File:Samec - Esox lucius 05.jpg , Pike (Esox lucius) File:Ctenopharyngodon idella 01 Pengo.jpg,

Grass carp The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russi ...

''(Ctenopharyngodon idella)'' File:Channel Catfish.jpg, Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) File:Mazdruga danube vidin bulgaria.jpg, Ide (Leuciscus idus) File:Wels Catfish British Record 1970.jpg, Former British Record Wels Catfish 1970 This is an impartial (not implicitly biased to a single governing body, the BRFC) and comprehensive record list of 308 British record freshwater fish, past and present, involving 60 different species/sub-species of fish caught using the traditional

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

method of rod and line. Records to include the angler, species, weight, date, venue, also referenced with a recognizable publication. The list is intended to include all categories of fish caught by anglers, that enter freshwater including ( coarse and

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commercial ...

) and some migratory sea fish. The time since last record fish was caught is . ''On 9th November 2023, the British Record (Rod Caught) Fish Committee (BRFC) agreed that it would reinstate the record listing for Wels catfish, with claims open to fish over 130lb.''

Current records supported by photographic evidence

Current records not supported by any photographic evidence

Record endangered species

Record Ornamental sub-species

Record non-indigenous (invasive) species

Historical Previous records

Ambiguous record claims (no venue given /not accepted / expunged)

There have been many ambiguous record claims over the years. Here are a few of those that never made the record list:
21 lb 2oz Barbel caught by Chris Mack on the Wensum 2008
No independent witnesses to the weigh in. * 5 oz 8 dr Bleak caught by David Selley on the River Lark 2017. Rejected as a hybrid by BRFC.
38 lb Ferox Brown Trout caught by old Willie Maule
Evidence destroyed by fire.
8 lb Burbot largest ever recorded in England, caught from the river Trent around 1700–1800
No date/also method of capture unknown.
83lb 4oz Mirror Carp "Big Plated" caught from Wingham syndicate carp lake in Kent, November 2017
No record claimed - angler wanted no publicity.

Not authenticated with photo or body scales for examination.
5lb 2oz Crucian caught by Mick Phillips at an undisclosed club lake in Hampshire, August 2021
Assume no DNA presented.
1lb 6oz Dace caught from a Nene tributary Feb 2016
Angler's name unknown and no record claimed.
13 lb 1oz Eel caught by Dave saunders at Idenwood Fishery, East Sussex in 2010
No independent witnesses.
9lb Golden Orfe (estimated) caught by Bob Roberts at Anglers Paradise, Devon in Feb 2009
Not weighe
Golden orfe video5 lb Grayling caught by Dave Williams from the River Severn near Newtown, Wales, in 2010
Captor ate the evidence with chips + No independent witnesses.
6oz Gudgeon caught by Ashley Bennett from the River Wandle in 2016
Not weighed.
1lb 3oz 4dr Lamprey (river) caught by S.Clews from River Severn in May 1924
No confirmation this fish was caught by rod and line method.
6 lb 4oz Perch caught by angler known as "Bill" from River Thames in March 2014
Assumed reason is lack of independent witnesses. *70lb Pike (Largest ever) found dead at River Endrick/Loch Lomond in 1934 Not caught by rod and line. *5 lb 2oz Rudd caught by Adrian Cannon from a Fenland Drain 2012. No independent witnesses. *69lb 12oz Salmon caught by

William Home, 8th Earl of Home Lieutenant General William Home, 8th Earl of Home (1681 – 28 April 1761) was a Scottish peer and the British Governor of Gibraltar between 1757 and 1761. Lord Home was a well-known spendthrift. Military career He inherited the title Earl of ...

from the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the ...

in 1730.

Video footage of chub and carp records

Dean Fletcher's 68lb 1oz British record carp "The Parrot" about to be weighed, January 2016 courtesy of twitter

Neill Stephen's 9lb 5oz British record-equaling chub of 2012 at the weigh in, courtesy of YouTube

Oz Holness's 67lb 8oz British record carp "Two Tone" being weighed in, 2008 courtesy of YouTube

Non-indigenous (invasive) alien species

These fish are classed as a significant risk to our native species and if caught must be removed immediately to protect the wider environment and should be reported to the Environment Agency (EA). Anyone found introducing non indigenous (invasive) species to any external body of UK water will be breaching the Import of Live Fish (England and Wales) Act 1980 and will be prosecuted. The fish in question include: Black bullhead Catfish (Ameiurus melas),

Doctor fish The red garra (''Garra rufa''), also known as the doctor fish or nibble fish, is a species of cyprinid that is native to a wide range of freshwater habitats in subtropical parts of Western Asia. This small fish typically is up to about in tota ...

(Garra rufa),

Fathead minnow Fathead minnow (''Pimephales promelas''), also known as fathead or tuffy, is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the genus ''Pimephales'' of the cyprinid family. The natural geographic range extends throughout much of North Amer ...

(Pimephales promelas),

Largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

(Micropterus salmoides), Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu),

Siberian sturgeon The Siberian sturgeon (''Acipenser baerii'') is a species of sturgeon in the family Acipenseridae. It is most present in all of the major Siberian river basins that drain northward into the Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas, including the ...

(Acipenser baerii),

Sterlet The sterlet (''Acipenser ruthenus'') is a relatively small species of sturgeon from Eurasia native to large rivers that flow into the Black Sea, Azov Sea, and Caspian Sea, as well as rivers in Siberia as far east as Yenisei. Populations migratin ...

(Acipenser ruthenus), Topmouth gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva), Sunbleak (Leucaspius delineatus),

Walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

(Sander vitreus). * Note that this does not apply to non-indigenous fish which are included on the main record list which are Carp,

Crucian carp The crucian carp (''Carassius carassius'') is a medium-sized member of the common carp family Cyprinidae. It occurs widely in northern European regions. Its name derives from the Low German ''karusse'' or ''karutze'', possibly from Medieval L ...

Goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...

Grass Carp The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russi ...

, Ide,

Orfe The ide (''Leuciscus idus''), or orfe, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae found in larger rivers, ponds, and lakes across Northern Europe and Asia. It has been introduced outside its native range into Europe, North America, and New Z ...

Pumpkinseed The pumpkinseed (''Lepomis gibbosus''), also referred to as pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver, is a small/medium-sized North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Lepomis'' (true sunfishes), from family Centrarchi ...

, Rainbow trout,

Wels Catfish The wels catfish ( or ; ''Silurus glanis''), also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been introd ...

, and

Zander The zander (''Sander lucioperca''), sander or pikeperch, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Percidae, which includes the perches, ruffes and darters. It is found in freshwater and brackish habitats in western Eurasia. It is a popul ...

, which are now considered to be naturalized.

Notes

* '' Note 1'' see Angling records of Europe. * ''Note 2 *'' - This is possibly one of the many records rejected by the BRFC when it was decided to nullify most of the existing British record fish in the purge of 1968, due to lack of creditable evidence. * ''Note 3'' This fish is listed as either extinct in the UK only Status iucn EX icon

, Critically Endangered species (IUCN) status Status iucn CR icon

, Endangered species (IUCN) status Status iucn EN icon

Vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnera ...

(IUCN) status Status iucn VU icon

, by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

(IUCN). * ''Note 4'' - It is assumed that

Wels catfish The wels catfish ( or ; ''Silurus glanis''), also called sheatfish or just wels, is a large species of catfish native to wide areas of central, southern, and eastern Europe, in the basins of the Baltic, Black and Caspian Seas. It has been introd ...

records were suspended by the BRFC in 2000 due to suspected importation of a fish near to or over the British Record, which could also quite possibly be an infringement of Import of Live Fish (England and Wales) Act 1980. * ''Note 5'' - No records have been found for Pollan ( Coregonus pollan) which are found only in Northern Ireland, listed as an Endangered species (IUCN) status Status iucn EN icon

. * ''Note 6'' - No records have been found for

Spined loach The spined loach (''Cobitis taenia'') is a common freshwater fish in Europe. It is sometimes known as spotted weather loach, not to be confused with the "typical" weather loaches of the genus ''Misgurnus''. This is the type species of the spiny ...

(

Cobitis taenia The spined loach (''Cobitis taenia'') is a common freshwater fish in Europe. It is sometimes known as spotted weather loach, not to be confused with the "typical" weather loaches of the genus '' Misgurnus''. This is the type species of the spiny ...

). * ''Note 7'' - See non indigenous (invasive) species above * ''Note 8'' - This record is or was not recognised by the BRFC. * ''Note 9'' - Natural river species (chub, barbel, grayling) will not be recognized when caught in Stillwater, as considered cultivated in a non-natural environment. * ''Note 10'' - No photographic evidence has been published. * ''Note 11'' - Possible misidentification of species by BRFC, as similar fish caught 21 years later identified as Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

References

{{angling topics Angling records Freshwater fish of Europe Fish of Europe Recreational fishing in the United Kingdom