Nicknamed “The Carrot,” the goldfish was caught in the same French fishery it was released into 20 years ago

One of the world’s biggest goldfish has been caught, weighing in at 67 lbs. 4 oz.!

The enormous specimen was found in a fishery in France by British angler Andy Hackett, who reportedly spent over 25 minutes reeling the fish in, according to Daily Mail.

Nicknamed “The Carrot,” the fish is a hybrid species of a leather carp and koi carp, which are traditionally orange in color.

The Carrot is thought to be more than 20 years old, as it was placed in the BlueWater Lakes fishery in Champagne, France, by Jason Cowler when it was a guppy.

“We put The Carrot in about 20 years ago as something different for the customers to fish for. Since then it has grown and grown but it doesn’t often come out,” Cowler said. “She is very elusive.”

“I always knew The Carrot was in there but never thought I would catch it,” Hackett said of his find.Large Mako Shark Leaps Out of the Water and Lands on Fishing Boat – Watch the Shocking Moment!

The Carrot is 30 lbs. heavier than what was previously considered to be the world’s biggest goldfish, caught by Jason Fugate in Minnesota in 2019. It is also more than twice the size of a 30 lb. koi carp caught by Raphael Biagini in the south of France in 2019.

“I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it. Then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out and I saw that it was orange,” continued Hackett. “It was brilliant to catch it but it was also sheer luck.”

Hackett released The Carrot back into the lake after posing for photos with the creature.

“She is in excellent health and condition,” Cowler noted. “Congratulations to Andy on a great catch.”