The largest fish in the world. The largest catfish caught The largest fish caught by fishermen

In this collection you will learn about the largest creatures ever caught in the water

1. The largest lobster ever caught
A 12-kilogram lobster was caught off the coast of Maine.



2. The largest catfish
The largest catfish ever caught was almost 3 meters long. She was caught by villagers in Thailand, but despite their best efforts, she eluded them.


3. The largest stingray
This giant freshwater stingray weighed more than 250 kilograms. It took more than 90 minutes to pull him out of the water.



4. The biggest salmon
The king of salmon weighed as much as 40 kilograms, 2 times more than salmon usually weigh


5. The largest squid
The largest squid ever caught was caught in the Arctic Ocean. Its length was more than 6 meters and weighed about half a ton. Previously, the largest squid was caught in New Zealand and weighed 70 kilograms less

6. The biggest marlin
This marlin was caught in Hawaii in 1984. Its length was more than 5 meters and its weight was almost 700 kilograms.

7. Huge sea bass
It took more than an hour to pull this sea bass out of the water. His weight was more than 200 kilograms

8. The largest king crab
The largest king crab ever caught weighed a whopping 15 kilograms.

9. Mediterranean shark
The largest Mediterranean shark was 7 meters long

10. Alligator Garfish
This fish is also called sea pike. The largest garfish was caught off the coast of Texas and weighed more than 100 kilograms

You are probably wondering what kind of miracle fish is in the very first photo, this is one of the rarest fish ever caught - the king oar, or belt fish

The largest catfish (Catfish, Sheatfish) is the dream of any experienced fisherman. Record-sized predatory fish are usually documented thanks to big game hunters who are always trying to record their incredible catch. Usually a person who manages to catch a giant trophy is perceived by other fishermen as nothing less than great.

The largest catfish (Catfish, Sheatfish) is the dream of any experienced fisherman

Catfish is one of the giant centenarians that can surprise you with its size and age. Determining its maximum possible size is very difficult, because in addition to documented reports of capture, there are many more unconfirmed ones. In historical archives there are many references to the capture of giant Sheatfish from the 19th century, which are more like fairy tales, but may well be true. Listed below are documented giant catfish of various varieties.

The largest channel Catfish caught was 1m 30cm long and weighed 26kg. There are relatively few unconfirmed reports of catching this species, so this fish probably does not reach large sizes. Blue Sheatfish are considered larger. The largest representative of this species in the world had a length of 1 m 70 cm and a weight of 45 kg. There is also information about unprecedented specimens that were caught in the 19th century. If you believe such reports, the weight of the largest blue catfish reached 68 kg. It is difficult to say how true this information is, but we can assume that a length of 1 m 70 cm is not the limit for this type of fish. The length of the largest flathead catfish was 1 m 55 cm, and it weighed 56 kg.

To date, there is no confirmed data on the capture of larger specimens, and we can conclude that the above figures correspond to the maximum sizes.

The common, or river, catfish is much larger in size compared to other species. This is exactly the type of Catfish that has lived in Russia for centuries. It is considered the largest in the world. These days, the largest fish caught usually weigh no more than 90 kg. There is confirmed information that the largest catch in the world is a specimen weighing 300 kg and 5 m long. According to unconfirmed records from the 19th century, the largest catfish in Russia reached 6 m in length, and its maximum weight was 350 kg.

However, no evidence was found that the record catfish could reach 400 kg.

The Stiletto Catfish is another giant species that reaches 3m in length. The largest representative of this species weighed 350 kg, which makes it an absolute record holder in terms of weight, although it is inferior in size to an ordinary catfish.

Although the Sheatfish is considered one of the largest bony fish, some varieties barely reach a maximum length of 12 cm. However, they become sexually mature at 1 cm in length.

























The largest catfish in the world (video)

Myths and legends associated with catfish

Raising a giant specimen in captivity is very difficult. The main problem is that catfish gain weight slowly, and it can take many years to reach record sizes. Additionally, wild varieties generally do not grow well in captivity, much like aquarium fish do not do well in the wild.

The huge difference between official data and historical chronicles greatly complicates the task of determining the maximum possible size of catfish. But we can assume that a length of 5 m is not the limit for such a fish. A catfish can only pull 300 kg if its age is several decades. This is the largest fish that lives in fresh water. For comparison, the largest carp in the world, according to L.P. Sabaneev, weighs only 70 kg. This fish is very strong, but is significantly smaller in size than Catfish. The largest silver carp was caught in 2015 on the Dnieper River. His weight was 50 kg. As you can see from these examples, the largest fish caught from other freshwater species cannot compete with Sheatfish.


Record-sized predatory fish are usually documented thanks to big game hunters who are always trying to record their incredible catch

This fish can indeed pose a danger to human health, but the problem is not at all that the 300-kilogram catfish preys on people. Some varieties of this fish may have sharp spines on their fins. These thorns are not poisonous, but they must be handled with extreme caution.

Descriptions of cases when a huge river monster attacked a waterfowl do not resemble the truth, since the catfish actively hunts at night, and in the daytime behaves more calmly and prefers not to leave deep holes. These attacks are most likely associated with the activity of large pike (after all, it is not without reason that it is popularly nicknamed “duckfish”).

The legend about the huge mutant Catfish, weighing three hundred kilograms and living in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, deserves special mention. There really is a giant catfish that no one is trying to catch, but its size has nothing to do with radiation exposure. This can be explained by the fact that the Pripyat River has become a kind of fish reserve, free from the invasion of fishermen and poachers.

Catching catfish from a boat (video)

We present to you a selection of photographs: the most terrible, huge and toothy inhabitants of rivers and seas. Fish, which would not dare to call them that, rather the word “mutants” would be more suitable for them.

That case when it’s really scary to take your catch out of the water!

Perhaps this post will be useful to wives whose husbands constantly go fishing. Show them this selection and there is a chance that your spouse will never go to catch this “damn” fish again)))

Goliath, or Great Tiger Fish, found in the Congo River , central Africa. One of the most unusual freshwater fish, a real river monster, the mere sight of which makes you shiver. In the Congo, cases of this fish attacking humans have even been recorded. According to local residents, this is the only fish that is not afraid of crocodiles.


The European anglerfish, also known as the anglerfish, is a predatory fish of the order Anglerfishes, which reaches 2 meters in length and weighs 60 kg.

The Mississippi shellfish, or alligator fish, is a ray-finned fish of the shellfish family. It is one of the largest freshwater fish in North America, growing up to 3 meters in length and weighing almost 140 kg.

And this huge sea monster was caught near Fukushima. The monster turned out to be a catfish, although ordinary representatives of this species reach no more than one meter in length and weigh up to 15 kg. However, this specimen turned out to be twice as large and resembles more a dinosaur than a fish.

Mola mola, or Moonfish (sunfish), was caught off the coast of Palu Island, Indonesia. This monster weighs 1.5 tons and reaches 2 meters in length.

The pelagic largemouth shark is a very rare species, the existence of which became known only 40 years ago. At the moment, only 60 cases of human encounters with this deep-sea shark are known.

This strange monster was caught by Murmansk fishermen off the coast of Spitsbergen. The unusual catch looks like an eel, but, according to scientists from the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, this fish turned out to be a representative of the oldest genus of frilled sharks.

The giant catfish is a huge monster of European rivers.

State Department of Fish biologist Doug Killam breeds some of the world's largest salmon in Battle Creek, near Anderson. Scientists have found that the largest salmon raised by Doug Killam weighs 85 pounds. “When alive, the fish weighed even more,” scientists say.

We did not find information on the Internet about the remaining “mutant” fish. But that doesn't make them any less scary. Perhaps even the opposite.







Carp is the common name for freshwater fish of the carp family. They are widely distributed in various bodies of water around the world. They prefer quiet, stagnant or slow-flowing waters with a hard clayey and slightly silted bottom. Capable of growing up to 1.2 meters in length and weighing more than 100 kg. They feed on mollusks, crustaceans, worms and insect larvae. The largest carp caught by a British angler in 2013 weighed 45.59 kg.


The common taimen is a species of large freshwater fish, the largest representative of the salmon family. They live in fast-flowing, cold rivers of Siberia and in the Amur River basin. Common taimen can grow up to 1.5–2 m long and weigh 60–80 kg. However, most mature fish caught averaged between 70 and 120 cm in length and weighed between 15 and 30 kg. The largest specimen caught, recorded by the International Game Fish Association, weighed 41.95 kg with a length of 156 cm. The species is listed in the Red Book.


The common catfish is a large freshwater, scaleless, bottom-dwelling fish that lives in deep rivers, deep channels, lakes and reservoirs throughout Europe and Asia. The body length of catfish can reach 5 m, weight - 100 kg. There is a lot of information about giant catfish reaching 250–300 kg, but there is no documentary evidence of the existence of such catfish. It is a typical predator and feeds on fish, large benthic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, small mammals and even relatives. Like the pike, the catfish is an excellent orderly for reservoirs; it eats sick and weakened fish. Cases of attacks on people have also been described.


Nile perch is a type of large freshwater predatory fish that lives in the basins of the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger rivers, as well as in lakes Chad, Volta, Turkana and other reservoirs. Found in Lake Maryut in Egypt. They can grow up to 2 meters in length and weigh up to 200 kg. However, adults usually reach a length of 121–137 cm. The Nile perch is a predator that dominates in the reservoirs of residence. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and insects. Where food resources are limited, they can also eat relatives.


Beluga is a species of fish from the sturgeon family. It lives in the White, Caspian, Azov, Black, and Adriatic seas, from where it enters rivers for spawning. Their body length can reach 5 m, weight - 1000 kg (usually individuals up to 2.5 m and weighing up to 200–300 kg are caught). As an exception, according to unconfirmed reports, there were individuals 9 m long and weighing up to 2 tons; if this information is correct, then the beluga can be considered the largest freshwater fish on the globe. It feeds mainly on fish, but does not neglect shellfish.


Fifth place in the list of the largest freshwater fish on the planet is occupied by the White sturgeon - a species of fish of the sturgeon family, the largest freshwater fish in North America. Inhabits the bottom of slow-moving rivers and bays along the west coast of North America. The white sturgeon can grow up to 6.1 m long and weigh 816 kg. It feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and mollusks.


The Chinese paddlefish or psefur is a freshwater fish that lives only in the Yangtze River, sometimes swims into large lakes and the Yellow Sea. Their body length can exceed 3 meters and weight 300 kilograms. There is information that in the 1950s, fishermen caught a paddlefish 7 meters long and weighing about 500 kg, although the veracity of this story is unconfirmed. It feeds on fish and crustaceans. Its meat and caviar are highly prized in China.


The giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis) is a species of freshwater stingray that lives in the tropical waters of several large rivers in Indochina and Kalimantan. Capable of growing up to 1.9 m wide and weighing 600 kg. They feed mainly on crustaceans and mollusks, possibly earthworms. The giant freshwater stingray is not aggressive, although they must be handled with care as their poisonous long spine can easily penetrate human bone. This species is endangered.

Mississippi girt


The Mississippi shellfish or alligator pike is a species of large freshwater fish common in the lower Mississippi River valley and its tributaries in North and Central America. This is a very fast and strong, but shy fish. According to experts, the Mississippi shellfish can grow up to 3 m in length and weigh more than 130 kg. In 2011, the largest shellfish caught was officially registered, its length was 2.572 m, weight 148 kg. It feeds mainly on fish, small mammals, birds, turtles, etc. There are known cases of attacks on children, fortunately, they never ended fatally. Included in the list of prehistoric fish that were considered extinct.


The giant catfish is the largest freshwater fish and is endangered. It is found only in the lower Mekong River, as well as in the Tonle Sap River and Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Fish of this species can grow up to 3 meters in length and weigh 150–200 kg. They are herbivores - they feed mainly on algae and phytoplankton. The largest specimen caught in 2005 reached a length of 2.7 m and weighed 293 kg, and it was recognized as the largest freshwater fish caught by humans.

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