When does a fish become a manmade record?

[Dave H]

I hear of these double figure Tench and huge carp .The perch getting to 5lb+ and the bream weights I find staggering out of all of them.

Carp with bellies the size of my beer gut hanging down full of food probably adding 5lb to it’s true weight and calling it a record makes me chuckle....

So when does a fish go from natural to manmade and how far can it go and can we really start calling some of these fish records.when Chris Yates caught the record carp of 51lb at redmire pool many years back i thought that was a freak fish but it was a natural one so to me it was good for the record. If you had said to me a 20lb Bream 10 years ago I would have rung the funny farm to take you away.

 

Can we really call some of these fish records?

[AddictedToScopex]

I hear of these double figure Tench and huge carp .The perch getting to 5lb+ and the bream weights I find staggering out of all of them.

Carp with bellies the size of my beer gut hanging down full of food probably adding 5lb to it’s true weight and calling it a record makes me chuckle....

So when does a fish go from natural to manmade and how far can it go and can we really start calling some of these fish records.when Chris Yates caught the record carp of 51lb at redmire pool many years back i thought that was a freak fish but it was a natural one so to me it was good for the record. If you had said to me a 20lb Bream 10 years ago I would have rung the funny farm to take you away.

 

Can we really call some of these fish records?

I totally get your angle and agree with you but the records are simply that. Just a record of what is the biggest of that species to be caught on rod and line. They don't really count for much IMO. Whether the fish was effectively fed up to the weight or not makes little or no difference. The vast majority of records these days in the UK will be as a result of man made baits etc. Would barbel really get to such huge sizes in well known locations if they were not fed a diet of high fat halibut pellets??

[Anderoo]

I'm very sceptical of the 'high protein bait makes fish into giants' theory. Many of the biggest bream are big naturally (think of the low stock gravel pits and the Shropshire/Cheshire meres). Same with chub and perch, although in this case on some rivers crayfish are an influence on sizes. The very biggest tench are not just full of spawn but often a bit ill with it. Barbel I know little about, but as I understand it on most of the big barbel stretches all the bait only started going in once the big barbel became known about - they weren't fed up to that size, so to speak.

 

I'm sure high quality bait can increase fish sizes, but not to the extent people think. Food is only 1 aspect influencing maximum growth - think of the 'record' rainbow trout grown in labs in the 90s and released into Dever Springs and Avington. They grew that big because every part of their environment was artificially managed so they could reach their maximum genetic potential. As I recall, minimising stress was the main factor in this, not presence of rich food.

[Phone]

Dave,

 

You must be old. A fish is a "record holder" the same way a "weight lifter" is a holder. You may put as many limitations on such records as you wish. (i.e. with or without steroids).

 

Frankly, the ones I object to with respect to fish are the intentional "line weight" records by anglers. I wonder how many fish suffer from the "guy" who is trying to break the 2lb tensile strength line record?

 

Thank goodness they are just fish.

 

Phone

[Dave H]

I find it sad especially when I see a carp being shown off in front of a camera which has the the body of a walrus. But there you go beauty and beholder and all that jazz.

 

I agree too records mean nothing to me. I look at the beauty first and the weight is just interesting and no more. If I land a beautiful 8lb Zander V a walrus looking carp record give me the Perch anytime

My PB’s do a bit but even then I am not going out on a limb to get it and so if it happens it happens.

I really do not care...

[Phone]

Dave,

 

One of the "down side" things about "Lenny" (or guppy) carp in the US is that we are more impressed (officially) with LENGTH than we are with weight. For weight to be "impressive" you must kill the fish. So, C&R rules often stipulate the angler submit the length.

 

The Lenny carp were bread (sp) for maximum usage in the pot. Odd isn't it? We harvest the long skinny ones - and - the ones best suited for harvest are reviered in the UK where it is now against the law, as C&R fish.

 

Phone

 

I don't mind a fish reaching it's genetic potential - - - no matter how that is accomplished. I do think an * should be notated in records if a fish has been "encouraged" to that potential in an un-natural environment. Wild carp over here RARELY exceed 25kg - extremely rare maximum of 35kg. But we have LOTS of carp.

 

Phone

Edited March 16, 2012 by Phone

[Newt]

I agree too records mean nothing to me.

 

Me either but in my case, I suspect its because I've never caught a record breaking fish. :D

[Phone]

Newt,

 

Same with money. The people (me) who say money isn't important - - - - - - - - - - - - don't have any.

 

Phone

[Dave H]

Me either but in my case, I suspect its because I've never caught a record breaking fish. :D

 

I have. I caught the british record Barbel on the Medway years a go...

 

 

 

....Well not quite. It eas 16.02 but i caught the same fish 1 month later and it was bang on 16lb but i am convinced my scales were out. Either that or Pete woodhouse's scales were

Edited March 17, 2012 by Dave H

[Steve Burke]

Dave, don't forget that Wingham has produced several near-record bream. And Wingham receives very little bait indeed!