River Monster: This Giant Catfish Can Even Swallow A Man And It Was Caught Using Only A Fishing Rod

Any person, especially someone who has experienced fishing, knows that it requires a lot of discipline and patience. This ancient practice dating back to 40,000 years ago started as a necessity during the hunter-gatherer society and eventually developed into a sport. Nowadays, numerous fishing competitions are being held all over the world. In Italy, two fishermen made the catch of a lifetime.

This is Po Delta, a river that runs across northern Italy, where the Ferrari Brothers caught their prize catch

A massive 280 pound wels catfish that is huge enough to swallow a whole human was caught in Po Delta, Italy by brothers Dario and Dino Ferrari.

Dubbed as “The Monster of the Po River”

Dubbed as "The Monster of the Po River" by the Italian Media, it took more than 40 minutes using artificial bait and a spinning rod before they finally hooked the giant creature.

It could be the biggest catfish ever caught with a humble rod and line measuring 8 ft and 9in long

According to their sponsor Sportex Italia, a company that manufactures the rod they use, it is the biggest catfish caught using one of their products called Torpedo. The length measured 2.7 m. The brothers broke the previous UK record in 1997 when a 63-pound fish was caught in Bedforshire.

The cannibalistic wels catfish, also known as the sheatfish, is native to Europe and can grow as long as 13ft and up to 62st

But it is extremely rare to catch one that is over two meters long

It has plenty of small teeth that hold its prey and pads at the back of its throat

This fish feeds on worms, crustaceans, insects, and the bigger ones on frogs, rats, and pigeons. It has plenty of small teeth that hold its prey and pads at the back of its throat

These fish have been caught in Russia with human remains in their stomachs

According to River Monsters: "Tales of man-eating wels catfish date back as far as the 15th century, but 2008 saw a spate of attacks in Lake Schlachtensee outside of Berlin. Many believe the attacker to be a 5-foot wels catfish. These fish have been caught in Russia with human remains in their stomachs, but most experts suspect the victims were already drowned before being swallowed. Still, the wels catfish can exhibit aggressive behavior during its mating season, making it plausible that this monster fish could be responsible for attacks against humans that venture into its territory."

Po Delta waterform is the ideal environment for the species

After the two brothers weighed and measured the catfish they released the creature back into Po Delta where it belongs. This waterform is the ideal environment for the species.

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