Gazza v Charlton, John Terry causes controversy and more fishy football tales

Obviously not content with opening his own carp-fishery named 'Lac de Premiere', Everton full-back Tony Hibbert had to go one step further and get himself on the front cover of the Angling Times after landing a 42lb monster carp.

The 32-year-old's giant catch was the biggest of his fishing career, but as can be seen below, he isn't the only footballer who is handy with a rod.

Paul Gascoigne is schooled by Jack Charlton
As a young apprentice progressing through the ranks at Newcastle United, a young Gazza was desperate to impress then-Toon boss Jack Charlton in any way he could. Knowing that Charlton was a keen fisherman, the story goes that Gazza spent a week's wages on fishing gear and begged the World Cup-winning defender to teach him the art of angling. After meeting the eager youngster at the riverbank, Charlton is said to have thrown all of Gazza's newly bought gear into the water, save for his rod, then cast off, before reeling in a whopper within a matter of seconds.

Jonny Howson angles for a move
When Jonny Howson swapped Leeds United for Norwich City in January 2012, his decision seemed to be purely motivated by football. However, the midfielder later admitted that it was the lure of fishing on the Norfolk Broads which helped him make up his mind to move. Commenting after his £2m switch, the one-time England U21 player said: “From a football and from a career point of view it was something I had to do, although it was very hard to leave Leeds. But I love fishing so having the Norfolk Broads so close will be very nice as well. I’m really looking forward to giving it a try. I love coarse and carp fishing and if I get a few spare days I will do an overnighter as well.”

David Seaman and Paul Gascoigne's brush with a fly-fisherman at Euro '96
During a rare moment of downtime during Euro '96, David Seaman and Paul Gascoigne took to the lakes for a spot of fishing, but as Seaman told talkSPORT, it ended in disastrous fashion.

Terry's fishing for controversy
Chelsea captain John Terry found himself on the wrong side of his neighbours after applying for a “featureless paddock” on his seven-acre Surrey estate. A keen fisherman, Terry's plans were met by protests from residents, but the England defender was eventually given the go-ahead from the council. Terry famously spends much of his free time fishing, occasionally joined by QPR's Bobby Zamora, another amateur angler, and once said of his hobby: “Obviously it's more difficult to find the time these days but when I get a quiet moment I tend to go off, rod in hand.” We're not going there.

Charlton's fishing masterclass
Perhaps the most well-known footballer/fisherman is the aforementioned Leeds United and England hero Jack Charlton, who would frequently spend his free time on the riverbanks. Charlton became so renowned with the fishing world that he even has his own television show, the aptly titled 'Go Fishing with Jack Charlton', following it up with 1985 video game 'Jack Charlton's Match Fishing' on the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.

Fish almost filleted
Okay, so this isn't a fish tale, but it does concern former Charlton defender Mark Fish, whose career was almost ended when he fell through a glass table while playing with his son. The ex-South Africa international needed to have 39 stitches for a wound which stretched from his armpit to the middle of his chest. He went on to make a full recovery, and made a total of 102 league appearances for Charlton, until a knee injury suffered while on loan at Ipswich Town ended his career.