THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

Colouration can be variable dependant on location, typically with some shade of green through to brown
on the back becoming lighter underneath, with a hint of mottling possible in some specimens.
I am told there are in excess of five hundred waters currently dotted around the British Isles containing
wels catfish, well up from the handful in the Bedfordshire area when I first became aware of the species
as a bucket list target.
The majority of these are in England. Such is the level and spread of interest in the species. Yet its
record has now been suspended by the British Record Fish Committee (BRFC).
Such is the arrogance of this organisation, who instead of being there to serve have become self-serving.
Relict's from a bygone era. Meanwhile, the catfish scene suffers.......or does it.
Thinking about it, possibly not. Catfish enthusiasts will still go about their business of targeting large
specimens. The only people who might suffer are some of the more reputable fishery owners as the
whole catfish scene comes under closer scrutiny due to the shenanigans of a perhaps shadier side to the
catfish scene.
The problem is that unlike in many of the warmer parts of Europe where there is a better food intake to
growth conversion ratio, our catfish are unlikely to reach the hundred pound mark without a substantial
dollop of help, which means that many big cat enthusiasts, either totally or in part, are spending their
money elsewhere.
Having said that, a report in Angling Times dated July 2015 credits River Severn barbel angler Neil
Bridges with a surprise catch of a 94 pound specimen taken during an over-night session. So not that
far short of the magical target ton.
Allegedly, according to the BRFC, to counter the lack of home waters natural growth, and satisfy the
demand for big cats, specimens were being smuggled into the country from abroad, with all the health
risks and elitist opportunities that entails, which is hardly a new phenomenon.
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