River records, etc

[Richard Parsons]

I expect someone else has asked the question and I missed it.......

Was the Lea fish verified as the national record, as I just checked the river records and there's no sign of it?

When (or if) it's verified will Colin Smithson's fish be added as a river record in the BFW list? It all seems very 'cloak and dagger' nowadays, as if there's some protocol that it shouldn't be mentioned.

Whilst it's not hugely important in the grand scheme of things, if we are keeping records they ought to be correct.

 

[Phil Nixon]

I am sure when/if it is verified it will be added to the respective list, I don't think it is cloak and dagger it's just a set of checks to make sure it is genuine and has been weighed correctly. Not certain but regarding national list I believe they meet once a year to discuss all potential british records submitted in the previous 12 months, the barbel society provide the river records verification.

 

[Paul Richardson]

I expect someone else has asked the question and I missed it.......

Was the Lea fish verified as the national record, as I just checked the river records and there's no sign of it?

When (or if) it's verified will Colin Smithson's fish be added as a river record in the BFW list? It all seems very 'cloak and dagger' nowadays, as if there's some protocol that it shouldn't be mentioned.

Whilst it's not hugely important in the grand scheme of things, if we are keeping records they ought to be correct.

I can completely understand why people fly under the radar with big fish captures
For sure some anglers are secret squirrels but for an average angler who is in the right place at the right time and gets a special fish, in this day and age sharing this information could literally be the kiss of death not just for the fish but for their fishing as the circus descends
Agree for the record it’s good to know what weight it is, but I don’t need to know where it came from.

 

[Steve Kenchington]

I expect someone else has asked the question and I missed it.......

Was the Lea fish verified as the national record, as I just checked the river records and there's no sign of it?

When (or if) it's verified will Colin Smithson's fish be added as a river record in the BFW list? It all seems very 'cloak and dagger' nowadays, as if there's some protocol that it shouldn't be mentioned.

Whilst it's not hugely important in the grand scheme of things, if we are keeping records they ought to be correct.

BRFC accepted the Lea fish at a weight of 22lb at their committee meeting on the 23rd of June according to the AT webpage.

 

[Colin Dapp]

I expect someone else has asked the question and I missed it.......

Was the Lea fish verified as the national record, as I just checked the river records and there's no sign of it?

When (or if) it's verified will Colin Smithson's fish be added as a river record in the BFW list? It all seems very 'cloak and dagger' nowadays, as if there's some protocol that it shouldn't be mentioned.

Whilst it's not hugely important in the grand scheme of things, if we are keeping records they ought to be correct.

https://anglingtrust.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/BRFC_COARSE_FISH_LISTINGS_Jun-23-2025.pdf

Yes it has been accepted.
Colin Smithson did not acknowledge which river his fish came from othewise it would already be on the list.
It could be the case that he doesn't want to take the record from an angler who has passed away. Purely surmising.
Many people have not claimed river records for different rivers and different reasons.
I was told that the cost of claiming ran to three figures. I don't know how the individual worked that out, but he was a record holder

 

[Richard Parsons]

Cheers Colin - I understand the circumstances of the river and the former captor, however Colin Smithson did claim the national record. I'm not 100% conversant on how to claim a national species record but would have thought naming the river was requisite, i.e. putting the name of the river on the form, etc.