18 February 2024 , 22:48
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A fisherman couldn't believe his eyes when he caught a record-breaking fish at a lake near Bristol.
Lloyd Watson was amazed after he pulled out the massive 47lb 5oz fish at Chew Valley Lake. The lake, looked after by Bristol Water, said it was a "once in a lifetime capture". If the British Record Fish Committee says yes, Lloyd will have beaten the old record for the biggest pike in Britain.
Lloyd came from Manchester on Tuesday and this was his first time fishing at Chew. He followed the rules to look after the fish, so after he weighed it and took a picture, he put the big pike back in the water. Lloyd has loved fishing for pikes for more than 30 years. He was shocked when he saw how big this one was. He said: "I still can't get over what's actually happened. I've got people from all over the world messaging me, wanting interviews. I feel like this can't happen to me. I'm going to wake up!"
Chew Valley is the biggest place Bristol Water keeps water, and they've found other big fish there too. The lake is also special for animals and plants, and it's protected because of this. Lloyd called it a "pike fishing mecca" and said, "It's the Theatre of Dreams for pike fishing. It has made so many dreams come true for lifelong pike anglers. It's just a smile factory, a special place."
Luke Cox from Bristol Water, who looks after the fisheries, was really happy about Lloyd's big catch. He said, "We would like to congratulate Lloyd on this superb achievement, and it's great from our point of view that fish welfare was top priority with plenty of anglers and staff on hand to help weigh this once in a lifetime capture."
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He also mentioned how well the fishing spot is doing, saying, "Chew has been in terrific form of late. Its shallow nature and abundance of food, I'm sure, is a huge factor in why the pike that live here grow to such colossal sizes. We take great pride in managing the fishing activities and careful planning is undertaken to conserve the pike population."