NOW this is a special golden orfe - giant in size, and from a venue where you might not have expected it!
Golden orfe have become fairly common stillwater residents but there aren’t many in UK rivers.
Phil Timmins caught the largest we’ve heard of from any running water with this golden orfe that weighed in at 7 lb from his local River Aire. It’s pictured above.
The 26-year-old banker from Bingley, West Yorkshire, feeder fished with worm and maggot.
Phil explained: “As far as I’m aware this is the first golden orfe to have ever been caught on the River Aire and a special catch for me.
“It was amongst some chub which is what I was aiming to catch so obviously pulling this up was more than a surprise.
“I have a feeling it escaped from a lake the floods in 2015 and thrived with a family of chub.”
Ide and orfe – they’re the same, basically
Many big golden orfe have been reported to Angler’s Mail in recent years, but all from lakes.
However, last month the captor of a huge ide from a river got in touch with Angler’s Mail to share news of his amazing catch.
Nottinghamshire’s River Trent is full of surprises but a 7 lb 6 oz ide (below) was the last thing Ian Green was expecting during a recent night trip.
Ide are the natural version of the ornamental golden orfe and that same species has an official British record of 8 lb 5 oz.
The golden version was caught from Lymm Vale in Cheshire by Michael Wilkinson in 2000.
Ian, 29, from Nottingham, told Angler’s Mail all about his Trent ide suprise: “I was convinced I had caught a large chub until I was told by others it was an ide, and it is the first one I’ve ever caught.”
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