Every fisherman dreams of a rich catch. Some fish for pleasure and can stand with a fishing rod near the water without catching anything, others catch fish to eat later, and still others engage in sport fishing, these are professionals who just want to catch more and bigger fish.
Canadian fisherman Ken Fraster's finest hour came in 1979, when he was fishing in the waters of Olds Cove in the fall. Fate presented him with a gift in the form of a giant Atlantic tuna (lat. Thunnus thynnus). The giant pulled as much as 678 kg. Catching such a colossus took the fisherman almost an hour (45 minutes).
The record set by the fisherman glorified him forever. Since then, no one has been able to surpass him, since it was never possible to catch tuna over 450 kg. After this photo was taken, he released the fish into the wild.
Fabulous size pike
As it turned out, amazing pikes are caught not only by Ivan the Fools in fairy tales, but also by ordinary fishermen in real life. Although, unlike fairy tales, real pikes cannot speak in human language, but you cannot deny them the ability to make wishes come true, because their catch itself makes the fisherman forever famous.
So one day (October 16, 1986) a similar pike made fisherman Lothar Lewis happy with its appearance. The beauty was simply stunning in size for a pike - 152 cm in length and 25 kg. weight. For a whole 40 minutes the pike resisted the fisherman, trying to escape into its element. And yet Lewis managed to pull the fish ashore. The action took place on Lake Greffern, located in the western part of Germany. Perhaps the descendants of this giant pike, not inferior in size to it, still live in this lake. Why not try your luck? What if luck smiles on you next time?
Giant Grouper or Guasa | 2.5 meters
The top 10 largest fish in the world opens with the giant grouper or guasa . Distributed in the tropical shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea, found on the coast of Brazil. It reaches 2.5 meters in length. It feeds on fish, small sea turtles, and octopuses. The giant grouper is an endangered species and is prohibited from fishing. This had an effect - the population of these giant fish is slowly but increasing. Since the grouper actively defends its territory, it can, in defense, attack a person and cause serious wounds.
Largest blue catfish
During his next fishing trip in 2012, Greg Bernal had incredible luck. The fisherman caught a giant representative of blue catfish (lat. Ictalurus furcatus). The individual was 1.45 m in size and weighed almost 59 kg. There was a giant in the Missouri River.
Who knows how many more strange giant fish are found in the reservoirs of our mysterious planet, waiting for the lucky fisherman to become the goldfish of his dreams. Perhaps next time we'll see you in the photo?
The largest catfish (Catfish, Sheatfish) is the dream of any experienced fisherman. Record-sized predatory fish are usually documented thanks to big game hunters who are always trying to record their incredible catch. Usually a person who manages to catch a giant trophy is perceived by other fishermen as nothing less than great.
The largest catfish (Catfish, Sheatfish) is the dream of any experienced fisherman
Catfish is one of the giant centenarians that can surprise you with its size and age. Determining its maximum possible size is very difficult, because in addition to documented reports of capture, there are many more unconfirmed ones. There are many references in historical archives to the capture of giant Sheatfish from the 19th century, which are more like fairy tales, but may well be true. Listed below are documented giant catfish of various varieties.
The largest channel Catfish caught was 1m 30cm long and weighed 26kg. There are relatively few unconfirmed reports of catching this species, so this fish probably does not reach large sizes. Blue Sheatfish are considered larger. The largest representative of this species in the world had a length of 1 m 70 cm and a weight of 45 kg. There is also information about unprecedented specimens that were caught in the 19th century. If you believe such reports, the weight of the largest blue catfish reached 68 kg. It is difficult to say how true this information is, but we can assume that a length of 1 m 70 cm is not the limit for this type of fish. The length of the largest flathead catfish was 1 m 55 cm, and it weighed 56 kg.
To date, there is no confirmed data on the capture of larger specimens, and we can conclude that the above figures correspond to the maximum sizes.
The common, or river, catfish is much larger in size compared to other species. This is exactly the type of Catfish that has lived in Russia for centuries. It is considered the largest in the world. These days, the largest fish caught usually weigh no more than 90 kg. There is confirmed information that the largest catch in the world is a specimen weighing 300 kg and 5 m long. According to unconfirmed records from the 19th century, the largest catfish in Russia reached 6 m in length, and its maximum weight was 350 kg. However, no evidence was found that the record catfish could reach 400 kg.
The Stiletto Catfish is another giant species that reaches 3m in length. The largest representative of this species weighed 350 kg, which makes it an absolute record holder in terms of weight, although it is inferior in size to an ordinary catfish.
Although the Sheatfish is considered one of the largest bony fish, some varieties barely reach a maximum length of 12 cm. However, they become sexually mature at 1 cm in length.
The largest freshwater fish in the world
I present to your attention a list of the 10 largest freshwater fish in the world.
Carp
Carp is the common name for freshwater fish of the carp family. They are widely distributed in various bodies of water around the world. They prefer quiet, stagnant or slow-flowing waters with a hard clayey and slightly silted bottom. Capable of growing up to 1.2 meters in length and weighing more than 100 kg. They feed on mollusks, crustaceans, worms and insect larvae. The largest carp caught by a British angler in 2013 weighed 45.59 kg.
Common taimen
Common taimen is a species of large freshwater fish, the largest representative of the salmon family. They live in fast-flowing, cold rivers of Siberia and in the Amur River basin. Common taimen can grow up to 1.5–2 m long and weigh 60–80 kg. However, most mature fish caught averaged between 70 and 120 cm in length and weighed between 15 and 30 kg. The largest specimen caught, recorded by the International Game Fish Association, weighed 41.95 kg with a length of 156 cm. The species is listed in the Red Book.
Common catfish
The common catfish is a large freshwater, scaleless, bottom-dwelling fish found in deep rivers, deep channels, lakes and reservoirs throughout Europe and Asia. The body length of catfish can reach 5 m, weight - 100 kg. There is a lot of information about giant catfish reaching 250–300 kg, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of such catfish. It is a typical predator and feeds on fish, large benthic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, small mammals and even relatives. Like the pike, the catfish is an excellent orderly for reservoirs; it eats sick and weakened fish. Cases of attacks on people have also been described.
Nile perch
Nile perch is a type of large freshwater predatory fish that lives in the basins of the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger rivers, as well as in lakes Chad, Volta, Turkana and other reservoirs. Found in Lake Maryut in Egypt. They can grow up to 2 meters in length and weigh up to 200 kg. However, adults usually reach a length of 121–137 cm. The Nile perch is a predator that dominates in the reservoirs of residence. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and insects. Where food resources are limited, they can also eat relatives.
Beluga
Beluga is a species of fish from the sturgeon family. It lives in the White, Caspian, Azov, Black, and Adriatic seas, from where it enters rivers for spawning. Their body length can reach 5 m, weight - 1000 kg (usually individuals up to 2.5 m and weighing up to 200-300 kg are caught). As an exception, according to unconfirmed reports, there were individuals 9 m long and weighing up to 2 tons; if this information is correct, then the beluga can be considered the largest freshwater fish on the globe. It feeds mainly on fish, but does not neglect shellfish.
White sturgeon
The fifth place in the list of the largest freshwater fish on the planet is occupied by the White sturgeon - a species of fish of the sturgeon family, the largest freshwater fish in North America. Inhabits the bottom of slow-moving rivers and bays along the west coast of North America. The white sturgeon can grow up to 6.1 m long and weigh 816 kg. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and mollusks.
Chinese paddlefish
The Chinese paddlefish or psefur is a freshwater fish that lives only in the Yangtze River, sometimes swims into large lakes and the Yellow Sea. Their body length can exceed 3 meters and weight 300 kilograms. There is information that in the 1950s, fishermen caught a paddlefish 7 meters long and weighing about 500 kg, although the veracity of this story is unconfirmed. It feeds on fish and crustaceans. Its meat and caviar are highly prized in China.
Giant freshwater stingray
The giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis) is a species of freshwater stingray that lives in the tropical waters of several large rivers in Indochina and Kalimantan. Capable of growing up to 1.9 m wide and weighing 600 kg. They feed mainly on crustaceans and mollusks, possibly earthworms. The giant freshwater stingray is not aggressive, although they must be handled with care as their poisonous long spine can easily penetrate human bone. This species is endangered.
Mississippi girt
The Mississippi shellfish or alligator gar is a species of large freshwater fish common in the lower Mississippi River valley and its tributaries in North and Central America. This is a very fast and strong, but shy fish. According to experts, the Mississippi shellfish can grow up to 3 m in length and weigh more than 130 kg. In 2011, the largest shellfish caught was officially registered, its length was 2.572 m, weight 148 kg. It feeds mainly on fish, small mammals, birds, turtles, etc. There are known cases of attacks on children, fortunately, they never ended fatally. Included in the list of prehistoric fish that were considered extinct.
Giant catfish The giant catfish is the largest freshwater fish and is endangered. It is found only in the lower Mekong River, as well as in the Tonle Sap River and Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Fish of this species can grow up to 3 meters in length and weigh 150–200 kg. They are herbivores - they feed mainly on algae and phytoplankton. The largest specimen caught in 2005 reached a length of 2.7 m and weighed 293 kg, and it was recognized as the largest freshwater fish caught by humans.
Myths and legends associated with catfish
Raising a giant specimen in captivity is very difficult. The main problem is that catfish gain weight slowly, and it can take many years to reach record sizes. Additionally, wild varieties generally do not grow well in captivity, much like aquarium fish do not do well in the wild.
The huge difference between official data and historical chronicles greatly complicates the task of determining the maximum possible size of catfish. But we can assume that a length of 5 m is not the limit for such a fish. A catfish can only pull 300 kg if its age is several decades. This is the largest fish living in fresh water. For comparison, the largest carp in the world, according to L.P. Sabaneev, weighs only 70 kg. This fish is very strong, but is significantly smaller in size than Catfish. The largest silver carp was caught in 2015 on the Dnieper River. His weight was 50 kg. As you can see from these examples, the largest fish caught from other freshwater species cannot compete with Sheatfish.
Record-sized predatory fish are usually documented thanks to big game hunters who are always trying to record their incredible catch
This fish can indeed pose a danger to human health, but the problem is not at all that the 300-kilogram catfish preys on people. Some varieties of this fish may have sharp spines on their fins. These thorns are not poisonous, but they must be handled with extreme caution.
Descriptions of cases when a huge river monster attacked a waterfowl do not resemble the truth, since the catfish actively hunts at night, and in the daytime behaves more calmly and prefers not to leave deep holes. These attacks are most likely associated with the activity of large pike (after all, it is not without reason that it is popularly nicknamed “duckling”).
The legend about the huge mutant Catfish, weighing three hundred kilograms and living in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, deserves special mention. There really is a giant catfish that no one is trying to catch, but its size has nothing to do with radiation exposure. This can be explained by the fact that the Pripyat River has become a kind of reserve for fish, free from the invasion of fishermen and poachers.
Largemouth Bass
A particularly important target for sport fishing is the largemouth bass, which belongs to the trout bass family. Largemouth bass still live best in Florida, in the dark waters of rivers, lakes, and also swamps, where quite often large and well-fed individuals are found, weighing up to 5 kilograms or more. Incredibly, the Japanese Manabu Kurita managed to catch a largemouth bass that was unique in absolutely every way, it turned out to be the largest of all that fishermen had come across before, he pulled this specimen by as much as 10 kilograms. In addition, it turned out that he is also a long-liver, I can’t even believe it, but his age is 77 years. This significant event took place in 2009; before that, a record sample of 9 kilograms was caught in the vicinity of Georgie, but this happened back in 1932.
Moonfish | 2 meters
The sunfish is the largest and most amazing bony fish that lives in warm seas everywhere on Earth. You can meet it from the Kuril Islands to Iceland. It looks quite unusual: the body of the fish is compressed from the sides and resembles a giant disk. The skin is not covered with scales, but with small bony tubercles. The size of the fish is amazing - 2 meters in length. Weight can reach 1.5 tons. Officially, the largest specimen was 3 meters long, but there are reports of sunfish measuring over 4 meters in the waters off Sydney.
Unlike many of the world's largest fish , the sunfish does not pose any danger to humans. On the contrary, it is the object of active fishing. Eighth place in our ranking.
Blue Marlin | 5 meters
Blue marlin is one of the most beautiful and largest marine fish in the world. Reaches impressive sizes - 5 meters in length. Moreover, about 20% of the length of the fish falls on its spear. Females are much larger than males. Habitat: Atlantic Ocean. Marlin is a favorite sport fishing target. Catching him is considered a great success. In his famous story “The Old Man and the Sea,” Hemingway described a three-day struggle between an old fisherman and a blue marlin. Fourth place in our ranking.
Strap-fish or herring king | 11 meters
The belt fish, or herring king , is one of the most unusual and longest fish in the world . It lives at depth in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. It is often mistaken for a sea snake. This is not surprising - with a body thickness of only 5 centimeters, the length of the fish can reach five and a half meters. According to some reports, individuals were found about 17 meters in length. The largest documented specimen was 11 meters long. The second name - the herring king - was not given to the fish belt by chance. It is often seen swimming in schools of herring, and the highly elongated rays of the dorsal fin form a kind of “crown” on its head.
