When most anglers first start fishing as children, they usually catch the ever-obliging small roach and perch in their local ponds or canals. However, 8-year-old Finley Bond managed to surpass most anglers' wildest dreams when he banked two massive catfish in the same session—each nearly twice his size.
Fishing with his dad, Barry, at Fishable Houchins Fishery in Essex, the pair were targeting the catfish population after Finley asked if he could try to beat his personal best, which stood at 22lbs at the time. Knowing the lake held some big cats, they quickly set up their rods as evening began to draw in, but little did they know what was about to unfold.
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"We got to the lake, and after setting up, we put 5kg of boilies out into the lake. It sounds like a lot of bait, but a big catfish can eat that on its own," Barry told us.
"We got the rods out into the lake and sat back, full of anticipation for what the night would bring."
It didn't take long before Finley had a screaming take. Scrambling to his rod, he managed to connect with a fish that proceeded to try to pull him into the lake. The father-son duo quickly realized it was a much bigger fish than anything they had hooked before.
"When Finley picked up his rod, I instinctively grabbed his hoodie to stop him from getting pulled in. After a very long 20-minute battle with powerful runs, he finally managed to subdue the catfish," Barry recalled.
"The fish was huge, we struggled to get it on the bank, and when we hoisted it onto the scales, we couldn't believe it when they read 90lbs. We were informed it was a fish called 'Jim,' and it was the first time it had been caught in 12 months."
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Finley was understandably overwhelmed by what had just unfolded and was unexpectedly exhausted after the battle, so after taking a half-hour break to compose himself, he cast his rod back out. Within minutes, the alarm screamed off again.
"We couldn't believe it—the rod belted off again, and the same scenario followed, with me grabbing his hoodie as the fish tried to pull him into the water," Barry said.
"When it surfaced, we could see it was just as big as the last fish. It was unbelievable to see, and we managed to get it into the net without any real drama."
"It was a fish called 'The Pug,' weighing 86lbs, meaning Finley had landed a brace of catfish totalling 176lbs, smashing his 22lb personal best by a ridiculous margin."
"After fishing for just 3 hours, it was already a session of a lifetime, so Finley got himself to bed, leaving me to catch another four catfish up to 50lbs."
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