British fisherman catches monster-size goldfish nicknamed 'The Carrot,’ calls it 'sheer luck'

Authored by foxnews.com and submitted by IvyGold

While fishing in France, a British man caught a monster-size carp nicknamed "the Carrot," which weighed nearly 70 pounds.

Andy Hackett, 42, made the find while fishing Bluewater Lakes in Champagne, France. The 20-year-old female carp weighed 67.5 pounds.

The fished is prized by anglers because of her coloration, as most giant carp are pale or brownish, USA Today reported.

"I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it," Hackett told the Daily Mail. "Then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out, and I saw that it was orange."

"It was brilliant to catch it, but it was also sheer luck," he added.

MINNESOTA MAN'S RECORD-BREAKING FISH CERTIFIED MONTHS AFTER CATCH AND RELEASE: 'STILL OUT THERE'

He said he spent 25 minutes reeling in the fish.

Bluewater Lakes is a premier carp fishery, according to the newspaper. It’s so popular that guests have to book well in advance.

"The Carrot" was released back into the lake. A video posted by the fishery shows Hackett holding the giant fish before putting it back in the water.

The behemoth fish was stocked 15 years ago "as something different for the anglers to try to catch," Jason Cowler, a spokesman for Bluewater Lakes, told FTW Outdoors.

"It's not the biggest resident in the lake, but by far the most outstanding," he said.

The orange-colored carp was caught around nine times last fishing season, Cowler said. In February, she broke the 60-pound mark.

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"I always knew The Carrot was in there but never thought I would catch it," Hackett said.

dan_t_mann on November 22nd, 2022 at 18:49 UTC »

Rob Schnider was an ordinary goldfish swimming in a British pond. But he’s about to become, A Carrot! And he’s about to find out that being a carrot is not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s 14 carrot comedy.

Rob Schnider is, The Carrot. Rated PG-13.

Groundskeepr on November 22nd, 2022 at 17:02 UTC »

How do they know its nickname? Seems to me that getting close enough to know how a fish's friends call them is a bigger deal than catching a big fish.

TheSeekerOfSanity on November 22nd, 2022 at 14:56 UTC »

25 minutes to reel it in? Weird. I used to accidentally catch carp and you wouldn’t even know they were on your line sometimes. They don’t fight much at all. I know it’s heavy, but that sounds a little embellished.