When we think of goldfish, we imagine tiny orange fish that is a few inches long. But as British fisherman Andy Hackett recently discovered, they can be a lot bigger than that.
During a recent visit to the Bluewater Lakes fish farm in France, Hackett caught a giant goldfish that weighs more than 67 pounds. He needed a lot of effort to haul it in but ended up with one of the most impressive catches that a fisherman can have. After snapping a few photos, he released it back into the water.
As it turns out, the giant goldfish, which is a hybrid of a leather carp and a koi carp, has been in the lake for the past two decades. It is called “The Carrot,” and has been purposely introduced to Bluewater Lakes by the management.
“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,” said Bluewater Lakes manager Jason Cowler in a chat with the Daily Mail. “It’s not the biggest resident in the lake, but by far the most outstanding.”
The Carrot’s size isn’t all that surprising. When kept in small aquariums, goldfish tend to stay small. But when moved to the bigger aquarium or released in the wild, it can grow much bigger. It is important to note that goldfish are considered invasive species and shouldn’t be released in lakes and rivers.
