"Thought it was a tree at first" Czech pulls monster catfish out of the water - he fought with it for an hour
Jakub Vágner manages a huge catch in the Czech Republic: a 2.68-metre-long catfish that is an exception even for experienced fishermen. The pictures go viral on social media.
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- Czech angler Jakub Vágner caught a 2.68-metre-long catfish in the Vranov reservoir.
- He describes the spectacular scene as a fight that lasted 50 minutes.
- It is already the third record catch in a year - the fish was four centimeters longer than his previous one.
50 minutes of excitement, struggle and endurance - that's what Jakub Vágner experienced in the early hours of August 2, 2025 on the Vranov Reservoir. According to Blic.rs, the famous Czech professional fisherman beat his own record: The catfish he pulled out of the water measured an incredible 268 centimeters.
Vágner reported the dramatic scene in detail on Facebook: "I was tired, had hardly slept and was only working on autopilot - but I knew that something big was waiting for me in the water."
"A tree that moves"
As he paddled along under a rock face with conspicuous roots, he suddenly noticed something unusual moving. "What I thought was a large piece of wood was actually a huge catfish swimming in the water," writes Vágner. He lowered the bait - and waited.
Nothing happened for ten minutes. Then came the attack: "A barely perceptible jerk - and then the power of the fish pulled my whole boat with it," he explains. The catfish pulled off meter after meter of line - even with the brake firmly set.
He says he fought with the catfish for 50 minutes. Only then did he land it.
Vágner had already caught another giant the day before: the fish measured 250 centimetres. But compared to the current catch, it was "like a child", says the professional. "Not only the length, but also the mass of the animal was impressive - I breathed as if I had run a marathon."
Vágner has had a passion for catfish fishing since childhood. As a boy, he witnessed a catfish catch for the first time on the Berounka - since then, his fascination for the huge fish has been unbroken.
The new catch is already the third personal record within a year. In October 2024, Vágner caught a 264-centimetre-long catfish in the same waters. It remains to be seen whether this record will stand the test of time - Vágner is as motivated as ever.
