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Monster cat fish has Shaw friends hooked

13/12/2005

SHAW angling pals Graham Forshaw, Phil Banham, Gary Wilkinson and Dave Lee took on more than they bargained for when they decided on a change of tack on their annual fishing trip.

The four mates, who work at Warburton's Bakery in Shaw, battled throughout the night to net a monster cat fish.

Graham, aged 42, said: "We usually go on a fishing trip to the River Ebro near Mequineze in Catalonia every November, mainly to fish for carp.

"But this year we weren't having too much luck, so we decided to go for cat fish instead.

"We rowed out about 150 metres from the shore to drop our lines which were baited with halibut pellets.

"The river is about 30 or 40ft deep there so we were quite confident we had a chance. And, after staying up the best part of the night I suddenly an almighty tug on my line.

"I nearly collapsed under the weight of it. After a 25-minute battle I managed to haul it ashore where it weighed in at 127lb, easily the heaviest fish I have ever caught."

After taking the obligatory photographs to show their catch was no fisherman's tale, they wrapped the cat fish into a sling and gently eased it back into the grey waters of the Ebro - to give other anglers a chance of landing it in years to come.

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