British angler Andy Hackett may have caught the largest goldfish ever
recorded in history while fishing in the Champagne area of France.
The 42-year-old angler from Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England
used both hands to handle the enormous catch, which weighed a staggering
67.4 pounds, when he finally caught the fish in November 2022. Normal
goldfish often only reach lengths of a few inches, but this one, cleverly
dubbed "The Carrot," was a cross between a leather carp and a koi carp. Some
of the biggest carps ever captured have reached weights of over 100 pounds,
and koi carps may fetch a respectable price. In 2018, the most expensive koi
sold for over $2 million.
The past of "The Carrot" is interesting. Since being released into the
Bluewater Lakes fishery roughly 20 years ago, it has eluded anglers' rods.
Many have attempted to reel in the fish, which is extremely seldom seen
outside of the water, but without success—that is, until Hackett showed
along.
With typical fish, you struggle to see them if they're just below the
surface, but "The Carrot" is blatantly bright orange so you can't miss it,
according to Hackett, who spoke to the BBC.
He claimed that despite the fish's size and distinctive color, getting
close to it would be difficult in and of itself. It's a fish that is highly
sought after and difficult to catch; not many people have. He
adding that although it would be extremely challenging, capturing it wasn't
completely impossible. He explained that huge fish are "like a normal big
fish, they're heavy, they're slow, and they slog along."
Hackett had little hope but a tremendous desire to catch "The Carrot" as he
prepared for this fishing excursion.
He said to the Daily Mail, "I always knew 'The Carrot' was in there but
never believed I would catch it. "When it caught my bait and moved out to
the side and up and down with it, I realized it was a large fish. When it
surfaced 30 or 40 yards away, I could see that it was orange. It took him
approximately 25 minutes to ultimately reel the enormous fish in, he
claimed, adding that although it was fantastic to capture it, it was also
pure luck.
As he congratulated Hackett on his catch, Jason Cowler, the fishery's
manager, said, "We put 'The Carrot' in approximately 20 years ago as
something distinctive for the clients to fish for. Since then, it has
continued to develop, although it seldom emerges. She is really evasive. The
orange beast was "in terrific health and shape," he added. Andy deserves
praise for a superb catch.
The 30-pound goldfish Jason Fugate captured in Minnesota in 2019 and the
roughly 30-pound goldfish that Italian Raphael Biagini also got in the south
of France in 2010 were the previous marks, which Hackett's catch—at
approximately 70 pounds—broke.
What happened to "The Carrot"? It was obediently released back into the
Bluewater Lakes' waters after being weighed in and posed for a few beauty
photographs. Hackett then had a well-earned cup of tea to toast the
magnificent catch.
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animals