Cod-zilla! British angler hooks monster 66lb fish big enough for 150 chip shop portions before donating it to town in Norway where he landed world record catch

  • Tom Ascott, 32, landed the fish from the shore in Bodo, northern Norway
  • Dorset builder said struggle to land fish was like 'reeling in a London bus'
  • Catch weighed 66lb 8oz beating 50-year-old record for a shore-caught cod

A British angler has hooked a world record 66lb cod in Norway big enough for 150 chip shop portions - and donated the catch to locals. 

Tom Ascott, from Sturminster Newton, Dorset, said it felt like he had hooked a London bus after he cast off from the shore in Bodo, Norway, and the huge fish took his herring bait.

The 32-year-old spent 30 minutes struggling to reel in his catch which at one point swam off with 600ft of his fishing line.

The cod-father: Tom Ascott, from Sturminster Newton, Dorset, said it felt like he had hooked a London bus after he cast off from the snow-covered shore and the huge fish bit on his herring bait

The cod-father: Tom Ascott, from Sturminster Newton, Dorset, said it felt like he had hooked a London bus after he cast off from the snow-covered shore and the huge fish bit on his herring bait

Monster catch: The 32-year-old spent 30 minutes struggling to reel in his catch which at one point swam off with 600ft of his fishing line

Monster catch: The 32-year-old spent 30 minutes struggling to reel in his catch which at one point swam off with 600ft of his fishing line

His friend Stuart Andrew then helped heave the enormous fish out of the icy water.

The catch weighed 66lb 8oz - 22lb heavier than the existing record for a shore-caught cod which had stood for nearly 50 years.

The record fish, that was 4ft 9ins long and had a girth of nearly 3ft, is big enough to make about 150 chip shop portions and was donated by Mr Ascott to the local community.

But the trip might end up leaving the father-of-two out of pocket as he promised to buy his wife Katie a new Mini car if he caught a big fish.

Record: The catch weighed 66lb 8oz - 22lb heavier than the existing record for a shore-caught cod which had stood for nearly 50 years

Record: The catch weighed 66lb 8oz - 22lb heavier than the existing record for a shore-caught cod which had stood for nearly 50 years

Two-man job: The record fish, that was 4ft 9ins long and had a girth of nearly 3ft, is big enough to make about 150 chip shop portions and was donated by Mr Ascott to the local community

Two-man job: The record fish, that was 4ft 9ins long and had a girth of nearly 3ft, is big enough to make about 150 chip shop portions and was donated by Mr Ascott to the local community

The builder said: 'The fish was so big it felt like I was trying to reel in a London bus. I could have squeezed my head inside its mouth.

'I didn't know how big it was at first, just that it was going to be a big fish.

'After half-an-hour I was almost spent and Stuart leapt down on to the ledge I was on and helped pull the fish out of the water. When it rolled on its side we saw what a giant it was.

'Sadly the fish was too weak to put back and so we donated it to the locals, who are probably going to dry it out and split it between them.' 

The previous record shore-caught cod of 44lb 8oz was caught off south Wales in 1966.

Tom added: 'I'm still on a bit of an adrenaline buzz and it is still sinking in that I caught a record fish. Some people have told me they don't think it will ever be beaten because this cod was just so big.

Cod-zilla: The previous record shore-caught cod of 44lb 8oz was caught off south Wales in 1966

Cod-zilla: The previous record shore-caught cod of 44lb 8oz was caught off south Wales in 1966

'Catching something like this has always been something that has been in the back of the mind, but it is not something you can do by design it is just pot luck.'

Tom was on a trip with Guided Fishing Norway organised by John Strange, who was amazed by the mighty catch.

He said: 'I'm gob-smacked, the previous record has stood for for so long and no-one has ever caught a fish anything like this.

'Tom doesn't really realise what he has done, he says he is going to beat it - but you don't just win the lottery twice.'

The world record for the biggest ever cod caught from a boat using a rod and line stands at 103lb. The UK cod record is 58lb 6oz.

 

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