In a recent blog post, Allessandro Biancardi, a professional fisherman from Italy, recounted his encounter with a colossal creature measuring 9 feet 4 1/4 inches, which he successfully caught in May. Biancardi described the struggle as seemingly “endless.”
Approaching his first fishing spot in silence, Biancardi experienced a powerful bite after a few casts. The fish remained motionless for a few seconds before initiating a highly intricate battle amidst strong currents and numerous submerged obstacles, as he explained.
Using a spinning lure in the murky waters of Italy’s largest river, the Po River, Biancardi felt the bite from the enormous creature. Despite being alone, he calmly pursued the hooked fish for 40 minutes until it finally broke the water’s surface, revealing a “prehistoric fish” of unparalleled proportions—the largest Biancardi had encountered in his 23-year career.
The initial sighting of the monster fish triggered a surge of adrenaline, instilling a sense of panic due to the fear of losing it. Biancardi recounted his attempts to pull the fish out of the water by its mouth, which proved unsuccessful. Eventually, he decided to chase the fish into shallow waters, hoping to secure it from the shore.
Photo Courtesy of Instagram
After several attempts, he succeeded in hauling the fish ashore. However, during the lengthy struggle, Biancardi had forgotten to anchor his boat, and it began drifting away with the current. To compound matters, he had to swim out and retrieve both the boat and his belongings.
With ten witnesses present, Biancardi measured the fish, realizing that it could potentially rival the world record for the largest catch. The existing record, according to Field and Stream, was set in 2010 with a catfish measuring 8 feet and 2 inches—40 centimeters shorter than Biancardi’s remarkable find.
The measurement of Biancardi’s catch has been submitted to the International Game Fish Association for official recognition.
