In mourning: Gordon Howes holds The Fat Lady, when he successfully caught her. The fish, regarded as a celebrity in angling, has now passed awayWith her monstrous size and incredible appetite, she has enticed more anglers than you could shake a rod at.
But the Fat Lady, thought to be the largest freshwater fish in Britain, has finally moved on to the great lake in the sky.
The body of the 61lb 6oz mirror carp was found floating on the surface close to the Cambridgeshire spot dubbed Fatty’s Point in her honour.
Farewell to the Fat Lady: Anglers would make pilgrimages to the Fatty's Point in an attempt to land the colossal carp She was more than 30 years old, was caught about 200 times, and leaves a community in mourning.
Gordon Howes, owner of the St Ives Lakes fishery that was her home, blames her demise on the stress of rapid weather changes in recent weeks.
Catch of the day: This angler caught the carp in 2009, before it was crowned the biggest freshwater fish in Britain The recent mix of hot and cold conditions meant the female fish aborted spawning several times and the stress is thought to have brought about her untimely end.
The Fat Lady - who had been caught and set free dozens of times in her lifetime - has now been buried next to her bank.
Anglers used to travel from around the country to her home at St Ives Lakes, Cambridgeshire, in a bid to land the fish, which became an object of obsession for many.
Farewell fatty: This man was one of last to catch the fish, reeling her in during May this yearShe had only taken over the mantle of Britain's biggest freshwater fish a year ago following the death of the legendary 67lbs Two Tone at a fishery in Kent.
What a catch: Another angler shows off the fish after successfully landing it during May 2010source: dailymail
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