Interesting fishing news :The new world record holder for the biggest freshwater fish is the Giant Mekong catfish (Pangasius gigas).
There is even an English story of a pike found dead in a haystack. His teeth were set into the hind leg of a dead fox. The story suggests the pike attacked the fox before it was dragged from the water. The English do like country tales!
The Irish have even more pike stories. That's fair; they have more pike. Many of these early big fish were caught in Ireland's Lough -- lakes -- or rivers. Few were caught on rods. It was only after 14th century German armorers developed the art of drawing wire that reliable wire leaders became available and bigger fish could be taken by more sporting methods. Horsehair leaders don't cut it with pike!
John Buller, in his British book Pike and the Pike Angler lists at least 34 Irish and English pike ranging in size from 92 pounds down to the weight of the current North American record fish. A recent magazine listing reported 99 fish larger than Dubuc's North American Record. Some of these records (the list goes back to 1822) are a bit obscure. A number are well-documented and pike approaching muskie-size may be the occasional result of the combination of ideal conditions and a lack of angling pressure.
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