From a childhood passion, British angler becomes enamored with fishing. This passion led him to successfully catch the largest goldfish in the world, currently residing in a lake in France.
As a child, Lee Parker suddenly realized he had a special affinity for fishing.
It all began when he caught his first goldfish at a local fair. Being quite young at the time, he doesn’t remember the details of how he caught it. Lee spent hours simply watching the creature swim in a small tank. From that moment on, he was captivated by fish.
At the age of 8, Lee was taken by his father to fish at a canal near their home in Banbury, Oxfordshire (United Kingdom). Catching any fish brought him immense joy.
In 1994, at the age of 14, he caught his first carp weighing around 17 kg. It was an exhilarating experience to catch such a large fish. Since then, he dedicated much of his time to studying fishing rods, bait, and techniques.
Carrot goldfish, a hybrid of common carp and koi (Photo: The Sun).
Currently, he works as a local bricklayer, and fishing serves as a way for Lee to relieve life’s stresses. Each year, he tries to arrange his work schedule to go fishing abroad with friends.
Earlier this year, he planned a fishing trip to the Champagne region of France. This area is known for the famous Carrot goldfish, which Lee set as his target.
“It’s very rare for someone to catch a Carrot, so anglers still refer to it as the monster fish. It is currently the largest goldfish in the world“, the British angler said.
After a week of fishing without success, Lee returned empty-handed. He then arranged to go back to France in July with a group of eight people.
The British angler was thrilled to become one of the few who caught the Carrot goldfish (Photo: Lee Parker).
On the second night, while sleeping in a tent around 2 AM, he was awakened by the alarm of his fishing line. It seemed something had bitten the hook.
The motion-activated sensor in the reel indicated that the fish was pulling hard, causing the alarm to sound louder. The beeping grew increasingly frantic.
Quickly putting on his shoes, Lee grabbed his fishing rod. He felt that this fish might not be too large, but it was still quite a struggle to pull it ashore.
At that moment, a friend from the group waded into the water to set up a net. He jumped up in excitement and informed Lee that the Carrot goldfish had taken the bait.
Hearing this, Lee became even more anxious and reminded himself not to let this opportunity slip away. If he pulled the rod too quickly, the fish might escape. After 15 minutes, he finally caught the fish, which weighed in at 27.8 kg.
After weighing the fish, Lee checked to see if Carrot was injured and applied antiseptic to the fish. Seeing it was still healthy, he released it back into the water as per tradition.
Concluding the trip with the expected result, the British angler plans to return to this lake, hoping to catch Carrot once more.
However, just a few weeks later, he learned from the lake’s owner that the Carrot goldfish had died of natural causes.
“I am proud to say that I am one of the few lucky ones to catch Carrot. Although it is no longer with us, it has left behind a few smaller fish in the lake. I hope they will follow in its mother’s footsteps and become equally famous goldfish.”, Lee said.
French angler Andy Hackett once caught the Carrot goldfish (Photo: Jason Cowler).
According to reports, the Carrot goldfish caught by angler Lee Parker resided in Bluewater Lake in Champagne, France. This hybrid of koi and common carp, with its striking orange-yellow color, was named Carrot. It was released into the lake 20 years ago.
Mr. Jason Cowler, manager of the local fishing agency, stated that since the Carrot goldfish was released into the lake, it has attracted numerous anglers from around the world seeking to test their skills. As the fish grew and approached 30 kg, it became less visible and increasingly difficult to catch.
