UK anglers call on record captors to "submit claims" and "ignore the trolls"

THE VAST majority of anglers believe that Matt Atkins and Wayne Mansford, captors of record-breaking perch and carp respectively, should submit official claims for new British bests.

Not long after making the extraordinary captures, both anglers admitted they were having second thoughts about applying for records for a range of reasons, chief among which was the amount of online abuse they received from ‘trolls’ – individuals who use the internet to mock and discredit fish.

Matt Atkins was not sure if he would submit a claim for this record perch of 6lb 4oz

One man who’s fully aware of the unwanted attention that can follow a big fish capture is Neill Stephen, current joint holder of the British records for perch and chub. He’s adamant that the two anglers shouldn’t let the trolls get their way.

“I have every sympathy for those on the receiving end of negativity,” he said.
“These are two incredible fish and the captors should only be congratulated.
“I don’t see how applying for a record makes any difference. The catches have already been publicised and the application process is just one simple form. The fish either do or don’t meet the criteria.”

Neill has noticed more negativity about Wayne’s 75lb 2oz carp, and while he laments some of the changes in carp fishing over his lifetime, he believes that people should be allowed to enjoy whatever form of the sport they choose.

“We’re living in a world where more people like to target big fish,” he added.
“It’s a different type of fishing to what used to be around, but why shouldn’t people enjoy it? Choose what you enjoy, and let others do the same!”

Wayne Mansford with a massive 75lb 2oz carp - will he claim the record?

The trolling of catches online seems to be a growing problem, and it’s not just specimen anglers targeted either. Browse Facebook for any length of time and you’ll see young kids right through to veterans having their catches ridiculed, with one of the main accusations being that the fish ‘don’t look the weight’ or that computer software has been used to make them look bigger.

This latter accusation was levelled at Matt Atkins soon after pictures of his amazing 6lb 4oz perch were published. However, it appears that anglers as a whole are now becoming fed up with the online critics and their baseless claims.

Angling Times reader Michael Bilbie said:

“They’re just jealous keyboard warriors, who probably don’t know one end of the rod from another - pathetic! People should be congratulated for catching records and PBs. I saw the photo of the potential record perch and it looks the size stated all day long.”

These sentiments were echoed by fellow reader Ross Hunter, who said:

“Claim the record, forget the haters, because they’re just that – haters who wished they could have caught the fish themselves.”

The controversial subject of fish ‘not looking the weight’ in catch photos is as old as the hills, and it remains the main bone of contention in the digital era too. Yet, as legendary angling photographer Mick Rouse points out, images can be misleading. Mick, who was head of photography at Angling Times for decades and ‘snapped’ countless famous fish, said:

“By using computer programs like Photoshop or wide angled camera lenses you can make fish look bigger, but it’s not as simple as that because it can be difficult to make smaller species look their true size.
“Take roach for example. It’s tricky to make a fish of 3lb look the weight, and the same goes with perch. If you put their dorsal fin up, they look much larger, but with the fin down, as was the case with Matt Atkins’ fish, they look smaller.”

Mick added that while we do occasionally get anglers who lie about fish weights, these are generally known ‘individuals’.