Rare fibreglass replica of record-breaking salmon may fetch up to £5,000 at auction

A RARE cast of the biggest salmon ever caught by rod and line in British waters has gone up for auction.

The record-setting fish was caught by Georgina Ballantine on the River Tay in 1922.

Miss Ballantine was fishing from a boat with a spinner and a Malloch rod.

Assisted by her father, it took her two hours to play and catch the record-breaking salmon which was 54 inches long and weighed in at 64 lb.

The original salmon was cast in plaster by PD Malloch and is held at Glendelvine Estate, Dunkeld, Perthshire, the home of Sir Gavin Lyle.

The limited edition replicas – there were 12, of which this is number nine – were cast in fibreglass by George Jamieson by taking a mould from the original plaster cast.

They were commissioned for sale by Farlows, the world famous fishing shop on Pall Mall in London.

The cast for sale is estimated at £3,000 to £5,000 and will go up for auction at Bonhams’ next sporting sale in Edinburgh on May 23.

Bonhams’ Henry Baggott said the record for the largest salmon caught in British waters has stood for 90 years. He added: “The sporting sale offers a variety of lots celebrating country pursuits.”