A fun part of fishing involves beating records – be that national, regional, by venue, or personal. That feeling of suspense and excitment as you watch the needle on your weigh scales creeping round to new highs is utterly indescribable.

With the larger species like carp and pike often taking the limelight due to their gargantuan record sizes captured in jaw-dropping pictures, you can easily forget that some of our mini species have records too. Truth be told, most of the larger versions of our smaller fish are likely a bycatch when chasing other species, however, a specimen is a specimen!

The humble (and much-loved) minnow has seen its record stand for many years now at a whopping 13.5 drams (which equates to around 0.85 of an ounce, or 24 grams). Over the years, many anglers have claimed bigger catches, however, the kind of scales needed to accurately measure something so small are not readily carried by your average fisherman.

As for my own story, some years back I was long-trotting for grayling on a stunning, southern stream. The float was gliding down a glistening run when it slowed up and half-dibbed. I knew a minnow had taken my pair of maggots (having caught several already), but as I swung it in, I realised this minnow was in a whole different league to the others… it was HUGE!

Unlike other record-claiming pictures of minnows, my Brobdingnagian beast was so much more than just a 'big gut' – this fish was simply huge all over. With a head like a bull, and broad shoulders supporting a long, chunky body, I measured this gem at around 9.5cm, with a width (at the widest point across its back) of 1.5cm.

You can make up your own mind on what size you think this minnow could be… I guess I will always be left wondering if I really did catch a record-breaker.