bait boat," Liam told us.
"I introduced a mixture of pellets and boilies into the swim to get the fish into the swim."
"We were watching a film on my phone when, out of nowhere, one of my bite alarms screamed off! I quickly jumped up and struck the rod."
"Right away, Iknew it was one of the big cats that reside in the lake as it didn't even know it was hooked, it just kept swimming away from me."
"After a 20-minute battle, with the fish taking me up and down the lake several times, it finally came to the bank. It was too big for my catfish net, so I had to land it by hand," he recalled.
IF YOU ARE FISHING FOR HUGE FISH YOU NEED A POWERFUL FISHING REEL TO HELP BANK THEM.
"Once safely unhooked, I treated the fish with cat care. I took plenty of photos and weighed it—the scales shot up to 134lbs, a new PB for me, smashing my previous best of 95lbs!"
"Afterward, I released the fish back into the lake, even getting in the water to hold it while it recovered. Once it was fully ready, I let it swim off on its way."
"I’m absolutely over the moon with this capture—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime fish to catch in the UK at that weight," he said.
GET ONE OF THE BEST UNHOOKING MATS TO ENSURE BIG FISH GO BACK IN THE SAME CONDITION THEY WERE CAUGHT IN.
