Uk record fish.

[O.C.F.Disorder]

Am I the only one who is sad to see that most of the british record fish are caught from stillwaters? I feel like this is cheating, anyone could have a lake and raise monsters in it. I feel like record fish should only count if they are wild and from running water..

 

[108831]

I don't see it like that mate,there aren't that many true river species in the UK,so some species that are in rivers are more suited to stillwaters and on most club lakes they are not grown on to large sizes,anglers bait contributes yes,but it does on rivers too....

 

[thecrow]

anyone could have a lake and raise monsters in it.

Wasn't a claim for the carp record rejected because it had been raised to grow large?

I don't understand why you think records should only come from rivers, is a chub that has got into a gravel pit during floods a "wild" fish?

Should records only be accepted if they come from a water that everyone has access to? To be frank the record fish list is a joke, bigger fish of some species have been caught and not reported, some species are no longer accepted because they are deemed none indigenous while others that fall into the same category are accepted, like I said just a joke.

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

I heard it was spawnbound so they rejected it.

I couldnt agree more, they need to sort it out. I just meant unstocked waters really.. I just feel like rivers would be the hardest to cheat. Where there is a will there is a way though I guess. There are some HUGE still waters out there but I still just feel like someone could cheat it fairly easily.

 

[steve2]

The record fish list is just that a list of the biggest fish recorded as being caught on rod and line. Record fish like all big fish PB's are just accidental captures. No extra skill just on the day you need to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[thecrow]

I heard it was spawnbound so they rejected it.

Then what you heard was wrong, it was rejected because it was thought to have been a "cultivated" fish which begs the question about any fish being bred by fish farms or even at Sparsholt by the EA as they are all "cultivated" when do they become none cultivated?

Fish carrying spawn have in the past been accepted as records the Tench is one.

 

[steve2]

We have in the past had the ridiculous cultivated trout records where massive trout were released into farm ponds and caught on press days just for the record.
The carp record could easily go the same way.

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

too easily, thats why i feel running water only would be better.

 

[sam vimes]

A large part of the problem comes when people bestow any kind of kudos on the captor of big fish.

The records should be as simple as possible. Was the fish caught on rod and line? Was the fish caught in the UK? Is the weight given accurate? Provided those three requirements are met, no other questions need to be asked.

Only when you make the angler, and water, the focus of things do the problems arise. If the angler, and water, wasn't named, we'd not have this kind of discussion on a regular basis. However, there is money to be made, so nothing much is likely to change.

 

[Molehill]

The record fish list is fairly meaningless to me,I suppose it is an indication of how large a fish can grow, but little else. I ignore it and couldn't tell you a single record.

 

[108831]

I've said this before,but I would not claim a record,or a specimen fish for a club,I was called selfish,but that isn't my motivation,two local club officials said that I ought to tell the club so as they can encourage membership to the club,but there is enough pressure on our waters without more members.I enjoy catching quality fish,but it's my definition of quality that counts,I'm not a so called 'specimen' hunter,though I catch a few,pulling the string is the name of the game.

 

[iain t]

I somewhat agree with OCF. Seeing bloated fish in the mags that spend their life feeding on man-made food. Carp with extended stomachs are not natural unless spawning. Fish ain't designed to look like that. I've seen Carp that do not feed on artificial food but feeding the way they should on natural food found in the rivers and some natural run ponds. All these fish are slender, fitter looking, maybe healthier. In some of the old books that i have collected over the years, there are no pictures or drawings of bloated fish. I blame the invention of commercials for these overweight fish. Maybe the owners they feel forced to overfeed the fish to attract more paying customers. As might be able to tell am not a fan of commercial

 

[no-one in particular]

I wouldn't mind a record list for canals, rivers and lakes, be more interesting, I think they have one in sea fishing for shore and boat.

 

[barbelboi]

Let's face it - the record list is only a guide. Many specimen fish bigger than existing 'records' are never reported......................

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

The records should be as simple as possible. Was the fish caught on rod and line? Was the fish caught in the UK? Is the weight given accurate? Provided those three requirements are met, no other questions need to be asked.

I have to disagree, im afraid. DNA testing is very important as well.

 

[Philip]

I wouldn't mind a record list for canals, rivers and lakes, be more interesting, I think they have one in sea fishing for shore and boat.

I see the idea but the records would be just as meaningless. People can move fish about. I remember a Tiny stream down the SE that was barely a foot deep on average had this great big Catfish ..30lb + splashing about in it...an import someone could not sell to a nearby lake so dumped it in the river...extreme example but people can dump anything artifically anywhere if they wish

I think boat/Shore makes sense for Sea angling. I dont think a split would make much sense for Coarse angling. The records as others have said are fairly meaningless nowadays. Its a bit sad as I used to memorize all the records as a kid...I can still remember many of them ...Barbel 13.12, Bream 13.8, Carp 44, Catfish 43.8, Chub 7.6, Dace 1.4.4, Eel 11.2, Perch 4.12, Roach 4.1, Rudd 4.8, Tench 10.1, Salmon 64...I would be hard pressed to know any precisely without looking it up today.

However when I think about it, perhaps its not such a bad thing. People always talk about how weight is unimportant so perhaps taking the focus off the record weight means that merit begins to be considered from other aspects rather than just the weight alone.... venue or the circumstances of capture for example or if its just a nice looking fish.

 

[no-one in particular]

I was the same when I was a kid, the list was a thing to wonder at and I don't take much notice now. Maybe its all the seriousness of it now with DNA and is it a real fish or bred etc and it has to be verified 10 times. Back then we just took it it as a great fish and a great story and believed every word; a more innocent naive age perhaps..
I didn't think of fish being moved around, your probably right it would be open to all sorts of disputes and cheating; shame though.

 

[thecrow]

I have to disagree, im afraid. DNA testing is very important as well.

DNA testing is not mentioned in BRFC procedures for claiming a record although I could understand it in the case of some species such as Crucian Carp. How far back in that fishes history would the DNA have to go to ensure that there is no possibility of foreign interference in its ancestry?

Of the 14 members of the BRFC only 1 is qualified in freshwater fish some members being classified as "freshwater specialists" how does one become a member of the committee? is it being a mate of a mate? how did they become the ones to accept or reject a species such as catfish while allowing Zander? the catfish has been in this country for over 130 years so could easily be classed by the BRFG as "an established alien" only slightly less (10 years) than the Zander which is accepted by the BRFC, the whole thing is a mockery.

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

I wasnt aware the dna testing was to prove it was "wild" I thought it was just to check it was pure blood. Many roach records have been tossed as they turn out to be hybrids.

 

[thecrow]

I wasnt aware the dna testing was to prove it was "wild" I thought it was just to check it was pure blood. Many roach records have been tossed as they turn out to be hybrids.

As far as I am aware it isn't, what made you think that?