It is not often an annual fishing holiday results in you becoming a potential world record holder, but that is exactly what happened to Daniel Pipe on his most recent trip to Norway.
Visiting Sandland Brygge Camp with his friends Garry and Gavin, the trio decided to fish an all-night session to give them access to an area they had previous success on, whilst ensuring they could explore it thoroughly.
"After arriving at the fishing grounds, we caught 20 cod and coal fish on the first drift using large Savage Gear shads. The fish really seemed hungry," he told us.
"During the second drift, the carnage really started as my mate Gavin Waite caught a 42lb and a 55lb cod, followed by Garry Sharp with a 43-pound cod, along with multiple high 30s and 20s on every drift."
In fact, the fishing was so prolific that the anglers lost count of the number of fish they had caught, with bites coming for all three almost every drop to the bottom. However, Daniel soon hooked into something that felt totally different from the big fish they had been catching.
"I hit a solid fish, which we could tell was a different class of weight. The fish was in total control for the first five minutes."
"After another 10-15 minutes, we caught our first glimpse of the fish as it broke the surface, and the whole boat was in shock, it was enormous," Daniel exclaimed.
The anglers would normally return their fish, but after several attempts to revive the cod, it was clear the fish wouldn't survive the release. So, they decided to return to camp to weigh and measure her.
"At 46.6 kilos (102 lb 7 oz), the fish beat the camp record by 8 kilos, and at 160 cm long, we believe it to be an IGFA all-tackle length world record too, which is incredible."
"The fish has completely overwhelmed me and my friends. It is a capture we will never forget. We have already booked to come back next year and already can't wait," Daniel said.
THERE ARE SOME GREAT LOCATIONS TO HOLIDAY IN THE UK, CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST UK FISHING DESTINATIONS.
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