You never know what you’re going to catch when fishing. Is it a trout? Is that a tin can? A typical day along the lakeshore or on the river usually results in one or both of these outcomes. Some anglers, however, discover themselves reeling in the catch of a lifetime on special days. It is rare to break world records when one casts out, but German fishing guide Benjamin Gründer can attest to it. In 2018, Gründer caught a nine-foot Wels catfish in Italy’s River Po, setting an unofficial record.
The Gründers know all too well just how easily these records are broken, especially when hunting such rare sportfish. With little more than bait, you set out with the hope that the fish on the end of your line will be memorable.
A Wels catfish is known not only for its incredible length, but also for its aggressive nature. When hauled painstakingly to shore, these man-sized fish look like the last thing anyone would want to wrestle. The Wels, however, prefers to eat fish rather than fingers and toes for lunch.
Wels are typically not caught for eating, unlike smaller catfish such as blues or channel cats. Its pursuers are only after a chance to fight these watery beasts. The amateur fisherman dreamed of this when he cast that fateful day. He knew what was on the other side of the line could be a large catfish when the line pulled. What about a record-breaking one? Maybe. Murky depths of that stretch of river were rumored to hide creatures of this kind.
See the full video at the end of this article 🙂

In the case of Gründer’s catch, the word “large” is an understatement. According to The Epoch Times, the massive catfish measured about 9 feet long and weighed roughly 284 pounds. Fotos of Gründer’s mammoth Wels look like a photoshopped nightmare, dwarfing the men kneeling beside it.
Although the Wels had a staggering appearance, Gründer hooked it rather uneventfully. During the fight to bring the fish to the surface, the fish didn’t reveal its identity until later. When Gründer began reeling in his line, he thought he’d snagged his hook on a tree, according to Anglers Mail. His line got tangled on something immobile, he thought. After that, the tree branch started moving.
It didn’t take long to reel in the gigantic fish to the boat. The fish reached the boat within 45 minutes. After his catch, Gründer quickly moved on to a photo op. Somebody had a camera handy and snapped what may be the only record of the fish. Who could believe such an easily exaggerated story with those photos? Some fishermen are known for stretching the truth about what they really pulled from rivers.
Though Gründer’s catch is impressive, his picture is not enough to formally break the record. Because he was unable to weigh the fish or perform any of the official steps necessary for claiming the title, he let the fish go rather than k.i.l.l it just to weigh him. So, until another angler reels in this magnificent creature lurking beneath the River Po, the record stands.
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