Record-breaking 143-pound catfish reeled in at UK lake

The United Kingdom has a new catfish on record, thanks to an angler from Rainham.

Darren Reitz, 34, from east London seems to have captured the country’s largest freshwater fish by rod from a lake in Maldon, Essex. The “monster” catfish, as he calls it, weighed in at 143 pounds (64.4kg). Reitz says it was all “luck,” according to BBC News.

The fish wasn’t brought in easily. It took four people an hour to bring it in. “Three of my friends got into the water with nets because it was that big and I was so worried we would lose it,” Reitz told BBC.

Reitz, a garbageman by day, was on the water for 14 hours late into the night without a bite, he told the UK Telegraph. “My friends started panicking as it was clearly a big fish,” he said.

The previous catfish record was 130lb (58.9kg).

The fish was named Scar before it was released

Reitz told BBC that he is an “amateur” fisherman who just goes out on the water for “peace and quiet” but of course still hopes to get a bite. “I wasn’t expecting to catch that,” Reitz said.

“It was a monster,” Reitz shared.

Paul Tallowin, co-owner of Chigborough Farm & Fisheries, where the fish was brought in, shared that it probably isn’t the largest in the lake though.

“The catfish put on about 7lbs (3.2kg) a year, so this one would be about 45 years old. I am sure some are a bit bigger. It all depends on what they have to eat,” Tallowin told BBC.

“This one is the biggest that has been caught at the moment. Well done for getting it out.”

The catfish has since been released, but not before it was given a name: Scar.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amateur fisherman reels in 143-lb catfish to set UK record: See photo