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Fishing in the Po Delta of Italy, Dino Ferrari
landed a 280-pound wels catfish, said to possibly be the largest ever caught on
rod and reel.
Italian fisherman Dino Ferrari, an expert at
catching big
 wels
catfish, outdid himself on Thursday when he landed an enormous 280-pounder in
the Po Delta, a part of the famous Po River, the longest river in Italy at more
than 400 miles.
The wels catfish was put in a sling and weighed out at 280 pounds.
The Po River and Delta are known for massive wels catfish, but anything bigger
than 6.5 feet is considered extremely rare, and this one measured 8.8 feet.
The U.K. Mirror reported that Ferrari’s fish could possibly be the world’s
biggest wels catfish caught with a rod and reel, though records of this sort are
difficult to confirm.
Italian fisherman Dino Ferrari with his 280-pound wels catfish from the Po
Delta. It might be a world record on rod and reel. Photo from the Sportex Italia
Facebook page
The Mirror and NT News reported that the biggest wels catfish ever recorded was
a 9.1-footer from the Po Delta, but they differ on its weight—one reporting it
as 308 pounds, the other as 317 pounds. The method of that catch is uncertain.
Sportex Italia, Ferrari’s sponsor, called his fish the “world record spinning
torpedo,” which might mean it’s a world record for a Torpedo spinning rod made
by an Italian manufacturer, though it also simply says it’s a “world record in
the spin fishing for catfish.”
Regardless, Ferrari’s fish is one of the biggest wels catfish recorded in recent
history.
After weighing the wels catfish, Dino and Dario Ferrari released the beast back
into the Po Delta. Photo is from the Sportex Italia Facebook page
The wels catfish is the second-largest freshwater fish in its region, ranking
behind the beluga sturgeon. The largest beluga sturgeon on record is reportedly
3,463 pounds.
Ferrari told GrindTV that the fish took an artificial bait on the surface, and
the fight from a boat lasted 40 minutes.
The best part about Ferrari’s catch is that after he and his brother, Dario,
weighed the fish, they released it back into the delta so it could fight again
another day. |
