Many people find fishing to be an attractive hobby. Those who love fishing often spend hours by the river, patiently trying to hook fish. This activity not only allows anglers to practice their patience but also provides excitement when successfully catching fish. In England, an angler achieved something extraordinary – catching a massive goldfish weighing 67 pounds. This catch has the potential to break the world record for the largest goldfish ever caught.
Andy Hackett was aware that he had gotten lucky one day when he caught a very special fish. It took the British angler 25 minutes struggling to bring in his catch while fishing at Bluewater Lakes in Champagne, France. When he saw a flash of orange in the distance, he immediately realized that he had captured “The Carrot,” a fabled big goldfish.
“I always knew The Carrot was in there but never thought I would catch it,” Hackett raved after the catch, according to 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.”
Hackett told the BBC that because of the Carrot’s vivid color, other fish could be more easily missed. However, it still presented a challenge to actually catch it. It’s a “much sought-after fish. Not many people have caught it; it’s quite elusive,” he said, noting that the carrot was nevertheless a very slow swimmer.
After celebrating the catch with a cup of tea, Hackett released The Carrot back into Bluewater Lakes.
Carrot, who has been in the lake since she was a guppy, is about 20 years old. This is the place where it has been swimming for more than 20 years. The goldfish was known to have been first released as a guppy by fishery manager Jason Cowler.
“We put The Carrot in about 20 years ago as something different for the customers to fish for,” Cowler told the Daily Mail. “Since then it has grown and grown but it doesn’t often come out. She is very elusive.”
Cowler added: “She is in excellent health and condition. Congratulations to Andy on a great catch.”
The Carrot is definitely a good catch. The French fish, according to the Daily Mail, maybe the biggest goldfish ever caught. It weighs 30 pounds more than a goldfish Jason Fugate caught in Minnesota in 2019 and is more than twice as big as an orange carp Raphael Biagini caught in France in 2010.
The typical weight of goldfish kept as pets ranges from 0.2 to 0.6 pounds. However, once released into the wild, these vividly colored fish have the potential to reach enormous sizes. However, releasing in-home goldfish into the wild is not always a good idea.
In contrast to The Carrot, which was purposefully released into a fishery, many goldfish are dumped into ponds and lakes by their owners. The worst part is that goldfish that were released into waterways in the United States have recently caused havoc. Though these fish could withstand challenging conditions and keep expanding, the native plants may be wiped out by their propensity to disturb sediment while searching for food along lake bottoms. So those who raise goldfish should be aware of these problems.
Anyway, that said, there don’t seem to be a lot of goldfish out there like The Carrot. However, anyone hoping to see this massive and elusive goldfish, or even catch it on a hook, will need to be patient. According to the BBC, there is currently a five-year waitlist for Bluewater Lakes.
Have you ever seen a goldfish that is as enormous as The Carrot? Let us know by leaving a comment in the below section. For more interesting articles about animals, visit our homepage now!
