Catfish, due to its prevalence and large size, is a coveted catch object for many anglers. Catfish are considered common with a weight of up to fifty kilograms. But large specimens can no longer be lifted by one person - their mass is calculated by centners, and some representatives of this species of fish can reach three meters in length. There are quite a few cases of catching catfish of extraordinary sizes, but fishermen are in no hurry, usually
somehow fix such a fact, therefore it is simply not possible to reliably determine which largest catfish was caught and where. I must say that the habitat of freshwater catfish in the world is very large - it loves temperate and warm latitudes, but it does not occur at all in the northern regions.
The official Guinness record holder is the Thai inhabitant of the Mekong River. The mass of the giant was 292 kilograms. Since the catch was recorded in the presence of witnesses, this freshwater fish is the largest catfish in the world. It is also curious that almost ten years have passed since the capture of the giant, and no one has yet overcome this record.
Ichthyologists assure that giant catfish are not such a remarkable phenomenon, the whole point is the purity of water and plentiful food. By the way, catfish are predators. The main diet - crayfish, fish, frogs, leeches, does not shun carrion. Giants prefer ducks and other birds, do not disdain squirrels and any gaping small animal.
But, according to historical sources, modern catfish are small in comparison with their predecessors. For example, in the German Oder at the beginning of the nineteenth century a catfish was caught weighing from 400 to 450 kilograms! This is to ensure that the modern largest
Europe's catfish weighed only 150 kilograms. The lucky owner of the catch was the Italian Armando Frisero.
Native open spaces are also famous for their giants. The largest catfish in Russia was caught in the nineteenth century. Its weight was 347 kilograms with a length of four and a half meters! Currently, there are no recorded cases of the capture of huge Russian catfish, alas. And the point is not that the fish transferred - on the Volga, for example, two-meter-long catfish - the most common occurrence. Most likely, the fact is that witnessing a catch is a troublesome business, and fishermen do not consider it necessary to spend time on such trifles. Or maybe - just modesty interferes. One way or another, but the record holder of the Russian scale does not currently officially exist.
In addition to its gigantic size, catfish can have an unusual color. For example, albino catfish are found in the British Ebro River. The largest catfish with a lack of melanin was caught by Chris Grimmer.
The albino mass was 88 kilograms.
Presumably, the largest catfish is an inhabitant of the Dutch lake in the park “Centerparcs”. A giant up to three meters long is a local attraction and is named Big Mom. By the way, this lady has a good appetite, because every day, in addition to the usual food, she bites with two or three waterfowl.
Despite the fact that catfish are not able to grab prey with their teeth due to their fineness, it bites painfully. Cases of som attacks on people are also known. All this makes the reservoirs in which these unusual creatures live unsafe for swimming.
