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Fisherman reels in 50lb 'Beast of Billericay' catfish



It was the stuff of legends - a mythical giant fish that had been lurking in a park lake for more than 20 years but had never been caught.

Some questioned whether the elusive monster catfish, dubbed the 'Beast of Billericay', had ever existed in the first place or if it was just another fisherman's tale.

But Pete Hudd proved the doubters wrong by reeling in the 50lb 4oz catch during a late night fishing session with friends.



Monster fish: Pete Hudd, 26, holds up the 50lb catfish - dubbed 'The Beast of Billericay - which had avoided capture for 20 years





Reel big catch: Pete Hudd, pictured at Lake Meadows in Billericay, Essex, where he caught the fish, weighed his catch before posing for a picture - and tossing it back in

After spending an hour wrestling with the fish to get it onto the bank he had it weighed, posed for a photograph - and then promptly tossed it straight back in.

The 26-year-old landscape gardener said he used his secret garlic and tuna 'boilie' bait to lure the elusive fish - affectionately referred to as 'Nessie'.


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The giant catch, which lives in Lake Meadows in Billericay, Essex, has been swimming in the public lake for years.

Although many anglers claim to have caught it but none have ever been able to reel it in.

Catfish are believed to live for up to 60 years - and this one is thought to have been in the lake for more than 20.







Huge: Pete, who is 6ft 2in, says the catfish is as long as he is tall. The fish, which is believed to have been in the lake for 20 years, can live until it is 60

Pete, who measures 6ft 2in, said the giant catfish was as long as he is tall. He managed to capture the fish on a line with a breaking strain of just 12lb. He has been fishing at the same lake since he was a child.


The delighted angler said: 'All my mates had been catching and I was being the gillie - landing their fish and taking pictures so I was thinking it was not going to be my lucky night.

'When I got the bite, and hooked it, my initial reaction was to think I had caught my line on a snag around the island because it was so heavy and it would not move.

'But then when it budged, I realised it was a giant fish and the battle commenced.

'I was totally shattered after trying for 45 minutes to get it in before it finally got to the landing net and we saw its massive unusually long whiskers - they looked like two white tentacles, it almost looked like an alien coming out of the water.'

At one stage towards the end of the tiring battle, the fish was ready for landing but would not fit into Pete's 42-inch wide net.

It managed to escape capture for another nerve-racking 15 minutes as it charged back out into the four-acre lake.

When the catfish was finally on the bank, Pete took a breather while two of his friends held it up for weighing.



Huge catch: Pete said that with two white tentacles the fish looked it almost looked 'like an alien coming out of the water'


Catch: Lake Meadows in Billericay where the beast was caught during a late night fishing session after eluding capture for two decades



Catch: Pete Hudd holds the line he used to reel in the catfish during a recent fishing session at the lake




Then he was photographed with his beloved prize before slipping it back into the water to fight another day.

He added: 'I was covered in slime but I was very happy - this capture meant so much to me as I had hooked this fish before but like so many other people it had got away.

'I have caught massive carp from France weighing 60lb and sturgeon of more than 100lb but this fish meant the most to me because it has legendary status round here.'

Pete's new found fame since the capture last week has quickly spread around his home town.

He said: 'I went to get my tyres changed and the chap at the garage said to me "are you the bloke that caught the Beast?"'

For a long time many believed that the giant creature that snapped so many anglers lines was the stuff of legend - a fisherman's tale.

Pete added: 'I have been fishing the lake since I was just 13 years old and I hooked it and lost it last year.



Catch: The 'Beast of Billericay' lives in Lake Meadows in the Essex town



Monster: The 26-year-old landscape gardener said he used his secret garlic and tuna 'boilie' bait to lure the elusive fish - affectionately referred to as 'Nessie'




'It is so powerful but for many years people wondered if it was a giant pike or monster carp.

'There are a lot of people who have hooked it down the years but no-one ever managed to land it because it is so strong.

'Since I have caught it, the dog walkers who pass by have been saying "I am not going to let my dogs swim in there anymore in case they get eaten".'

Mystery surrounds how the fish ended up in the lake - some people believe it was thrown into the lake after outgrowing its tank in someone's home aquarium.


The most likely scenario is that it was stocked back in the 1990s when it weighed just under 15lb.

Bob Burrows, owner of Basildon Angling Centre which manages the lake said: 'There are some very good fisherman down there yet no-one had ever caught it before.

'So that makes Pete's capture all the more special so congratulations to him for a very special fish.'

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