SEVEN-year-old Simon D'John has an "eel of a tale" to tell his friends when he returns to school.

For the tiny angler, of Charter Street, Accrington, netted a real whopper when he went fishing in the Leeds-Liverpool canal at the Infirmary locks, Blackburn.

The little fisherman, who stands only four feet tall himself, reeled in an eel, 4ft 3in long.

Simon said: "I was fishing on the locks and the float started going up and down.

"I thought it was a pike butthen I could feel it pulling me down."

With the help of his father Maurice's friend, Simon took 15 minutes to reel in his massive catch.

"I couldn't believe the size of it. I'll be writing this in my story book with a photograph when I get back to school."

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