In the Dutch town of Dodewaard on the River Waal, an angler has just set a new record. Mohammed Massaoudi was rewarded for his carefully organised hunt for the largest wels catfish in the Netherlands. He even used a fish finder. At the weekend, a 2.49-metre-long catfish finally swallowed his bait and Mohammed hauled it ashore.
Curiously, the previous record holder was Mohammed’s friend and fishing partner, Paul Breems, who most recently had landed a 2.47-metre catfish. After that record, Paul wanted to go one better, but his mate beat him to it. According to a report by bild.de, which in turn cites the angling magazine Blinker, Paul helped his friend carry the catfish onto dry land. In recent years he had gradually improved his own records, from an initial 2.42 to 2.47 metres.
The Dutch newspaper De Gelderlander reported that Mohammed will now be officially registered as the record holder. Paul apparently took it in his stride and congratulated his friend.
The catfish, incidentally, did not stay on land but was released back into the River Waal, so that it can keep on growing. Which means Paul could yet reclaim the record in future.
Last year, a 90-kilogram catfish in the Brombachsee lake in Bavaria bit several swimmers. The fish was eventually shot dead by the police. According to the officers, the animal had been behaving aggressively.
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