Yarne De Pelsmaeker from Ninove and Jelle Ronsijn from Geraardsbergen have caught an exceptional fish: a silver carp with a length of 1.35 meters and a weight of
47.2 kilograms. "And then it was also an albino. Adrenaline was pumping through my body when we caught it," Jelle looks back.
Jelle and Yarne are no strangers to fishing. They have been fishing together for years and approach it quite professionally. "We had been flying a drone over the water for a few months, looking for fish. That's how we came across this special carp," says Jelle.
Not a lucky shot When the men spotted the fish, they started fishing for it. Their patience was rewarded last Monday. "When something like this succeeds, it just feels fantastic. Adrenaline was pumping through my body. I had never seen such a giant fish," says Jelle. "When you can lead it into the net and come into contact with it... that's not normal."
The fish measures an impressive 1.35 meters and weighs exactly 47.2 kilograms. "We had a lot of trouble lifting it out of the net, but we eventually succeeded," says Jelle. "The fish can easily be 60 to 70 years old, because carp were released into the lake where we caught it in the '50s and '60s." After the obligatory weighing and photo, the fish was returned to the water.
Fishermen's secret The catch took place somewhere in East Flanders, but the fishermen don't want to reveal more details. "We prefer to keep the location secret," says Jelle. "There are many poachers in the area. We don't want the fish to be taken from the pond or sold. And certainly not to die."
According to Jelle, the chance that others will go looking for it is quite high. "Such a fish is coveted by sellers, because there is a lot of money involved. People already pay 1,000 euros for a normal carp of 20 kilograms. This one is much bigger and also albino. You could say we had gold in our hands."
Jelle and Yarne catch the biggest albino carp ever: "We won't say where, otherwise poachers will come"
If all goes well, the duo will have a record with the catch. "The Belgian Record Freshwater Fishing is still investigating it, but I suspect we will be record holders," says Jelle. "That earns a lot of respect in the world, but unfortunately also a lot of hate comments. It's probably due to jealousy, because it really is a very exceptional fish." Photo by Abu Badali, Wikimedia commons.