If we are interested in whether there are giant cannibal catfish, we will hear numerous chilling stories about killer fishes, dragging geese under water and swallowing whole, dogs, lambs that came to the watering place and even swimming children.
Here is one example of such a sensation. On the Dnieper, not far from the island of Khortytsya, the ship crashed. Three Polish tourists were transferred to a motor boat, but they never reached the shore. A few days later a five-meter catfish was caught, in the stomach of which human remains were found. And the motor boat turned out to be a hole made, apparently, by the mighty head of a cannibal catfish.
The plot of the bike is a bit like Melville's Moby Dick, but in the original the protagonist was the sperm whale. And he, as you know, a mammal, and very smart. Yes, and this sea animal is equipped with teeth unlike the bottom inhabitant of lakes and rivers. But is there smoke without fire? Perhaps it is not for nothing that in the folklore of different nations there appears an aquatic in the form of a giant fish, dragging out unwary swimmers under water? Is it true or myth that there are giant catfish killers?
Yes, this freshwater fish is a predator. Tales speak of real "torpedoes" under 6.3 meters in length and about half a ton in weight. However, a clear record was set in Italy, in the Po Valley, on the Adige River. In March 2011, professional fisherman Roberto Godi and his comrades pulled their trophy ashore for about 50 minutes. The caught specimen was weighed, measured and released in peace. Parameters - two and a half meters and a weight of 114 kg - were listed in the Guinness Book in the section "the largest freshwater fish." But the giant catfish that are found in Thailand, took the laurels of superiority from the Italian counterpart: 2.7 meters and 293 kg - this was the result of the country's authorities.
But these are all highs. An ordinary fisherman most often comes across a real “trifle” of ten to twenty kilos in weight. This is all because the species of fish is almost completely destroyed in our rivers and lakes. On a hook with a worm small catfish come across. They should be released, because puberty in these fish occurs in the fourth year of life. Giant catfish reach impressive sizes (from 80 to 100 kg), only having reached a venerable age of fifty years.
Fishermen who dream of catching a large trophy should stock up not only with strong fishing line, but also with a good deal of skill. Yes, and help does not hurt. After all, catfish is a very strong fish. His mouth is full of small teeth, but the main diet is still not people. This is fish, shellfish, toads. The predator lives in river pits, in whirlpools. Because of its size, he does not like the long pursuit of prey. It attacks fish from an ambush, but basically it can be said that catfish is a scavenger, an orderly of fresh water. This explains the facts of the presence of human remains in his stomach. But the fish would hardly attack a living swimmer. Most likely, the drowned man turned up very opportunely for her. So, do you need to catch a giant catfish? After all, from carcasses carcasses often reeks of rotten and mud!
Catfish do not like fast currents, as well as a large number of ships. They generally prefer quiet lakes with a stony bottom. But so that the water in them was clean, not muddy. Therefore, huge specimens of this species of fish have recently appeared on reservoirs. So, in 2007, a giant catfish was caught on a fishing rod at Kapchagai, in Kazakhstan. The trophy was 274 cm long and weighed 130 kg. A little later, already on the quok, they caught a catfish 2.6 meters long. This giant weighed 105 kg.