Monsters are real. That’s the lesson to be learned from these photos of a nine-foot, 280-pound catfish, caught by sponsored fisherman Dino Ferrari along the Po River in Italy on Thursday.
The photos of the giant catch are even more impressive when you consider the method used by Ferrari. Davide Valla, a representative for sponsor company Sportex, shared the details:
One thing that makes the latest Po River catch unique is that it was done with a spinning reel, said Valla, who called it a record for such fishing tackle. It took Ferrari 40 minutes to bring in the fish, then bring it to shore, his sponsor said.
The story has a happy ending for the massive beast. After snapping the photos below, Ferrari opted not to feed several families with his haul. Instead, he released it back into the river.
But aspiring fisherman aiming to reel in the ray-finned behemoth won’t have it easy. For now, Ferrari is keeping his prosperous fishing spot a secret.
