Latest news with #angler
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Georgia angler lands record-shattering blue catfish after epic battle
A Georgia angler has obliterated the Jackson Lake record for blue catfish with the catch of a 71.6-pound behemoth that was almost too large for the net. Walter Dorough, of Hillsboro, was fishing with multiple lines on the night of June 28 when the catfish took a slab of cut bluegill and began to run. 'It started doing circles around my 18-foot Tracker boat, and I had to work hard to keep the fish from tangling in my other lines,' Dorough, 39, told Wired2Fish. 'There wasn't much I could do. 'The fish even wrapped my fishing line around my boat anchor rope and I thought it would break off. But somehow, I got it out from around the rope and kept fighting the fish.' Dorough, who was using 30-pound-test line and a spinning outfit, told Georgia Outdoor News that he had been practicing for an upcoming tournament when the enormous catfish struck. ALSO: Fisherman beside himself during encounter with 'massive' orcas off Hawaii; video 'I was fishing by myself and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd catch a fish like this,' he said. 'Our next tournament is on Jackson [July 26], and I was actually just trying to find some new spots.' The previous blue catfish record for Jackson Lake, set in October 2020, weighed 46 pounds, 7 ounces. Dorough added: 'She put up the best fight I've ever had. My biggest previous was 69 pounds in Alabama, and that fish didn't put up a fight… just kind of came up like a log, which a lot of the really big ones do. Not this fish. This one gave me a run for my money. You should have seen me trying to net it, only the head would fit.' The accompanying YouTube footage shows Dorough battling and netting the 'monstrous blue,' which was released after being weighed on a digital scale. It stands to reason that Dorough will be fishing the same area during the July 26 tournament. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Georgia angler lands record-shattering blue catfish after epic battle
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Georgia angler lands record-shattering blue catfish after epic battle
A Georgia angler has obliterated the Jackson Lake record for blue catfish with the catch of a 71.6-pound behemoth that was almost too large for the net. Walter Dorough, of Hillsboro, was fishing with multiple lines on the night of June 28 when the catfish took a slab of cut bluegill and began to run. 'It started doing circles around my 18-foot Tracker boat, and I had to work hard to keep the fish from tangling in my other lines,' Dorough, 39, told Wired2Fish. 'There wasn't much I could do. 'The fish even wrapped my fishing line around my boat anchor rope and I thought it would break off. But somehow, I got it out from around the rope and kept fighting the fish.' Dorough, who was using 30-pound-test line and a spinning outfit, told Georgia Outdoor News that he had been practicing for an upcoming tournament when the enormous catfish struck. ALSO: Fisherman beside himself during encounter with 'massive' orcas off Hawaii; video 'I was fishing by myself and never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd catch a fish like this,' he said. 'Our next tournament is on Jackson [July 26], and I was actually just trying to find some new spots.' The previous blue catfish record for Jackson Lake, set in October 2020, weighed 46 pounds, 7 ounces. Dorough added: 'She put up the best fight I've ever had. My biggest previous was 69 pounds in Alabama, and that fish didn't put up a fight… just kind of came up like a log, which a lot of the really big ones do. Not this fish. This one gave me a run for my money. You should have seen me trying to net it, only the head would fit.' The accompanying YouTube footage shows Dorough battling and netting the 'monstrous blue,' which was released after being weighed on a digital scale. It stands to reason that Dorough will be fishing the same area during the July 26 tournament. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Georgia angler lands record-shattering blue catfish after epic battle
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
Fisherman cops $2000 fine after sinister discovery in Aussie river
An Australian angler has copped a $2000 fine after authorities discovered he was allegedly using live carp as fishing bait, a serious breach of the law, and also deploying illegal setlines — unattended fishing gear anchored and left in the water with multiple hooks attached. This week, the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) officers were out patrolling Broken Creek in kayaks, a part of the Murray-Darling Basin, when they came across "several setlines baited with live carp". A man was allegedly found to have had live carp on his rods near Nathalia, along with approximately "17 live carp in his possession". VFA said "given the risk of the man's fishing activity spreading carp to other Victorian waters", officers proceeded to inspect his property, where they located "a large seine net, and several setlines like those observed in Broken Creek". As a result, the fisher received fines of more than $2000 for possessing live noxious aquatic species, using carp as live bait, and possessing commercial fishing equipment without authorisation. "Carp are a noxious aquatic species in Victoria, and one mature carp can lay up to a million eggs each year," a VFA spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia this week. "While we're supportive of recreational fishers who want to target carp to help reduce their numbers, they can't be returned to the water alive or used live as bait. We encourage fishers to dispose of carp responsibly and ring 13FISH if they see or suspect people doing the wrong thing.' According to the VFA, carp populations are at an all-time high in the Murray-Darling Basin, with astonishing estimates suggesting they comprise up to 90 per cent of fish biomass. Dr Tiana Pirtle, conservation officer with the Invasive Species Council, previously explained why carp are such nuisances across Australia. "They are taking over some waterways in Australia," she told Yahoo. "They are the most abundant, large freshwater fish in southeast Australia and are the most common fish now found in the Murray-Darling Basin. They are prolific breeders; a female carp can produce over one million eggs per kilo she weighs and can spawn several times a year." Alarming haul pulled from major Aussie river MP says it's 'time to release the virus' as invasive species takes over Trailer full of fish exposes disturbing reality in Aussie waterways Carp are also extremely hardy and very adaptable. "They can tolerate a wide range of conditions, allowing them to survive and thrive in a wide variety of riverways," Pirtle said. "They can cause significant changes to the river and lake environments that make those environments less suitable for native species and more suitable for them. For example, they can make the water murkier, which native fish, invertebrates and plants are less able to tolerate. This can lead to fewer native species and more carp in rivers and lakes. "They also compete with some native fish for food and spawning sites." As for setlines, they're illegal due to a combination of environmental, regulatory, and animal welfare concerns. The lines, which are left unattended with baited hooks, can cause prolonged suffering to fish and other wildlife that may be caught and left struggling or dying for extended periods. From a conservation perspective, setlines make it difficult to control how many fish are caught, increasing the risk of overfishing and breaching catch limits. They also pose a threat to non-target and protected species, including turtles, platypus and birds, which may become entangled or injured. Because setlines are not actively monitored, they undermine sustainable fishing efforts and enforcement of the rules, including those relating to size limits and humane dispatch. For these reasons, their use has been banned in Victorian inland waters, with significant penalties in place for anyone caught using them. VFA said setlines catch and kill iconic Murray cod of all sizes, above and below the slot limit, including large breeding fish that contribute significantly to future generations. They also entangle native wildlife that inhabit our rivers, such as platypus, rakali and water birds. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Daily Mail
British angler cheats death after his fishing rod is struck by a lightning bolt
A British angler cheated death after being struck with lightning while fishing in France. Steve Barrett, 54, was fishing with friends at the Carp Zoo fishery in the Loire Valley, France, on Friday, June 13 when lightning struck and split a tree. The gardener, from Christchurch, Dorset, was blasted off his feet as it 'bounced', zapping his fishing rod. 'I was probably about 10 feet away from the tree,' he said. 'I knew I'd got hit because I could just feel the heat that went through my left side. It paralysed me straight away.' 'It was just masses of pins and needles, I couldn't feel my body at all. It was a really odd sensation.' He said he was left laying on the bank, fearing he was dead as his friends desperately raced towards him. Dazed and unable to move, Steve was rushed to hospital suffering with broken ribs, burns, bruising and a hole in his shoulder. He also suffered injuries from splinters that flew over from the nearby tree. Mr Barrett is due to make a full recovery and said he felt 'very lucky' that he had not had any after effects. The angler was fishing with friends in France He said: 'It was just one strike, it didn't even rain after, it was just one bolt of lightning 'bang'. 'I was fishing on the bank at the time. One of the guys saw the lightning strike but didn't realise it had hit me.' Mr Barrett said the bolt 'kind of bounced off the tree then hit my fishing rod'. 'It wasn't a direct hit, I probably wouldn't have survived that,' he assessed, adding that he was 'very lucky' to have come away without lasting injuries. The 54-year-old spent five days in hospital and required multiple stitches for his injuries. 'It was only a second or two [after being hit] before I went unconscious. I thought I was dead. I kind of went through a bit of emotional trauma there. 'My shoulder got hit by those pieces of wood that came from the tree. Couple of inches higher and it would've got me in the neck. 'I feel very lucky. I've not had any after effects of being hit by lightning.' Fifty-eight people were killed in Britain by lightning strikes over a three decade period. The average annual risk of being struck and killed was one person in 33 million. Survivors have reported strange after effects. Carly Electric, as she calls herself, from Queensland, Australia said that after she was struck in December 2023, she was left with an entirely different eye colour. 'When I looked it up online, I discovered it wasn't uncommon for this to happen in people who had been electrocuted,' she said. Carly's green eyes turned brown after she was struck while filming a storm on her phone. 'I had goosebumps travelling up and down my arms in waves,' she recalled. 'I was covered in sweat, light-headed and almost euphoric. 'Then suddenly, I lost all feeling in my limbs. I couldn't move, not even an inch.' Carly was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with keraunoparalysis, a rare neurological issue causing temporary paralysis, with her left unable to move for nine hours. 'My speech was still slurred, though they could see how shocked I was,' she said. After two weeks, she was almost back to her old self, apart from a strange change to her eye colour and an 'overly sensitive' spot on the top of her head.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Daily Mail
'Cruel' angler 'tries to hook wild seal' at Devon beauty spot
An angler has been slammed for allegedly trying to hook a wild seal at a Devon beauty spot. The woman fishing with a rod off the rocks was spotted appearing to snare the animal. Click above to watch the full video.
