The BRFC met at Fishmongers’ Hall, London, on 1st December 2015.
Present were: Mike Heylin OBE (Chairman), Nick Simmonds (Secretary), Oliver Crimmen (Scientific Advisor, Natural History Museum), Nigel Hewlett (Scientific Advisor, Environment Agency), Andrew Nellist (Angling Trust – freshwater specialist) and David Rowe (Angling Trust – Sea fish specialist)
The following claims were ratified by the committee as new records:
Roger Simcox
Gilthead Bream(Sparus aurata)
Boat-caught
Salcombe, Devon, on 31st July 2015
Roger’s claim was ratified at a weight of 10lb 2oz, beating Mr Bradford’s record of 24 years by two-and-a-half ounces. Roger becomes a double record holder adding this Gilthead Bream to his 1980 Turbot record.
Roger Bryant
White Sea Bream(Diplodus sargus)
Shore-caught
West coast of Jersey, on 8th August 2015
Roger’s fish weighed 2lb 12oz 8dr and supersedes Bryan Swain’s 2011 record of 2lb 6oz 14dr, also from Jersey
Greg Whitehead
Thin-Lipped Mullet(Liza ramada)
Boat-caught
East coast of Guernsey, on 14th August 2015
This huge fish was ratified at 7lb 0oz 8dr and just beat last year’s record of 6lb 15oz from Jersey, jointly held by Derek Kane and Gerald Gavey
Ollie Stenning
Thin-Lipped Mullet(Liza ramada)
Boat-caught
East coast of Guernsey, on 16th August 2015
16-year-old Ollie eclipsed Greg’s record (above) with this absolute monster of 8lb 7oz 4dr just two days after Greg’s capture, and while fishing from Greg’s boat
Guy Spriggs
Stingray(Dasyatis pastinaca)
Shore-caught
Chesil Beach, Dorset, on 1st September 2015
Guy’s fish was ratified at a weight of 78lb 8oz, beating Ken Canning’s 2008 shore record of 67lb 12oz. Guy’s great fish is the largest shore-caught English fish in BRFC records
Colin Marquis
Atlantic Chub Mackerel (Scomber colias)
Boat-caught
Hoffets, Guernsey, on 30th August 2015
Verified at 1lb 15oz, Colin’s fish beats David Paddock’s 2013 Cornish boat record of 1lb 10oz
Ryan Carter
Gilthead Bream (Sparus aurata)
Shore-caught
Kingsbridge Estuary, Devon, on 22nd October 2015
Ryan’s superb fish is ratified at a weight of 10lb 7oz, beating Colin Carr’s 20-year-old record of 10lb 5oz. Ryan also caught another Gilthead of over 8lb, making a fantastic brace
High-resolution images available:
For high-resolution versions of images of the record catches please contact BRFC Secretary Nick Simmonds by email on brfc@anglingtrust.net or on 01568 620 447 during office hours.
The committee also accepted a claim for an Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) claimed at 3lb 6oz by Jake MacGregor, caught from the shore at Hartlepool Heugh on 4th October, but we await a detailed scales test before we can ratify the exact record weight for this fish.
A couple of points of interest arising from the new records reported above:
The boat and the shore-caught record gilthead bream were both caught from the same estuary system on the South Devon coast, which was also the location of the capture of both previous gilthead records more than 20 years ago.
There seems to be a trend towards increasingly large thin-lipped mullet, particularly in the waters around the Channel Islands, with two record fish of 6lb 15oz from Jersey last year and the new records of 7lb 8oz and 8lb 7oz. from Guernsey this year.
Notable Fish List:
One catch was submitted and accepted for inclusion in the Notable Fish List – a male Common Skate (Dipturus batis), caught from the shore at a Scottish east coast mark by Craig Mackay. This magnificent fish measured 84 inches from nose to tail and had a wingspan of 63 inches. This fish was off the scale normally used to estimate the weight of Common skate, which only goes up to 80 inches length for male fish, but we estimate that Craig’s fish weighed in the region of 146lb. All the skate caught by Craig and his friends are carefully landed and unhooked and returned safely to the sea.
The Notable Fish List was established by the BRFC to record rod and line captures of exceptional sea fish which cannot be claimed as records, perhaps because they have been weighed on a boat at sea, or cannot be weighed, such as in the case of shore-caught skate, when the weight can only be estimated from the measurements of the fish. The BRFC encourages anglers who catch exceptional sea fish in such circumstances to submit the details of their catch for inclusion in the Notable Fish List.
Reminder:
The Committee would like to remind readers that in the event of the capture of a potential record fish, the captor should first contact the British Record (rod-caught) Fish Committee without delay.
Captors of potential record fish should contact the Secretary, Nick Simmonds, at the Angling Trust, on 01568 620447 or by email at brfc@anglingtrust.net
Nick will record the details of the capture and advise the claimant on progressing the claim.
More information about what to do if you catch a record fish can be found in the BRFC web pages HERE.
The official British Records List and procedures are available on the Angling Trust website HERE or from the Secretary.
The initial telephone contact point of the BRFC remains at the Angling Trust Head Office on 01568 620447 and email enquiries may be directed to the Secretary Nick Simmonds at brfc@anglingtrust.net
The next meeting of the full committee is scheduled for June 2016. As previously the committee will continue to consider all claims as and when they arise and to keep captors informed as to progress.
Aims and Objectives of the BRFC: The Committee exists to recognise and publish record weights of both fresh and salt water fish caught on rod and line by fair angling methods in the waters of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, and aims:
To provide an adjudicating body to which marine and freshwater anglers may submit claims for record fish taken by fair rod and line angling.
To investigate all such record claims to the fullest possible extent and maintain a permanent record of such investigations.
To establish and maintain accurately a list of British fish, marine and freshwater, of record size and to publish this list frequently and make it readily available to all interested persons.
The activities of the Committee are voluntary, and claims are considered and adjudicated upon, only on the basis that the Committee shall be under no obligation whatsoever to claimants, that its decisions shall be final, and it shall not be obliged to give reasons for its decisions.
High-resolution images available: For high-resolution versions of images of the record catches please contact BRFC Secretary Nick Simmonds by email on brfc@anglingtrust.net or on 01568 620 447 during office hours.
For further information please contact: Nick Simmonds – Secretary British Record (rod caught) Fish Committee c/o The Angling Trust Eastwood House 6 Rainbow Street Leominster Herefordshire HR6 8DQ Tel: 01568 620447 / 0844 7700616 Email: brfc@anglingtrust.net
