20th catfish over 220lb for 'Black Cat' catfish guiding tours

German angler Sven Weide celebrated a special milestone for the popular ‘Black Cat’ catfish guiding tours by landing the company’s 20th specimen over the 220lb-barrier.

The huge predator was caught on a deadbait with the help of tour employees Stefan Seuß and Benjamin Gründer during a session on the middle reaches of the River Po in northern Italy. Weide said: "Just after we started to play it from the dinghy, the fish planted itself under a sunken tree and wouldn't move. Heavy mist added to the difficulty of attempting to land the fish. Finally, with the help of a second boat, Benjamin and I worked the fish free.”

The River Po is well known among specimen anglers for its massive wels catfish and produced the current IGFA record for the species of 297lb 9oz in March 2010.