Are we looking at a world record pike?

An angler from the Czech Republic is claiming to have smashed the world pike record with a 26.7kg specimen.

The monster predator was caught by Lukáš Matějka, measuring a 133cm and weighing in at 58lb 14oz – that’s 3lb 13oz heavier than the official record caught in Germany in 1986.

Currently there is limited information on the fish but it has already caused fierce debate among predator anglers on social media – with some sceptical of the fish’s weight.

Angling Times spoke to big pike ace Neville Fickling for his thoughts on the fish. “It’s a very tricky one to call with the way photographs are presented on social media these days,” he said.

“Certainly its looks like a colossal pike, but it would be nice to see and know the width of the fish, to make an accurate judgement.”

Eastern Europe has a long history of producing monster pike, so the capture of such a large fish from the area was not a surprise to some – as Angling Times columnist Paul Garner explained: “The Czech Republic, Germany and Poland are known to have some very rare giants in their waters.

“This certainly looks to be a big pike, and the length indicates a big, barrel-shaped fish typical of the type of fish that would come from our own trout waters.”

Will the UK ever see a pike break the 50lb barrier? Paul believes it’s only a matter of time…

“Sooner or later we will see a UK fifty,” he said. 

“In my opinion the stocking polices on some of our trout waters make this inevitable. The new record will likely come from a water that surprises everyone too!” he said mysteriously...