Most anglers would settle for catching just one 50lb-plus fish in their lifetime. But globe-trotting specimen hunter, Gary Newman, has now achieved the remarkable feat of catching 20 different freshwater species over the magical weight.
His latest success came during a trip to Africa’s Congo River, where he landed the Goliath Tigerfish of his dreams.
“I’d always wanted to catch a big Goliath ever since seeing a photo of one as a kid, and although I’d caught smaller ones, I've never managed a real monster.” said Gary (48), from Buckinghamshire.
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Determined to do things differently on this trip, Gary adapted his rigs, opting to tie his baits on with braid, which he believed would give him a better chance of hooking his target fish as opposed to trying to strike the hooks out of the skin of his baits.
He also did away with the trailing treble on a long piece of wire which most anglers use. The decision paid off on just the second day of his expedition when his float buried a couple of rod lengths out from the boat.
“The fish took off fast, as Goliaths tend to, and from the sheer weight I knew it was a big one,” he said.
“After a five-minute battle, I had the fish beaten and it slowly started to come up to the surface. Thankfully it went in the net first time!"
At 74lb, it was the fish he’d been dreaming of since childhood, but Gary wasn’t finished there. Remarkably, a few days later he added other huge Tigerfish of 63lb and 43lb to his tally.
“The Congo is an amazing place,” he added.
“Just being there is special – the fish are a bonus.”
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