British boy, 11, catches mega 152lb catfish during Spanish holiday – smashing European record for biggest freshwater fish caught by a child

• Joshua Davenport was fishing with his parents when the catfish went for his bait

A British boy has caught a 152lb catfish during a holiday in Spain, smashing the European record for the biggest freshwater fish netted by a child. 

Joshua Davenport, 11, was fishing with his parents when the giant catfish went for his bait.

Although his rod was bent double the youngster fought for 25 minutes to reel the colossus catch in.

It took three adults to lift it into a weighing sling and it tipped the scales at a whopping 152lbs. The 9ft-long specimen dwarfed Joshua who stands at 5ft 5ins.

He has now broken the record for the biggest freshwater fish caught by a boy in Europe. The giant catfish also smashed Joshua’s previous personal best catch by over 110lbs.

Joshua Davenport caught a 152lb catfish while he was on holiday in Spain (pictured with his record-breaking catch above)

The massive catfish is 9ft long and dwarfs Joshua, who is only 5ft 5ins

Joshua, from East Grinstead, West Sussex, hooked the fish during a recent trip to Spain’s River Ebro with dad Pete and mum Lorna, who are also keen anglers (pictured: the family with another big catfish Joshua caught during the holiday)

Joshua, from East Grinstead, West Sussex, hooked the fish during a recent trip to Spain’s River Ebro with dad Pete and mum Lorna, who are also keen anglers.

His mother, 42, said: ‘Fishing is everything to Josh. He got his first rod when he was four and caught his first catfish aged six which weighed 22lbs.

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‘It has gone from there. He has caught thousands of fish. He loves catfish because they are just so big. We were in Spain for a week and he caught the big catch was his last fish of the trip.

‘It was about 11.30am and Josh was with his cousin on the swim next to us. You are given a whistle to blow when you catch a big fish and Pete and I heard it and rushed over to them.

‘Josh had got the rod and he was fighting the catfish. The rod was bent over and it was obvious it was a big one.

‘It is his dream to catch one over 100lbs so there was no way he was going to let go. He did brilliantly and t took him about 25 minutes.

‘When he saw it he just couldn’t believe the size of it. It took three adults and Josh to lift it.’

After having photos taken with the mighty fish it was returned to the river safe and well.

Joshua’s 152lbs catch is bigger than the combined weight of the personal best catches of both his mum and dad which stand at 72lbs and 68lbs respectively.

In 2009, Jessica Wanstall, 11, from Sittingbourne, Kent, hooked a catfish weighing nearly 200lbs from the River Ebro.

Joshua inherited the passion for angling from his parents Lorna and Pete (Pete and Joshua pictured above with big fish they caught together)

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