Dave Hodson, from Connah's Quay, landed the whopping 4ft catfish after a gruelling two-and-a-half hour fight.

Fellow anglers and onlookers were hooked as they watched Dave battle to catch the predator - the biggest fish ever caught at Wepre Park's Rosie fishing pond.

Dave, 46, of Kelsterton Road, said: "The match started at 6pm and I was at the bottom of the lake, fishing on my own with nobody else around.

"I did my usual thing and put on a bit of bait and had a couple of small fish.

"Then 10 minutes in I felt this almighty bite - I didn't know what it was.

"It took me all over the lake and it put up one hell of a fight. It was a real tug of war."

Dave, a member of Connah's Quay Angling Club for more than 30 years, said it was the biggest fish he has ever seen.

The match was supposed to finish at 8.30pm, but Dave was allowed to carry on as he wrestled with the catfish.

He added: "It's amazing because the pond isn't that big - it's only an acre - and no-one knew a fish that big was in there."

Ben Roberts, 31, of Connah's Quay, a fellow member of the club, called the catch "unbelievable."

He said: "I've never had such a shock in my life.

"It is all the more amazing because no-one knew this fish even existed.

"A big crowd of around 30 people had gathered around and we knew Dave had landed it when a big round of applause rang around the pool.

"Catfish are the only fish that never stop growing, and are a natural predator.

"Rumour has it that this fish was thrown in from somebody's fish tank more than 15 years ago, and being the only predator in the pool it has grown to this colossal size.

"It has never been caught before, and this capture will go down as one of the most historic chapters in Wepre pool's history."

The amazing catch shatters the previous record at Wepre pool by 10lb, the previous best being a 22lb carp caught by Paul Roberts in the late 1980s.