Giant skate: Powys angler David Griffiths' 107kg fish

An angler who landed a giant skate after a 90-minute struggle says it followed a "classic Jaws moment". 

David Griffiths, from Powys, hauled the 107kg (16st 12lb), 2.3m (7ft 6in) fish to the surface off Oban, Argyll. 

He said it broke the British record by about 3.6kg (8lb), but it was not official because it was not weighed on a quay or bank. 

Clicks of the rod's reel after a quiet day were the first clues to the fight ahead, but he ended up putting it back. 

After about 30 minutes it was within 100ft of the surface but then decided to go back down - it was a real battle” 

David Griffithsangler 

Mr Griffiths, a fishing book publisher from Sarn, near Newtown, said it took four people to lift the skate onto the fishing vessel Laura Dawn II during a trip with friends and his 12-year-old son William. On the same trip William landed a 51kg (113lb) skate. 

He said it was only the second time he had been skate fishing and normally stuck to rivers. 

"It was about halfway through the day and I had caught nothing. Then there was a click, click, click of the rod's reel - it was a classic Jaws moment," Mr Griffiths said. 

"The boat's skipper Ronnie Campbell told me to put my harness on and standing up I secured the end of the rod into what's called a butt pad. 

"The skate has a suction pad and was stuck to the sea bed 500ft below. After about 30 minutes it was within 100ft of the surface but then decided to go back down - it was a real battle." 

Mr Griffiths did not let his opponent off the hook and after an hour-and-a-half he and three friends lifted the fish onto the boat during their trip on 2 April. 

Read on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22249724

Surprised angler catches largemouth bass attempting to swallow fish whole

Tales of the one that got away are commonly told by fishermen following a particularly tough day on the water.

But one angler had a rather more exciting story to tell after he caught one fish attempting to eat another while fishing on Lake Austin in Texas.

Fly fishing fanatic Tim Romano shared a video of the bizarre incident on his blog after a friend sent him the clip of the largemouth bass dining on its catch of the day.

The fish can be seen attempting to swallow the similar sized fish before the man separates them and releases them back into the water.

‘I love a good day of fishing for bass,’ he explained. ‘You know it’s all good and really warm weather is on the way when Mr. bucket-mouth starts chomping.

Continued:  http://metro.co.uk/2013/04/04/surprised-angler-catches-largemouth-bass-attempting-to-swallow-fish-whole-3583135/

Cudmore Fisheries fears catfish will seize unwary dogs

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

A leading anglers' centre in north Staffordshire has banned dogs from some of its lakes - for fear they will be seized by large fish.

Cudmore Fisheries issued the ban after netting a 7ft long catfish at its Adelaide predator pool.

The managing director at Cudmore, Cyril Brewster, said: "We were aware that the local mink population had shrunk to nothing - this could be the reason."

Cudmore hosts the high-profile national Fish O'Mania contest.

The giant catfish was caught in a stock-taking of the lake, which also contains pike and perch and more than 100 younger catfish.

The fish weighed 61lb (27.6kg), and was 7ft (2.1m) long, though what staff reported as a bigger one got away because their net could not hold it.

No dogs

The fishery said it now feels it has to ban dogs. Cyril Brewster told BBC Radio Stoke: "These cats are not little pussycats. No pets will be allowed in the fishing area. Even my wife's dog will not be allowed to swim in the lake."

He confirmed that catfish will also take birds and chicks. It is believed that wild mink diving into the lake to take small fish have also been seized by the predatory catfish.

Rules already demand that inexperienced anglers have to attend a course before they can use the site's 'predator lakes' - and juniors are banned altogether.

However, the fishery owners have said that it is not all bad news. Because anglers will travel for miles to get the chance to catch this type of fish, the confirmation of their presence is good business.

A scheme to base a national school of angling, designed to give newcomers an introduction to fishing, is being introduced at Cudmore.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_9398000/9398683.stm
(Submitted by Michael Walters)

Monster chub hands angler John Leyland a Bradford Number One hit on River Nidd

Angler John Leyland shows off a huge chub of 7lb 4oz,
which helped him win the Bradford Number One contest
on the River Nidd at Cowthorpe

9:38am Friday 7th January 2011

A brace of chub weighing in at over a stone provided John Leyland with the match of a lifetime.

Drawn below the gauging hut, he topped the 30-peg Bradford Number One contest on the Nidd at Cowthorpe with a seven-fish haul of 32lb 3oz.

Offering waggler to the far-bank willow cover, he picked the monsters off on a double maggot offering.

A fish of 6lb 11oz is one to remember, but his amazing bag was topped off by a huge chub of 7lb 4oz.

The beast is possibly the largest chub ever landed in a match and equals the biggest ever banked in Yorkshire.

Runner-up Fred Prudham (Medlock Bridge) also had seven chub from two below the foot bridge.

His fish, which fell to stick and maggot, were of a more standard stamp and scaled 13lb 6oz.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/8777307.Monster_chub_hands_angler_John_Leyland_a_Bradford_Number_One_hit_on_River_Nidd/

Ashford anglers mourn death of giant carp 'Two Tone'

16 August 2010

A mirror carp thought to be one of the UK's biggest freshwater fish has been found dead in the lake where it lived in Kent.

"Two Tone", who weighed 67lb 14oz, was found floating on the surface of Conningbrook Lake in Ashford.

The fish, which gained its name because of its skin colour, was thought to be between 40 and 45 years old.

Anglers said it was only caught once or twice a year and no more than 50 times in its lifetime.

'Extraordinary beast'

Chris Logsdon, 62, manager of Mid Kent Fisheries, which runs the lake, said: "The fish was wily and difficult to catch.

"Any carp angler worth their salt wanted to to catch him and a lot tried and failed. It's part of fishing history."

Two Tone will be buried beside the lake on Sunday morning and a plaque will mark his grave, Mr Logsdon said.

He added: "Some of these guys have spent every minute of their time at this lake trying to catch this beast.

"A lot of friendships have been made by people on the banks - it's been an extraordinary, exceptional beast."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-10992762

The silly season: Benson the carp and other fishy tales

The Times's front-page story is part of a tradition including great white sharks in Cornwall, killer chipmunks and runaway pigs

In pictures: classic silly season stories

There's a carp story on the front of today's Times.

No, that's not a misprint – there really is a great big fish pictured across the top of the paper, beneath the solemn headline, "Benson, Britain's best-loved carp, 1984-2009".

And lo, just a few days into August, the silly season has arrived.

It has to be said that Valentine Low's story about Benson – a female carp, named after a hole in her dorsal fin that resembled a cigarette burn, who was caught at least 60 times – is an extremely enjoyable read.

The quote from Tony Bridgefoot of the Bluebell Lakes complex is a classic. "We are all rocked by Benson's death. She was an iconic carp. We are all still trying to come to terms with her death. Money could not have bought Benson. She had that celebrity status. I can't stress how famous she was in the angling world."

And then turn to today's Daily Telegraph, which has a delightful story about dolphin sign language. A flop on to its side means "Let's go", a roll on to its back with tail fin waving means "Let's eat", and a rapid movement of its fins means "Let's bash out 300 words on this - there's nothing else going on".

The Sun tends to keep the silly season going all year round, but it has enjoyed a good run of "killer chipmunk" stories.

Here's a recent example – make sure you click on the graphic of the chipmunk launching itself at the lady.

The story is reminiscent of a classic tale from October 2005 – it was an Indian summer that year, clearly – when the South London Press reported that squirrels were digging up crack cocaine hidden by drug dealers.

Here's the front page that Chris Morris would be proud of.

Some silly season stories are so good they have to be repeated year after year.

Back in August 2003, there were reports that a great white shark had been seen off the coast of Devon.

The story resurfaced in July 2007, this time in Cornwall – only to be rubbished by a Falmouth coastguard:

"There has never been a confirmed sighting of a great white off the Cornish
coast. It's utter rubbish. We have never had a shark attack down here and we
would urge people to take this with a pinch of salt. They are not the man-eating
Jaws."

Clearly, animals are the essential ingredients of classic silly season tales.

Back in 1987 there was Blackie the Donkey, saved from being crushed at a Spanish fiesta and then brought to England by the Daily Star.

Then there were the Tamworth Two, a pair of piglets who broke out of a Wiltshire abattoir and spent a week on the run in January 1998 (OK, that wasn't really the summer).

The Daily Mail bought the pigs, named them Butch and Sundance and paid for them to live at the South of England Rare Breeds Centre near Ashford, Kent.

But sometimes it's possible to contrive a magnum opus of daftness that doesn't involve beasts.

Take the Sun's classic tale from August 2005 that Victor Meldrew had been found in space, the apotheosis of the I-saw-Jesus-in-my-toast story genre.

Here's a collection of holy relics, Daily Mail-style.

But this is far from an exhaustive list – have you noticed any corkers this year, or do you have any favourites from silly seasons past?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/aug/04/newspapers-silly-season-stories

Is catching a fish bad for it?

Tuesday, 4 August 2009 16:50 UK

WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers...

One of the UK's most prized carp, Benson, has died, after being caught more than 60 times. So is all that hooking and unhooking bad for fish?

A few nuts are being blamed for the death of Benson, one of the UK's largest and most-loved carp.

The 64lb (29kg) fish could have ingested the nuts, the remnants of which were found on the banks of her home lake in Cambridgeshire, and unprocessed nuts can be fatal.

Benson was a celebrity in the angling world. She had been hooked, photographed and returned to water at least 60 times.

The owner of the Bluebell Lakes, Tony Bridgefoot, said she liked having her picture taken.
But could all that fishing have affected her health?

Plenty would assume so, but anglers tend to believe that if done competently, their sport doesn't stress a fish.

The issue hinges on the age-old question of whether fish feel pain. In 2003, the first conclusive evidence of pain perception in fish was said to have been found by UK scientists based in Edinburgh.

Researchers shot bee venom into the lips of trout and found sites in the heads of the fish that responded to damaging stimuli. They concluded that the fish responded in a way that was not simply reflexive.

This year, scientists in the US announced similar findings after experiments on goldfish.

But anglers, such as Martin Ford, editor of magazine group Angling Publications, say fish like Benson, who are caught often, actually choose to take the bait, knowing it's on the end of a hook.

"When they get to that size they will get very selective about what they eat and very often they may not be caught for 14 to 15 months.

"So, does pressure perhaps become detrimental to the fish? Yes and no. Some choose not to be caught."

Mr Ford says he prefers to fish in waters that were not so busy, but if a fish was traumatised by the experience, it would not choose to go through it again.

"Benson has made a choice to visit the bank and see what the other side of the world is like."
Educated anglers do their utmost to ensure that a big carp, once on the bank, is cared for extremely well, he says.

"I'm confident that a fish goes through no stress from a competent angler."

Angling has taken great strides to improve the well-being of the fish, says Mr Ford, and all good carp anglers should use fish-friendly nets, soft and padded unhooking mats and only keep the carp out of the water for a maximum of five minutes in summer, and about double that in winter.

'No pain'

Photos should be taken near the water and all anglers should carry a gel to apply to any wounds their hooks cause to the mouth.

"Wounds heal very quickly and modern tackle is made so that if the line breaks, the carp is able to get rid of any end tackle.

"The area of the mouth is very sinewy, there's no blood or veins and in my opinion I don't think there's a pain issue. But if a hook slips out of the mouth and catches near the gill area, then there will be pain."

"We get knocked by the anti-anglers who say that fish feel pain, and I believe some university bods have proved that some fish do feel pain, but until you sit me down next to a carp and it says to me ' I feel immense pain', then it's an open-ended question."

But a spokesman for animal rights campaign group Peta, says: "If common sense isn't enough, the science is clear: being repeatedly impaled with a hook and yanked into an environment in which fish cannot breathe, like Benson, undeniably causes distress, pain and can lead to infections.

"Even simply handling or netting fish can abrade their protective coating and lead to death."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8183547.stm

Angling world mourns biggest carp

Tuesday, 4 August 2009 12:22 UK

Anglers in Cambridgeshire are mourning the death of what is believed to be Britain's biggest common carp.

Nicknamed Benson, the carp swam in the Bluebell Lakes at Oundle near Peterborough.

Mark Worthington reports.

READ MORE: Fishermen mourn death of a carp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8183440.stm