CATMANKEV The Catfish Hunter

The following is a press release from the International Game Fish Association:

In the June edition of the IGFA Hot News we reported about the February 5th catch and release of a huge 113.5 kg (250 lb 3 oz) wels that stirred the pens of writers throughout Europe and beyond, while earning the Italian angler who caught it an IGFA All-Tackle World Record.

Then just a month later to the amazement of the many avid anglers on the European continent, another giant wels was caught and released. That catch leads off this edition of the Hot Catches including updates from IGFA World Records Coordinator Jack Vitek of other pending records from Australia, Panama, Canada, Sweden and the U.S.

IFGA photoThis huge wels catfish was caught in the River Po in Italy with a Rapala plug.

Ajka, Hungary angler Zsedely Attila, guided by Captain Kiss Jozset, landed a 135 kg (297 lb 9 oz) potential IGFA All-Tackle record wels (Silurus glanis) on March 11, while fishing Italy’s River Po. He was using a Rapala plug when the monster fish hit and needed the better part of an hour to bring this fish to the boat. Aside from the enormous size of the fish, what is even more amazing is that the River Po has produced three potential IGFA All-Tackle wels records within the past year, not to mention that all three have been released alive. The current IGFA record is 113.5 kg (250 lb 3 oz) caught and released a month earlier on Feb. 5, by Italian angler Roberto Godi of Arcole Veroma.

The manager of leading commercial fishery Hayfield Lakes has called on specimen anglers to help him remove a huge catfish which is eating its way through his stock of carp and silver fish, as well as terrorising other wildlife.

Top match angler Rob Hitchens, who took over the running of Hayfield Lakes in Doncaster earlier this year, gained first-hand experience of the ‘rogue resident’ last week when it ate a duck off the surface in front of his eyes.

Now the former Fish O’Mania winner is eager to employ the services of dedicated big-fish anglers to catch and relocate the predator before it wreaks further havoc at the South Yorkshire complex.

Rob said: “I was fishing on Island Lake and there were five mallard ducks in the margins of the next peg. Suddenly, there was a big splash and one of the ducks disappeared! At first I thought that it had dived down for food, but then I saw a large spade-like tail rise from the depths and slap down on the surface. A few seconds later a plume of feathers came to the top, just like something out of a Jaws movie. Another angler, Barry Oliver, was sat behind me and actually saw the duck get grabbed!”

Although catfish appeared in the venue several years ago, it was thought that they had all been removed when it was drained.

“They’ve obviously bred and cats to 14lb have been caught in the last year, but this one fish has outgrown everything else. It has been seen cruising near the surface by several people, who have estimated it at somewhere between 40lb and 60lb. I need to get rid of it because something that size is bound to eat a few fish and it doesn’t belong in a commercial. I intend to organise a series of one-off night sessions where a team of specimen anglers can come up here to fish specifically for it,” he added.

Simon Clarke, secretary of the Catfish Conservation Society, is no stranger to helping to relocate outsized ‘moggies’, although is adamant that alleged problems with the species are often blown out of all proportion.

“Catfish are omnivorous and, as such, it’s not really necessary to remove them from such fisheries - they are present in plenty of waters where they cause no problems - pike are often more of an issue than catfish. That said, we have members in the north who will be happy to come down and fish for it we have done this sort of thing on other venues, and have a licensed fishery in the Midlands where we can relocate the catfish. Obviously, the relevant Section 30 requirements will have to be met prior to the operation taking place,” he said.

A giant catfish has been caught in the Vistula River, probably the largest ever fished out of inland waters in Poland.

The fish measured 232 centimetres and was caught in the river near Plock in central Poland.

Though impressed by the catch, Marek Szymanski, editor of Wędkarski Świat (Angling World) magazine told Polish Radio that the catfish population in the river is under pressure from over fishing.

Thai fishermen netted a catfish as big as a grizzly bear, setting a world record for the largest freshwater fish ever found, according to researchers who studied the 646-pound Mekong giant catfish as part of a project to protect large freshwater fish.

“It’s amazing to think that giants like this still swim in some of the world’s rivers,” project leader Zeb Hogan project leader said in a statement. “We’ve now confirmed now that this catfish is the current record holder, an astonishing find.”

Others have made claims of finding larger sturgeon, but the International Game Fishing Association says the largest sturgeon on record is 468 pounds. That fish has also held the record for largest freshwater fish caught.

“I’m thrilled that we’ve set a new record, but we need to put this discovery in context: these giant fish are uniformly poorly studied and some are critically endangered," added Hogan, a fellow with the World Wildlife Fund, which is partnering with the National Geographic Society. "Some, like the Mekong giant catfish, face extinction.”

'Largest fish species disappearing'

Hogan said his study of giant freshwater fish "is showing a clear and global pattern: the largest fish species are disappearing.

"The challenge is clear," he added, "we must find methods to protect these species and their habitats. By acting now, we can save animals like the Mekong giant catfish from extinction.”

Hogan's project includes two-dozen other species, including the giant freshwater stingray, the dog-eating catfish, the dinosaur-like arapaima, and the Chinese paddlefish – "all of which remain contenders for the title of the world’s largest fish," the researchers stated, pending the final results of their work.

"Long shots for the title include caviar-producing sturgeon, goliath Amazon catfish, giant lungfish, razor-toothed gars, massive cods, and Mongolian salmon," they added.

Didn't survive capture

The Mekong giant catfish was caught and eaten in a remote village in Thailand along the Mekong River, home to more species of giant fish than any other river in the world, the researchers said.

Local environmentalists and government officials had negotiated to release the fish so it could continue its spawning migration in the far north of Thailand, near the borders of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China, but the adult male later died.

The researchers said the Mekong giant catfish is declining as a species due to habitat destruction and upstream dams.

The Mekong River Basin is home to more species of massive fish than any river on Earth, they added, and Mekong fish are the primary source of protein for the 73 million people that live along the river.

A grandmother has entered the record books after catching the biggest ever freshwater fish by a British woman - a 15st 4lb catfish.

Sheila Penfold, who stands at just 5ft 3in and is registered blind, was nearly dragged into the river when the monster catfish took her bait during a holiday in Spain.

The 56-year-old had to be directed by husband Alan and son Arthur as she fought for 30 minutes to land the prized 214lb catch.

It was the biggest fish ever caught by a woman in Spain.

Mrs Penfold, who is partially sighted, only realised how big her catch was when she saw it up close.

She said: 'I was exhausted but elated afterwards. The record has taken a while to sink in.

'I'm still walking around with a smile on my face. But it goes to show that just because you are blind it doesn't stop you breaking records like this.'

Mrs Penfold, from Wandsworth in London, used a bait of halibut pellets to snare the 8ft 2ins long catfish on the River Ebro near Barcelona.

She said: 'I had three rods lined up on the bank and when one of them tipped over Arthur told me which one it was.

'I grabbed hold of it and was immediately pulled towards the water. Luckily I managed to stop myself and I started to reel it in.

'But for some reason I turned round and said that I didn't think it was going to be a big one. Then all of a sudden it took off again and it took the line of the reel.

'When it broke the surface of the water Alan told me it was a big size. I saw it for the first time when it was near the edge and it looked a monster.'

The specimen was so huge it took Alan, a 62-year-old retired gardener, Arthur and two colleagues to heave it into a weighing slip.

After having her picture taken with it, Mrs Penfold returned the catfish back into the water in good health.

She said: 'Alan wasn't at all jealous and was really pleased for me.'

Mr Penfold said: 'She isn't really a big woman but she stuck to it and got it in the end, although it took everything out of her.

'She did brilliantly, especially as she is registered blind.'

The record for the biggest fish caught in Britain by a woman is a 69lb 8oz catfish caught by Bev Street, 46, from Skegness.

Mike Heylin, of the British Records Fish Committee, said: 'I would think this is the biggest freshwater fish caught by a British woman.

'The only freshwater fish that grow to that size in the world are either sturgeon or catfish.

'As far as I'm aware there has been no sturgeon of that size caught by a woman before and the Ebro is home to probably the biggest catfish in the world,

A monster from the deep has broken the record for the biggest freshwater fish ever caught in Europe.

Measuring 8.2ft long and weighing just over 250lbs the gigantic catfish was heaved out of a lake after a 45 minute back-breaking tussle.

Plucky angler Roberto Godi was nearly thrown into the water when the brute took his bait of a live bream

After an epic battle to reel it in, several other fishermen rushed to his aid to help him lift the beast onto a weighing frame and mat designed to support such beasts.

The scales shot up to a mighty 250lbs 2ozs - or 17.8 stones - sparking scenes of celebration on the river bank.

Not only is the catch the biggest of its kind in Europe, it is also the biggest species of wels catfish ever caught in the world.

It broke the previous European record which was another catfish that weighed 246lbs 14oz and was caught by French angler Christophe Dubreuil on Spain's River Ebro.

The specimen was netted by Roberto, 32, on the River Po at Mantova, northern Italy, before being released back into the water safe and well.

Alberto Bartoli, the charter captain who was with Roberto, said: "At first we thought it was a medium sized fish, then Roberto felt a lot of pressure and the water cleared and we knew it was a big one.

"It took around 45 minutes to reel in, it was a real fight, "When he got it in all the other fisherman were so surprised, we knew it was big and when the weight was confirmed Roberto was delighted.

"He said he had never been so happy and that it was the strongest fish he had ever caught, Roberto is also pleased the fish was returned unhurt." Simon Clarke, secretary of the Catfish Conservation Group, believes the fish is probably between 20 and 30 years old.

Simon said: "It is the largest Catfish I have seen in 25 years. I think there could be some bigger but not significantly.

"It is feasible for this fish to reach 300lbs but no more than that. I have never seen pictures of anything bigger.

"Once these fish get over 100lbs it becomes a physical battle as they become more powerful than you. It is a fantastic achievement." Roberto has submitted his catch to the International Game Fishing Association, which is expected to confirm it as a record.

Jack Vitek, of the IGFA, said: "The record is still being verified, there are quite a few checks we need to make first but hopefully it will be confirmed soon."