A ‘monster’ catfish could be the largest ever caught at a staggering 9ft 4 1/4 inches, after an Italian angler fought with the bottom-dwelling beast for 43 minutes before eventually reeling it in.
What started as a normal day of fishing on the river Po for Alessandro Biancardi soon turned into the stuff of dreams for the keen angler.
He managed to hook the record-breaking catch after just a few casts, but was ‘sent into a panic’ after he realised he was facing the biggest fish of his 23-year career completely alone.
The pro fisherman, who is part of the with MADCAT fishing team, did not realise the scale of the wels catfish until it started to breach the surface, and struggled to haul it in from his boat and on land.
Alessandro said that while he was curious about the weight of the behemoth, he didn’t want to distress it too much, and decided to release it ‘hoping it could give another angler the same joy he gave to me.’
Italian angler Alessandro Biancardi managed to catch a record-breaking catfish in the river Po
Catch of the day! Alessandro was ecstatic at reeling in his ‘dream’ fish, which is over 9 ft 4 inches in length
After a recent drop in water levels following huge floods in northern Italy, Alessandro decided to take to the water last week.
Not expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen on his solo trip, the fisherman prepared for his day on the water as he usually would.
He checked his equipment, saying ‘I always need to be 100% sure that everything is in place if a dream fish decide to bite my lure’.
Lo and behold, his dream came true, and he hooked a mammoth catfish which he has now shared incredible pictures with on the river bank.
Alessandro described his amazement at coming across the ‘prehistoric fish’, which is almost the length of two people.
‘When it surfaced for the first time, I really realized that I hooked a monster, adrenaline started pumping hard and the fear of losing it almost sent me into a panic,’ he said.
‘I was alone facing the biggest catfish I ever seen in 23 years.’
Alessandro’s battle with the big cat saw him tackle fast-moving water and debris in the swollen river, and even almost lose his boat and equipment as he jumped onto land to try and haul it in.
