Record breaking 'monster' catfish is caught by keen angler in Italian river

A 'monster' catfish has been caught in an Italian river - but due to the fisherman's kindness it will not break a world record.

The huge beast measured 285cm, making it the largest ever to be caught.

Keen angler Alessandro Biancardi said: "I was sure that the fish I caught was special, but I never imagined what would happen next.

"When we measured the fish on the mat. Under the incredulous eyes of many anglers, the metre stopped at 285cm, it was the new world record catfish."

Fisherman Alessandro Biancardi catches 285cm catfish in the river Po. Credit: Alessandro Biancardi
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Mr Biancardi was alone when he set out onto the river Po, which cuts across the north of Italy.

In a blog post for his fishing team MADCAT, he said: "In silence I approached the first spot and after few casts a powerful bite arrived, the fish stood still some seconds before starting a very complicated fight."

After an "endless" 40 minute battle, Mr Biancardi managed to yank the fish to the surface and realised he had "hooked a monster".

He said: "I was alone facing the biggest catfish I ever seen in 23 years."

Mr Barcardi had to leap off his boat to bring his prized catch ashore.

He even had to swim across the body of water to retrieve his boat and equipment, which had been floating away in the currents.

Alessandro Biancardi catches a massive catfish after 23 years of angling. Credit: Alessandro Biancardi
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In the presence of ten witnesses, an official measurement was carried out.It surpasses the current record holder, another fish pulled from the Po by angler Attila Zsedely in 2010, by a full 40cm.

But Mr Biancardi won't break a world record because he decided to release his catch back into the river.

He said: "I was very curious about the weight but I feared to stress the rare specimen too much so I decided to safely release it, hoping it could give another angler the same joy he gave to me."

This fish will however qualify for the International Game Fish Association's catch-and-release length record, beating the previous record-holder, a massive fish also caught in the Po, by four centimetres. 

Information was sent to the IGFA, so they could officially record the fish.

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