Giant Ling Cod Caught in Scotland
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.27.13
The Shetland archipelago northeast of Scotland is known to hold some giant marine life, and the ling cod tops that list with big proportions and tender, flaky meat. According to BBC News, James Isbister, 38, took home the mother of them all with a record six-foot, 67-pound monster while on a lunch break.
“I knew it was a big fish but I didn’t realize it was that size–I am six-foot [and] five inches and it’s as big as me.”
The fish was caught with a homemade lure that Isbister had made the night before with his sons. In gratitude, their father brought back lunch for about the next two weeks. The proud angler says the fish is sitting in the freezer, at least until authorities confirm his ling as the new UK record, which had stood previously for 23 years at 59 pounds. If the Isbisters decide against fish dinner, the ling has a chance of going to the Natural History Museum in London where it will be put on display.
Ling generally prefer the deeper waters around western Europe, but North American anglers have also pulled in a few giants as well, especially in Alaska. How large can they get? A reported 103-pound specimen was hooked by Wolfgang Gotz in Norway last year.
Outdoor Hub reporters were unable to establish any clear connection with Wild Fish Wild Places host Denis Isbister, though he did state that he knows his surname originates from Orkney and assured us that he was certainly the best-looking member of the America-dwelling branch of the family–as far as he knew.
Below is James Isbister’s interview with BBC:
httpv://youtu.be/qHKkTGEiaIg
