Nathan caught a catfish weighing over 50kg and 2m long in the Meuse at Dinant. A rare event or an ordinary event? What types of fish can be found in our rivers?
The fish is huge, too big to be true. However, Nathan certainly caught it.
On Friday morning, around 5:30 a.m., this fisherman awoke from his sleep to find a grip on his fishing rod being pulled violently. “It started to take away. I had time to put on my shoes and run to my rods. (…) It is very powerful“, he says via the orange alert us button.
It started to take away
The fisherman then begins a 45-minute battle with the fish at the end of the line. He finally managed to catch it: “We feel the weight of the fish, but we do not know the size of the animal. After looking at the head I realized it was a beautiful catfish“. A catfish, more than 2 meters long and weighing more than 50 kg, comes out of the water. This is the first time the young man has caught a fish of this size.
More than thirty different species of fish
According to Amuri Jadin from Revio, catching a fish of this size is not an exception, but the case is rare: “Two meters is a good catch for a fisherman, he will remember it for a long time“.
Generally, we fish small fish like carp or trout in our rivers. “We have more than thirty different species in the Walloon region, but the one meter catfish is the most common.”, underlining the latter.
Fishing is a hobby for many and it is still regulated. “We don’t do what we want“, says Amaury Jadin.”The tendency is to put these fish back in the water. For the new generation it is “pleasure fishing”, so we catch a fish and release it naturally.“.
Also, fishing is authorized in our waterways, but only with a permit. As for fish, some species are subject to rules: for example, you cannot catch more than 5 trout per day.
“A Big Challenge”
Nathan is always proud of his legendary fishing. “It was very nice and wonderful“, he testifies, obviously delighted.”Can I do more than that? I believe. It will be a big challenge. If I had to do it over again, I would“.
“Total coffee junkie. Tv ninja. Unapologetic problem solver. Beer expert.”