MATTHEW Smith got an almighty shock while bream fishing on his local Kennet & Avon Canal when he hooked into this huge eel.
Estimated to weigh 8lb, it was around 4ft long, but unfortunately it slithered back into the water before it could be put on the scales.
The 48-year-old canal regular, from Devizes, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it! It was an incredible creature that could well be older than I am.”
The eel gave Matthew a fierce 20-minute battle. “When I hooked it, huge plumes of bubbles came up from the bottom. Luckily, I had upped my mainline to 10lb after losing a big fish from the same area three months ago,” he added.
Matthew floatfished a luncheon meat and corn cocktail bait a rodlength out.
Matthew Smith and his estimated 8lb eel from the Kennet & Avon canal