New record Barbel announced

[theartist]

Many years ago on a Notts gravel pit I had a rather large Crucian carp on sweetcorn, it went a little over four lbs. the record at that time if I remember was a fish from a water near Kings Lynn that was five lbs ten ounces.
I did give the story to ATs where it was mentioned a week or two later.
The following year two things happened, one was the same fish was caught by a matchman (well done to him) and two- the record fish was thrown out as it was found to be a big brown goldfish and ATs asked that Crucians of four lbs and over would be accepted for consideration for a new record.
I never enquired if my fish would be considered retrospectively , I as just happy to know what I'd caught and after all it was also caught by the match angler some time later .
Would I have claimed it if the record then was, say 3-15 or 4-0 lb?
Hand on heart-- yes!

Would many of us honestly claim such a record? I would, records are history and it's more for the fish as a species sometimes, to record weights and progress is history, I'd love the Gudgeon record more than any other for this reason. How many of us know the rough record weight of a species yet can't recall who caught it? That's how it should be

Yet I'd be really hesitant about a Barbel or Carp claim. Why? Because of the reaction you get regarding these species, could it be the circus is more on social media than on the bank?

 

[seth49]

The new record barbel is in today’s angling times, stated as caught from a undisclosed river in Sussex.

 

[steve2]

The new record barbel is in today’s angling times, stated as caught from a undisclosed river in Sussex.

Is that the Sussex river in Wessex or the Sussex river somewhere in the Southeast or where ever in the country Sussex wants to be?

 

[seth49]

No idea.
It just said the last four words in my post, it’s a club water and I think they want to keep it a secret.

 

[theartist]

These big fish are often females

So to get success in Sussex you have to suss sex, unlike Wes's ex in Wessex who sucks eggs