When many anglers think of fly fishing, it often conjures images of delicately presenting a dry fly in the hope of fooling a hungry brown trout. However, things have moved on drastically in recent years, with more and more anglers realising that coarse fish can also be effectively targeted on the fly. We've had reports in the past of barbel and carp being caught this way, but James Penwright has proven that, with the right tactics, even giant fish can be landed.
Fishing at the renowned Chigborough Fisheries in Essex, home to the current British Record catfish, James took to the water with his fly rod in search of a moggie. It wasn’t long before he hooked into an enormous catfish, which, incidentally, matched the current fly-caught record at an incredible 79lb. A true testament to the evolving world of fly fishing and proof that there’s much more to it than many anglers might think!
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"For about a year now myself and my good friend Tim Joyce have been planning a trip at the wonderful Chigborough Fisheries, with the plan of fly fishing for their truly monstrous Wels catfish," James explained to us.
"It was around 5pm when Tim, fishery owner Tad, and I set off in the boats to locate these creatures. I was there primarily to film for Tim and the fishery, creating a video about this exciting event," he added.
After capturing some footage of the pair fishing for the upcoming video, curiosity got the better of James, and he couldn’t resist picking up his fly rod to have a cast himself. A decision that would prove to be a memorable one!
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"About two hours later, as the sun was setting, we found a spot where we believed we had seen signs of catfish as bubbles were rising from the lakebed, and the water was full of stirred-up mud."
"I made one long cast and let the line settle and within a few pulls into a roly-poly retrieve, my line suddenly went tight. I set the hook and shouted, “Fish on!” only to feel nothing but dead weight, like I’d hooked a submerged tree," James recalled.
The trio made their way over to the supposed snag, with Tim pulling the end of James's fly line in the hope of freeing it. Just as a wave of disappointment started to sink in, the line suddenly sprang out of Tim’s hand, it was moving, it was a catfish after all.
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"What followed was a long and intense battle lasting around 50 minutes, but finally, she broke the surface, and Tim took his chance, slipping the net under her on the first try. Amid all the excitement, I scrambled in the pitch dark to grab my camera gear as we headed for shore," he said.
"We all hopped out of the boats and gently lifted the massive fish into the sling to rest. Tad’s son Henry and I weighed the fish at 90 lbs including the sling (which weighed 11 lbs), giving us an incredible final weight of 79 lbs of catfish—so, so close to beating the current fly-caught record, which is also 79lb.
"I was truly lost for words as we took some photos before safely releasing the beast back into the depths, ready to fight another day. A truly unforgettable experience shared with amazing people."
"Massive thanks to Chigborough Fisheries and Tim Joyce for helping me make this memory!"
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