On a fishing trip to the Champagne region of France, Briton Andy Hackett landed a whale of a catch in the form of possibly the largest goldfish ever recorded in history.
When the 42-year-old angler, who hails from Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England, managed to ensnare the fish in November 2022, he needed both his hands to carry the massive catch that weighed in at a whopping 67.4 pounds. While normal goldfish tend to grow to only a few inches long, this one, ingeniously nicknamed “The Carrot,” was a hybrid species of a leather carp and a koi carp. Some of the largest carps ever caught have weighed more than 100 pounds, while koi carps can go for a decent sum of money. The most expensive koi went for almost $2 million in 2018.
“The Carrot” has a colorful history. Released into Bluewater Lakes fishery about 20 years ago, it has remained elusive from fishermen’s rods ever since. Many have tried their hand at reeling in the fish, which is very rarely seen outside the water, but to no avail – until Hackett arrived.
Hackett told the BBC: “With normal fish, you struggle to see them if they’re just under the surface, but ‘The Carrot’ is obviously bright orange so you can’t miss it.”
He said despite its size and hard-to-miss hue, getting near the fish would be a challenge unto itself. “It’s a much sought-after fish, not many people have caught it; it’s quite elusive. He
added, however, that catching it wasn’t entirely impossible, it would just be incredibly difficult. “Just like a general big fish, they’re heavy, they’re slow, they plod around,” he said.
When Hackett geared up for this fishing trip, he had a strong desire to catch ‘The Carrot’ but not much hope.
“I always knew ‘The Carrot’ was in there but never thought I would catch it,” he told the Daily Mail. “I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it. Then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out and I saw that it was orange. It was brilliant to catch it but it was also sheer luck,” he said, adding it took him about 25 minutes to finally reel the monster catch in.
The fishery’s manager, Jason Cowler, congratulated Hackett on his catch, saying “We put ‘The Carrot’ in about 20 years ago as something different for the customers to fish for. Since then it has grown and grown but it doesn’t often come out. She is very elusive.” He also assured the orange beast was “in excellent health and condition. Congratulations to Andy on a great catch.”
At almost 70 pounds, Hackett’s catch beat the previous records held by Jason Fugate, who in 2019 caught a 30-pound goldfish in Minnesota, and Italian Raphael Biagini, who had also caught a goldfish weighing about 30 pounds in the south of France in 2010.
As for the fate of “The Carrot?” After a weigh-in and posing for a few glamour shots, it was dutifully released back into the waters of Bluewater Lakes. Hackett then celebrated the glorious catch with a well-earned cup of tea.
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