MOST fishermen are renowned for bending the truth and telling whopping fibs about their catches.

That is why gobsmacked Leigh angler Phil Browning had to take home his latest capture - a 3lb 4oz halibut - to prove he was not making up tall stories.

"I couldn't believe it when I caught the fish," said Browning, 39, of Vardon Drive. "You just don't get halibuts around here.

"It is a deep water North Atlantic fish, common around the west coast of Ireland, Scotland and the Shetlands, but not in the Thames Estuary.

"You might hear about the odd halibut surfacing up north in Newcastle or Hull, but not down here. The fish was a long way from home and must have been well lost or just stupid."

Browning reeled in the AWOL halibut from his boat Tara after a routine fishing trip. "I keep my boat on Canvey Island and go out regularly -- I've been fishing the estuary all my life," he added.

"When I reeled it in I thought it was a flounder at first, but then I saw it had teeth and knew it wasn't a normal flatfish.

"So I went back home and had a flick through my reference books and identified the fish as a halibut because of its tail.

"I was amazed and still a bit unsure so I went to see Mark Fossett, whose family are based in Old Leigh and have been fishing the estuary for generations.

"He was just as surprised as me and said he had only ever known of one halibut caught in their nets going back many, many years.

"And he certainly had never heard of such a specimen being caught on a rod and line in these parts.

"They are lovely fish and can grow to hundreds and hundreds of pounds in weight, which I suppose makes mine a tiddler in comparison."

However, Browning was not thinking of keeping his prized asset as a stuffed and framed souvenir. On the contrary, the halibut is destined for his stomach.

"I always eat what I keep and the only thing that is going to go around this fish is a lot of chips and peas," laughed the angler.

"But I think I'll struggle to finish it off myself. It's nearly two foot long and I had to bend its tail back to force it in the fridge. I'll have to get a few mates around the table to help me complete the job."

* Angling Echo - every Wednesday night