An angler has broken the record for the biggest fish ever caught off British shores - and it weighs more than a gorilla.
The common skate fish, which was caught off the Isle of Skye, was so big that fisherman Daniel Bennett spent two hours struggling to reel it in.
When he finally got back to shore, the 26-year-old from Whitby, North Yorkshire, discovered his catch weighed 208lbs - more than a female Eastern Lowland gorilla, a heavyweight boxer or a moped.
Mr Bennett, who threw the fish back into the sea, said: 'The key to catching the fish was having a lot of patience. My back is absolutely killing me now though.
'We’ve never caught anything on that scale before, and we guessed it weighed about 150lb. But it was 208lbs. I can’t believe it.'
The catch, which was 88.25 inches long by 66.75 inches wide, has now been confirmed by the British Record Fish Committee as the largest fish caught on its current list.
Mr Bennett, who works in a fishing supplies shop, said: 'My partner is not really that interested, but she’s proud of me nonetheless.
'I think people outside the angling world find it harder to see how much of a feat this is.
'West Scotland is known for skate fishing but not Skye. We were the first to catch one there for at least 30 or 40 years.
'There was another chap in our group who caught one and it was about 120lb. We thought we’d never find one any bigger - then we did an hour later.'
Nick Simmonds, secretary of the British Record Fish Committee, said: 'There is not a larger fish recorded as being caught on our current record list.
'Once we receive pictures from Dan we will pass them on to our scientist who will check the images and hopefully confirm the unofficial record.
'It can’t be confirmed as a record as it was not weighed at the scene.
'It will be seriously considered for the Notable Fish List, which was created for situations like this where the fish cannot be weighed. This list is historically important, at least in the angling world.'
The common skate fish, which was caught off the Isle of Skye, was so big that fisherman Daniel Bennett spent two hours struggling to reel it in.
When he finally got back to shore, the 26-year-old from Whitby, North Yorkshire, discovered his catch weighed 208lbs - more than a female Eastern Lowland gorilla, a heavyweight boxer or a moped.
Mr Bennett, who threw the fish back into the sea, said: 'The key to catching the fish was having a lot of patience. My back is absolutely killing me now though.
'We’ve never caught anything on that scale before, and we guessed it weighed about 150lb. But it was 208lbs. I can’t believe it.'
The catch, which was 88.25 inches long by 66.75 inches wide, has now been confirmed by the British Record Fish Committee as the largest fish caught on its current list.
Mr Bennett, who works in a fishing supplies shop, said: 'My partner is not really that interested, but she’s proud of me nonetheless.
'I think people outside the angling world find it harder to see how much of a feat this is.
'West Scotland is known for skate fishing but not Skye. We were the first to catch one there for at least 30 or 40 years.
'There was another chap in our group who caught one and it was about 120lb. We thought we’d never find one any bigger - then we did an hour later.'
Nick Simmonds, secretary of the British Record Fish Committee, said: 'There is not a larger fish recorded as being caught on our current record list.
'Once we receive pictures from Dan we will pass them on to our scientist who will check the images and hopefully confirm the unofficial record.
'It can’t be confirmed as a record as it was not weighed at the scene.
'It will be seriously considered for the Notable Fish List, which was created for situations like this where the fish cannot be weighed. This list is historically important, at least in the angling world.'
Source : DailyMail , Mirror
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