A UK angler has taken one of the greatest ever hauls of monster catfish on a holiday fishing trip in France.
Essex-based John Keith Wilson confirmed he “came home a day early” and was utterly exhausted after catching 25 big catfish during his six-night session with a friend at Dream Lakes in the Champagne region.
The incredible catch was topped by a new lake record fish at a gigantic 193lb but perhaps even more remarkably was backed up by fish of 130lb, 121lb 101lb, six nineties, two eighties, four seventies, four sixties, three fifties, a forty and a thirty.
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“I’m a very keen wels angler in the UK but recently sold all my gear to venture abroad and hunt larger specimens,” John told us.
“I’ve had ten UK 100lb-plus catfish and a few from the Ebro, but nothing compares to this quite magnificent session.”
The biggest of the astonishing haul smashes John’s personal best and is what he described as “the most powerful fish he’s ever caught.”
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“I’ve had lots of large sturgeon and catfish, but this was a different experience,” he said.
“She took most of my 100kg Berkley braid off of my Penn Slammer 10500 reel, but after a strong battle, we eventually set eyes on the biggest fish any of us had ever seen.”
The giant catfish is not John’s first this year either, with the species enthusiast and Catfish Conservation Group member taking a total of eight 100lb cats from three different countries this season alone.
All his fish fell to rudd baits fished on his bespoke polyball rig tied with Black Cat Tackle components – he certainly got his tactics bang on this trip!
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