Oh you big fish!: Italian catches incredible world record catfish

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When the fish bit, he knew immediately that he had caught a special specimen. But Alessandro Biancardi’s capture should overshadow everything so far.

The animal he fished from the river Po is a whopping 2.85 meters long. A new record. The mega catfish surpasses the previous record by 4 centimeters.

“I was alone in front of the biggest catfish I’ve ever seen,” Biancardi writes almost devoutly on Facebook. He was well prepared. “Before I left, I checked knots, hooks, every connection because I am extremely precise. I always have to be 100 percent sure everything is in place when a dream fish decides to bite my bait,” he explains in the post.

Fight for 40 minutes

It took Biancardi a while to pull the catfish out of the river. According to his own statements, it took him 40 minutes to pull the big fish ashore. “The constant fear of losing him,” gave him strength.

On land, Biancardi took measurements in front of ten witnesses, took souvenir photos with the world record catfish, and then released it. He then contacted the International Game Fish Association. If the documents are recognized, the possible catfish record holder Biancardi, who has been pulling the big chunks out of the water for 23 years, can officially call himself a world record holder.

The Po, Italy’s longest river, is known for its large catfish. Catfish are especially at home in the silt near the bottom of the river.

Source: Blick