British angler catches one of the world's biggest goldfish

A British fisherman was stunned to snag one of the world's biggest goldfish.

Ah, the humble goldfish! The first proper little pet many of us had.

But times have changed and so, it seems, have goldfish, because British angler Andy Hackett caught one of the biggest in the world.

Yep, there's the catch of the day and then there's pulling up a 67Ib beast from the depths and calling it The Carrot.

The massive fish is a cross between a leather carp and a koi carp, both of which are orange and give the fish its ridiculously bright colour.

Hackett managed to catch the creature in Champagne, France, and the strange fish is thought to be well over 20 years old.

Yep, this slippery soul could actually be older than you, or me for that matter.

The 42-year-old angler was understandably chuffed with his catch and said that while he'd suspected the fish was dwelling around the Bluewater lakes in Champagne, he never thought he'd catch it.

Jason Crowler/BNPS

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

"I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it. 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."

Sheer luck and a considerable amount of upper body strength later, Hackett snapped a photo with the fish.

For context, Hackett's catch is considerably bigger than goldfish that have been reeled in previously, such as when Jason Fugate, 33, caught a 38Ib goldfish in Minnesota.

Jason Crowler/BNPS

Fugate's fish caught the attention of news outlets for its bright orange scales but it was soon outdone by Hackett's catch.

Jason Cowler, the manager of the lake, went on to explain that The Carrot was originally put in the water to spice things up for anglers, but they didn't expect it to grow quite as big as it did: "We put The Carrot in about 20 years ago as something different for the customers to fish for. Since then it has grown and grown but it doesn't often come out. She is very elusive.

"She is in excellent health and condition. Congratulations to Andy on a great catch."

Either way, we're willing to bet this is one goldfish you can't flush down the toilet bowl when it reaches the end of its days.