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Friday, July 11, 2008, 17:50
Neil Ridley, aged 43, a self-employed plumber from Saltash, caught the 'beast', which weighed in at 4.25 kilos,(9 1/2 lbs), off West Hoe pier at around 6pm on Sunday.
The male lobster was caught on Neil's rod during a regular fishing jaunt with friends. He is now enjoying the company of other lobsters in a tank at the kitchen of the Waterfront restaurant.
But the story does not end with the lobster going in the chef's pot.
Neil, who had cast out his line about 100 metres, said: “It wouldn't even fit in a cooking pot. I couldn't take it home with me, my wife would freak!”
Neil donated the lobster, which is said to be around 35-years-old, to the restaurant, who planned to auction it off to raise funds for the RNLI.
But after being contacted by The Herald, Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium stepped in and offered to match any bid, saying they will release it back to the wild if their bid is successful.
Paul Cox, head of science and learning at the aquarium, said: “Big ones like this turn up every four to five years, but it's unusual to catch one this big, this close to the sea wall, and on a line.
“It would be great to get this old boy back out to the sea.”
Neil described he battled for ten minutes to reel the 'monster' in. He added: “I've been fishing for years and I just thought my rod was caught on some weed because the line was tight.”
Steve Bowen, who co-owns the Waterfront restaurant with Nic Barber, said: “We were pleasantly surprised at the size of him, it's the largest lobster we have ever been offered.
“He would feed four people, and be worth about £170 to buy. We are hoping to raise more than that for charity. We don't want to bankrupt the aquarium, but it'll be great to see how high the stakes can be raised.”
The auction is provisionally planned for a week today. Until then the lobster's future is in the balance.
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CAPTION: Neil Ridley with the nine-and-a-half pound lobster he caught off The Hoe with a rod and line
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