How authentic are the British records?

[daniel121]

Taking nothing away from the achievements of the records holders, I'd like to take about authenticity of the records baced on my life experiences.


A couple of years ago while on holiday i spoke to a British record holder, I wouldn't call him a friend, truth be known even an acquaintance is a stretch however we did befriend him on two holidays.We sat and drank with our families in the bar. This person is not an average Joe he's connected in the angling industry. My point is he was telling us over a pint about the hoops you have to jump through to get a record fish in this country. He said his angling industry help is was not a simple claim. I said would you of made a claim if your were a average Joe? He told me he would but wouldn't of got it past the rigmarole.

Now another story my brother caught a barbel, which at the time (1998 'ish) would of been a British record. Now my brother never ever over estimates fish, in fact the man always plays them down. He was on the grass bank opposite the embankment steps in Nottingham on the Trent (Flats end). At the time a day ticket Notts AA controlled water. I cannot remember the exact weight but it was between 17 and 18lb.*

He weighed it on two scales and searched for a witness unsuccessfully. The only way to of made a claim would of been to kill it. Not an option so it went back and he came straight around my house, jumping for joy like a child.*

Now I have spoke with others anglers regarding this particular topic, some mentioned they wouldn't have a Scooby Doo what the British record was, so if they caught one they wouldn't even know? So how many of you know the record bleak for example or sliver bream? Without clicking this link?

Fisheries.co.uk - British Rod-caught Record Fish

Be honest........ Lol

 

[The bad one]

They are as authentic as you believe them to be. I know of one record fish caught and witnessed by others where the captor chose not to make a record claim, even though he would have passed the test for claiming a record fish. I doubt his is the only instance of this happening.

 

[wanderer]

They are as authentic as you believe them to be. I know of one record fish caught and witnessed by others where the captor chose not to make a record claim, even though he would have passed the test for claiming a record fish. I doubt his is the only instance of this happening.

Dead right, sensible bloke, i take my hat off to him.

 

[Mark Wintle]

At one time I cared about this a lot (campaigning for DNA testing for roach, rudd and crucians) but I've mellowed and have more important things to worry about. I can tell you that over the years there have been successful record claims for fish found dead, fish of the wrong species, hybrids and stuffed fish with inflated weights, and conversely plenty of record fish put back to avoid the hassle or publicity. Back in 1988 the lower Dorset Stour was dredged and that year produced loads of good-sized silver bream when the record was just 15oz and myself and others caught a number that weighed 1-0 but realised that to claim a record we would have had to kill the fish and probably when the scales were checked might well have found that the fish barely scraped the 15oz.

 

[Tee-Cee]

I assume the above list is the ' official ' one ?

Interesting the crucian record caught twice from the same water ( same fish ? ) and identical weight from another, down to the dram...
Similarly, the rudd record by the same person but different waters...

Personally, record fish are never going to be on my radar, and if I was ever lucky enough to catch one it would be a quick photo and back it would go. With all the hassle involved ( seemingly ) plus my name up in lights, the wife being stopped in the street (!) and folk following me in the early hours..... Well, who needs it !

Mind you, a 4lb roach in perfect nick would be nice, but that's getting ahead of myself..( add a smilie here )..

Now, I do know of a carp that......................................

 

[wanderer]

I assume the above list is the ' official ' one ?

Interesting the crucian record caught twice from the same water ( same fish ? ) and identical weight from another, down to the dram...
Similarly, the rudd record by the same person but different waters...

Personally, record fish are never going to be on my radar, and if I was ever lucky enough to catch one it would be a quick photo and back it would go. With all the hassle involved ( seemingly ) plus my name up in lights, the wife being stopped in the street (!) and folk following me in the early hours..... Well, who needs it !

Mind you, a 4lb roach in perfect nick would be nice, but that's getting ahead of myself..( add a smilie here )..

Now, I do know of a carp that......................................

I can imagine the busload for the gudgeon, with your name on rods, and your life history and where you spend your holidays, what a load of ****, put it back, say nothing, you know the score, two minutes glory, ten years wrecked fishng.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Spot on wanderer, spot on !

 

[binka]

If I catch a record gonk I'm claiming it!

Loud, proud and bold as brass

 

[Alan Tyler]

Fame? I'm shooting from the lip here, and my memory isn't what... where was I?
Oh, yes. Recently, there was a "Prize Rod" on ebay, a decent split-cane job with an inscription to a Mr Humphries for 1 lb, 5 1/2 oz dace; I seem to recall this being the British record for a while.

It went for less than £40.

 

[no-one in particular]

I think it is a rigmarole for sure, I think the committee had to tighten the rules which made it so, you cannot have it both ways. Easy to claim would just mean more disputable claims which was the case once..
We should have a record list but to me its more biological interest than the record. I don't put any great achievement to the angler, most of the time its probably just luck to catch the rarest fish in the UK.
I would only claim a record if I could keep the fish alive and put it back, to kill such a fish would be criminal.
The only time I caught a "record" was a Black Bream in a boat off the Goodwin Sands way back, it weighed 6lb something ounces and no one in the boat knew the record and I was given the choice of taking it ashore dead and maybe claim it; I couldn't kill a fish like that so I put it back, fortunately when I got home and checked it was a few ounces short.
I wouldn't mind the roach record though, be nice if you had an option of remaining anonymous; I couldn't take the flack on here for being a celebrity angler.

 

[S-Kippy]

If I catch a record gonk I'm claiming it!

Loud, proud and bold as brass

Me too ! And were you fortunate enough to do so it might even be enough to tempt Messrs Hardy back into the coarse rod market. I'd certainly be tempted by a Hardy Binka Gonkbuster.

 

[binka]

Me too ! And were you fortunate enough to do so it might even be enough to tempt Messrs Hardy back into the coarse rod market. I'd certainly be tempted by a Hardy Binka Gonkbuster.

I've never bust a Gonkbuster before

 

[flightliner]

Hardy Binka Gonkbuster.

Gonk "Buster" being the operative word Skip ---- if the fish has to be dispatched and sent to the BRFC they could be in a quandery trying to verify a bit of fishpaste.

 

[Neil Maidment]

The list is what it is, a published record of the biggest authenticated claims at any given time.

Plenty of accounts of bigger fish going unclaimed and that's fine. I don't have a problem with such accounts from third parties, I'll form an opinion based on who's telling me. But the captor's who say "I didn't claim it because I didn't want the publicity but I'm telling everyone anyway" bemuse me.

But without such a reference list, how would you know a 4lb roach is such a nationally notable specimen, or a 1lb dace. Whether you deny it or not, we humans love (need) to have benchmarks in our lives.

 

[maggot_dangler]

The real question has got to be, How trustable is Any so called record of fish.

Looking at the way people are presented holding some of these so called record fish I have serious doubts about the weight of them, and take the recently blurted the supposes 68lb carp the way he was a holding it maybe 30lb puffed up too look good.

PG...


Sent from my 8055 using Tapatalk

 

[flightliner]

Back in '86 I had a 4-1 crucian from a notts gravel pit, at the time the record stood at (if I remember correctly) 5-10--- a fish from a stillwater near kings lynn.
Some little while later the Lynn fish was thrown off the record list it having been found to be a brown , or fantail style goldfish.
A good job things were tightened up in my opinion.!!!!
ps, after the phoney record had been thrown out the BRFC invited claims for a new record starting at four pounds.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Sorry markg, I'm onto the roach record already !

 

[greenie62]

Sorry markg, I'm onto the roach record already !

Why not? - you're already getting enough flak on here! Might as well do something to deserve it! mg:
:thumbs:

 

[steve2]

One thing to remember, all records are not a measure of angling skill but angling luck. It is possible that anyone of us could catch one next time we go fishing.
Would I put a claim in if I caught one I doubt it, I am not a well known angler therefore if I caught a carp or barbel record no one would believe me any way.

 

[no-one in particular]

Sorry markg, I'm onto the roach record already !

Ah, but in your mind you know it will not be your record, not truly really.
You will always know it will be mine really; in the back of your mind it would be because of all those tips I gave you--