Big is beautiful in our world, especially when it has whiskers.
Just take it from pro angler Alessando Biancardi, who almost lost his boat while single-handedly fighting to reel in the biggest fish of his 23-year-career on Italy’s Po River. At a whopping 9 feet 4 inches, the ginormous wels catfish was a true record-breaker. It put up an intense 43-minute struggle before Biancardi was able to guide it to shore and capture it long enough to rest and take measurements.
'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,' explained Biancardi. According to a press release from fishing brand MADCAT, the massive wels will break the International Game Fish Association’s all-tackle world record for length.
And for all you animal lovers, this story has an even happier ending. While Biancardi was tempted to weigh the fish too, he was worried he had already caused it too much stress. So he ended up releasing the bottom-dwelling beast back into the water, hoping it could give another lucky fisherman the same joy it gave him.
Something tells us he’ll be hooked on this fish forever.