Fisherman catches one of the world's biggest goldfish

A fisherman from the UK has achieved the greatest catch of his lifetime after he reeled in a behemoth-sized goldfish that weighs nearly 70 pounds—one of the biggest in the world.

In a report by Daily Mail carried by PEOPLE, the monster goldfish swam in the lakes belonging to Bluewater Lakes in France, one of the world’s premier carp fisheries, before it was snagged by 42-year-old Andy Hackett.

According to the British angler, he spent over 25 minutes trying to reel in the enormous specimen, which was humorously nicknamed "Carrot."

While it looks like a goldfish that has had its fill of too much fish food, Carrot is actually a hybrid species of a leather carp and a koi carp. The goldfish is a relatively small member of the carp family.

According to Bluewater Lakes spokesperson Jason Cowler, the 20-year-old monster fish had been introduced to the lake "as something different for the customers to fish for."

"Since then, it has grown and grown but it doesn't often come out. She is very elusive," Cowler said.

While Hackett already knew about the humongous fish's existence in the lakes, he never thought that he would be able to catch it. "I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it. Then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out and I saw that it was orange. It was brilliant to catch it, but it was also sheer luck," Hackett recounted.

Carrot tipped the scales at 67.4 pounds, which was 30 pounds heavier than what was previously recorded as the world's biggest goldfish caught by Jason Fugate in Minnesota in 2019.

After posing for some photos with the creature, Hackett released Carrot back into the lake to swim for another day.