A monster catfish has been landed by Darren Reitz while fishing on Chigborough Lakes in Essex. The beast, known as 'Scar', weighed an incredible 143lb, making it the biggest fish the fishery has ever produced.
After arriving at the fishery early, Darren had a fairly uneventful session without a bite to show for his efforts. However, everything changed when he altered his tactics and bait, leading to a bite from the huge moggy.
Unusually for the time of year the catfish was less than docile and really tested Darren's ability to land it.
"The fish took over 50 minutes to land, and I believe it is one of the biggest freshwater fish landed in the UK"
The British Record Fish Committee (BRFC) recently announced they would start accepting catfish submissionsafter a 20 year pause following a ‘comprehensive review of its policy concerning non-native Coarse and Game species’. As the fish eclipses the 130lb threshold, it could very well be the new British Record for the species, with Darren keen to submit it to the BRFC.
“I’m over the moon with the capture, I can’t stop talking about it, I never imagined I would catch a fish like that."
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