River monster! British fisherman hooks a massive 222lb catfish that dragged his boat half a mile during the fight
A British fisherman has landed a 222-pound monster catfish that dragged his boat nearly a mile after an epic hour-long struggle in sub-zero temperatures.
Ditch Ballard, 37, was fishing for carp off the bank of the Ebro River in Spain when the 9-foot creature took the bait and got hooked.
He climbed into his 12-foot-long aluminum boat and mustered all his strength to reel in the fish in the “biggest battle of his fishing career.”
Mr. Ballard had to deal with freezing temperatures that left him trying to hold on to his catch while “shaking uncontrollably.”
The fisherman then placed his 16-stone catch on a tarp to be weighed and measured before returning the healthy fish to the water.
Ditch Ballard, 37, was fishing in Spain when he was entangled in the huge catfish, which swept him down the river.
The 222-pound weight was 28 pounds short of the record for a catfish in the Ebro River and was the “biggest battle” of Ditch Ballard’s fishing career.
The weight of 222 pounds was 28 pounds below the record for a catfish in the Ebro River.
Ditch Ballard, who moved from Watford to southern Catalonia six years ago, runs the sport fishing company Ebro Mad Cats.
He said: ‘With an air temperature of -3C, the wind chill actually made it unbearable.
“I was fishing for carp, but the bend in the little 10-foot rod suggested it was probably hooked on catfish.
‘The line was tearing uncontrollably from the spool, so I untied my dinghy and set sail, not stopping to grab my hat or bivouac shoes.
‘The next hour was just painful; As my muscles fatigued and the adrenaline wore off, my body temperature began to drop, and I found myself crouching in the bottom of the boat trying to hold on while shivering uncontrollably.
‘Eventually the leading knot appeared out of the darkness and I knew my prize was near.
“What I didn’t know was how far they had towed me down the river: I was now more than 1 km from home.
‘I struggled to get my gloves on and started hand lining, putting a lot more pressure on that hook than should be possible.
I needed this battle to end one way or another, so I just pulled with everything I had left.
Ballard, who moved from Watford to southern Catalonia six years ago, runs the sport fishing company Ebro Mad Cats.
Mr. Ballard eventually had to start lining by hand and said that the amount of pressure exerted through the small metal hook should not have been possible.
“Every time the fish ran, I would almost lose a digit, since at that point my hands were so cold that they weren’t really doing what my brain was telling them to do.
‘With the rod fully compressed, and the drag on the reel tight, I was actually put back on that fish with all 13 of me.
‘If the line had broken at that point, I would have almost gone overboard in 6C water.
“Eventually over 2.5m of catfish surfaced and I managed to get a hand on its jaw.”
“I was physically and mentally exhausted, but I had to make one last push to secure my prize.
‘It was the biggest battle of my fishing career, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!’
Using halibut, sweet corn and corn pellets as bait, Ditch photographed his catch and then returned it to the river.
The world record for the largest European catfish ever caught stands at 21st (297 lbs). He was captured in 2010 by Attila Zsedely in Italy.
