Average Length: 60cm–90cm: (24-36 inches) The largest wels catfish ever recorded, also caught in the Po Delta, was 9.1 feet and weighed 297 pounds. The anglers were given another chance. Popping up the baits brings them to the attention of Catfish often improve catch rates. It fell to the rod of Markus Brock when he was guided for a mission on the mighty River Po in Italy. Rod manufacturer Sportex Italia, which sponsors Mr Ferrari, claimed that the 2.67m wels catfish was a world record size to be caught with its Torpedo spinning rod. Thankfully, that concluded the drama and, 20 minutes later, the fish made its first visit to the surface. The record for the largest blue catfish caught was claimed by a man in Virginia by the name of Richard Anderson. This called for teamwork and creativity. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Occurs mainly in large lakes and rivers, though occasionally enters brackish water in the Baltic and Black Seas. Strong, balanced tackle is required to land larger specimens, with many anglers catching fish whilst Carp fishing with standard car tackle. After taking the bait at a depth of just 3.5 meters, the fish took off against the current like a steam train. The species was introduced to England from Germany in the late 1800s, with 70 being stocked into The Shoulder of Mutton Lake at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire in 1880, having been received as a gift to the British Ambassador in Berlin. The huge catfish was caught from the powerful River Po. Wels. The wels relies largely on hearing and smell for hunting prey (owing to its sensitive Weberian apparatus and chemoreceptors respectively), although like many other catfish, the species is characterised with a tapetum lucidum, providing its eyes with a degree of sensitivity at night, … The first 25 minutes proceeded according to plan. The teeth on the jaw are abrasive and care should be taken whilst handling them as contact with skin can result in a ‘graze’ like wound. However, Markus was unable to gain the upper hand in the fight and the fish remained stubbornly on the bottom. Then disaster struck, the hook pulled out and the chance was lost. Wels Catfish. This freshwater colossus, around 286 lb of hard-fighting catfish, has been admired around the world.
Cat Balls have been designed to allow silent and inconspicuous bait presentation.
Maximum Length: 5 metres: (16 feet 6 inches) Fishing on River Ebro, Bernie Campbell finally catches elusive albino wels catfish after 7 years of trying. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. “But at a certain point, I realized it had to be a fish of monstrous proportions!”.
Average Weight: 10–20lb (5.0kg-10.0kg) So providing that your baits are well presented and attractive to the Catfish, there is a good chance that a hungry Wels will find your bait. Log in, Meet Patrick, the World’s Oldest and Largest Living Wombat, World’s Only Documented All-White Humpback, This Video of a Moose Running Across a River is Crazy and People are Calling Him the Moosiah, Just a Tiny Hummingbird Feeding Its Even Tinier Babies, Just a Tiny Hummingbird Feeding Its Even Tinier Babies, Norwegian Singer-Songwriter AURORA Delivers Stunning Cover of 'Teardrop' by Massive Attack, 10 More Uplifting Clips from the Skater Drinking Juice to Fleetwood Mac, Random Guy at Skate Park Teaches Kid How To Drop In, The 25 Most Expensive Things Ever Sold on eBay, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Just Put the Mansion on Airbnb for $30 a Night, This Video of a Moose Running Across a River is Crazy and People are Calling Him the Moosiah, This Amazing Bridge Turns Into a Tunnel and Connects Denmark and Sweden, Random Guy at Skate Park Teaches Kid How To Drop In, Norwegian Singer-Songwriter AURORA Delivers Stunning Cover of ‘Teardrop’ by Massive Attack. The British Record was closed on 23rd October 2000 And, as you can see in the picture above, it was something far more than spectacular! The wels catfish's mouth contains lines of numerous small teeth, two long barbels on the upper jaw and four shorter barbels on the lower jaw. And, as you can see in the picture above, it was something far more than spectacular! Catfish will take many types of bait and will often hoover up beds of halibut pellets and boilies, especially those with strong fish and meat flavours. Life Span: Up to 90+ Years.
As expected, at a water temperature of seven degrees, the fish were extremely passive. Monster weighs 206 pounds and measures 8 feet. Wow – what an immense specimen! A Catfish’s natural diet consists mainly of fish, but is a predator with a considerable appetite and varied palate and will consume amphibians, worms, crayfish, leeches, small swimming mammals like mice, rats or voles, and water birds from chicks to adult ducks. Markus Brock got his chance. Fisherman Dino Ferrari caught and released a Wels Catfish weighing 280-pounds (127 kg) and measuring 8 ft 9 in.
A world record size wels catfish from Italy. He wound the line around his arm and Kai cut it free from the tree. The colouration of Wels varies greatly between individuals: usually with the back being fairly dark olive green to blue-black, giving way to paler flanks sometimes rusty in colour.
The scales were dispensed with for the sake of the catfish’s well-being but its weight was estimated at 130 kilograms (around 286 lb)! Welcome to Advnture, the new home of AnglersMail.co.uk. A hand-sized crucian carp on a size 6 rigging hook and a size 3 ghost hook through the 130-gram Cat Ball were presented floating off the bottom. However, the use of the Wels Catfish as a food source does not appear to have been as successful as was anticipated.
All the latest inspiration, tips and guides to help you plan your next Advnture! Although Ferrari's catch is impressive, unfortunately he was just shy of the world record for a Wels catfish catch, which weighed 297 pounds 9 ounces (134.97 kilograms). In the 1860’s, in anticipation of the possible use of Wels Catfish to feed the masses, "The Times" newspaper suggested that the fish was "the most important animal introduction since the bringing of the turkey", describing the flesh as "veal with a rich eel-like flavour, superior to salmon." All rights reserved. The big catfish on the Po are now familiar with vertical fishing and the noises a normal weight head makes on the bottom. Only time will tell how large they grow in British waters. Evidence has shown that Wels of 180lb caught in Continental Europe have been as young as 24-years old, so consider how old the enormous specimens that inhabit the freshwater lakes of Russia may be !
There was a problem. On the second day of their vertical tour, Benjamin detected the presumed giant specimen yet again but all attempts to convince it to take the bait were in vain. This one looks big enough to eat the angler that caught him. Rod manufacturer Sportex Italia, which sponsors Mr Ferrari, claimed that the 2.67m wels catfish was a world record size to be caught with its Torpedo spinning rod. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? Although White Sturgeon (Huso huso), grow to weights of 2,200lb, they spend much of their life at sea, and it is quite possible that Silurus glanis is the largest freshwater fish in the world. The Wels Catfish is also seen in bright colours, ranging from bright orange and yellows, to albino looking forms with red eyes, whilst others grow almost entirely blue/black in colour. The measuring tape recorded a length of 268 cm. Or click here to claim a National Record Fish. According to the British Record Fish Committee, the largest recorded capture of the species was set in May when a 147lb (66.6kg) wels catfish was … The wels catfish, the largest freshwater fish found in Europe, measured 8 feet, 8 inches and, based on a measurement formula, weighed an estimated 286 pounds. Copyright © 2010 - 2020 Farnham Angling Society - All rights reserved, Copyright © 2010 - 2020 Farnham Angling Society. The 280-pound behemoth is believed to be the largest catfish ever caught with a rod and reel. The following tackle is recommended: 2.5 – 3.5lb TC rods; reels loaded with 200m of 15lb (minimum) mainline; abrasion resistant hook links; large & strong single hooks; 42” landing net; large unhooking mat and sensitive bite indicators. The British Record Fish Committee unfortunately stopped accepting record claims for Wels Catfish and closed the record list (see above), this followed a period of illegal fish smuggling into England from mainland Europe, during which some claims were submitted citing fisheries with no known history of Wels Catfish being present. Richard Anderson’s world-record blue catfish ©Photo from Dallas Weston. The Wels Catfish uses its jaws to grip prey before passing it to two sets of crushing pads at the back of the throat, where the prey is crushed.