An amateur British angler has reeled in a 3.8-kilogram goldfish that could match a record in place for nearly two decades.
Lawrence King said he has trekked through jungles in remote corners of the globe in search of fish up to 200 kilograms. But it’s a comparably puny catch at a lake 20 minutes from his south London home that has people talking.
“I’ve spent a lot of time and a lot of money travelling the world trying to catch these monsters. Ironically, it’s this smaller one that has gone mad and viral,” he told CTV News Channel on Monday from London.
The Golden Orfe fish looks like a larger version of something you might win at a midway, or the type of fish commonly stocked in garden ponds. Its heft is believed to match the current record set in 2000. The catch is being authenticated by British Record Fish Committee.
King said this isn’t the first record-setting fish he believes he has reeled in. But it may be his best chance at having a record confirmed.
“Around the world, I’ve had fish over record weights. Because you are in a remote location in the jungle, on a boat, you can’t weigh them properly,” he said. “It’s very difficult to properly claim them in those circumstances.”
King said he returned the eye-catching giant goldfish to the pond where he caught it. Making it a meal never crossed his mind.
“I don’t eat fish at all,” he said. “So everything I catch, I put back.”
