1. Largest Catfish Ever Caught - Thailand
This Grizzly bear sized catfish measures in at nearly 9 feet long, and basically as big as a grizzly bear. This might just be the largest freshwater fish ever on record. [via discoverfishingbc]
Thai villagers tried to keep the giant catfish alive, but despite great efforts, it died and was eaten by the villagers. This species of catfish is listed as "critacally endangered" by the IUCN (World Conservative Union). This catfish specimen was caught in the Chiang Khong district, and is the biggest one caught since 1981. Due to the nature of this rare catch, the World Wildlife Fund is teaming up with the National Geographic Society to study the planet earth's largest freshwater fish.
2. Largest Stingray Ever Caught - Thailand
This gigantic freshwater Stingray weighed in at over 256kg. A team of fishermen fought hard to reel this guy in, after fishing up other stingrays of varied weight, from different parts of a Thai river. It took them 90 minutes to wrangle this beast out of the water, to be finally brought to the side of the boat. This guy was crowned the largest freshwater fish to ever be caught on rod and line.
3. Largest Salmon Ever Caught - California
A Chinook salmon in lower Battle Creek was found to be 51 inches long, which could have weighed more than 88 pounds, according to standard size-to-weight ratios. Normally, salmon weigh between 20 and 30 pounds. This gigantic salmon was found during a standard fall salmon survey by some DFG biologists.
4. Largest Eel Ever Caught - Rhode Island, New York
The crew of a fishing steamer were fishing, and pulled up and Eel weighing in at 34lbs, 5 feet 3 inches, and a circumference of 15 inches. Thrashing around in the net, this big Eel was not as feisty as smaller ones, which would have made things pretty interesting.
Eels, are not to be confused with Oarfish:
5. Largest Shark Ever Caught - Mediterranean
Typically, sharks are caught on rod and reel, some in nets. The whale shark is known to be the largest member of the shark family, and also known for their friendly nature and eating only small oceanic organisms. Reports surfaced of a 23 foot long whale shark caught in the Mediterranean, but the actual length was 21 feet.
Whale Shark
6. Largest Crab Ever Caught - Northern Pacific Ocean
Crabs are odd looking creatures, usually sized to fit on your dinner plate. However; the largest crab ever to be caught weighed somewhere around 15kg and was almost 2 meters, tip to tip. A Varanger king crab is the largest crab species in the world, and is often referred to as the "red king crab".
7. Largest Squid Ever Caught - Antarctica
In February 2007, a fishing boat off the coast of Antarctica caught a giant squid. Measuring up at 26 feet long, believed to be the biggest squid captured, ever. Scientists froze the big squid, and now it lives in a New Zealand museum. This collossal squid could keep growing - up to 46 feet long! Due to the nature of these deep-sea squid, these are very rarely seen specimen.
8. Largest Marlin Ever Caught - Kona, Hawaii
Here we've got a legendary Pacific blue marlin, weighing in at 1,656 pounds, caught in 1984. This 17 foot marlin is the largest to ever have been caught in Kona, Hawaii, but only the second largest to have been caught by rod and reel. For two hours and 20 minutes, fishermen struggled to reel the beast in.
9. Largest Barracuda Ever Caught - Christmas Island, Indian Ocean
The Largest Barracuda in the world was caught off Chrismas Island, in the Indian Ocean, on April 11, 1992. A barracuda often appears in open seas, and are deadly predators that usually ambush their prey. With a burst of speed, they can easily overrun their prey. The largest barracuda caught was 85 pounds. That's one heavy fish!
