Largest recorded catfish in UK caught in Maldon, says angler

Eventually the group was able to lift the catfish out of the water with the aid of a couple of weigh slings and a body bag, which they had left over from a Halloween event.

The fish was so heavy that it bent the hook on the weighing scales.

When it was last caught 10 years ago it weighed around 20lbs (9.1kg) less.

“It’s the catfish that everyone’s been losing for a long, long time,” he added.

Mr Ing – who has been fishing since he was a young child – said the catch was “a great accolade” for Chigborough Fisheries, where he and his wife volunteer.

“It’s all about Chigborough for me because it’s given me and Chloe so much in the past five, six years.”