German angler catches a 292 cm catfish in Poland — possibly the same one as a year ago

More than half an hour of struggle

At an international predator fishing tournament in the Polish city of Rybnik, 34-year-old Oliver Schäfer from North Rhine-Westphalia, together with his partner Kevin Kremers from the Netherlands, caught a catfish measuring 292 cm. The competition took place on October 10 and 11: according to the German newspaper Bild, 70 teams took part — around 150 anglers from all over Europe. Schäfer and Kremers came to the tournament specifically for it and fished with a special rod for large catfish using a silicone lure.

Measured and released

The anglers only realized the size of their catch when the fish first surfaced: the fight lasted more than half an hour, with Schäfer reeling it in while Kremers held the boat against the wind. On shore, the judges measured the catfish — 292 cm — after which, according to the tournament rules, the fish was released back into the water. Schäfer told Bild that catfish are brought to shore on a tarpaulin so as not to damage their protective layer of mucus.

Second place and last year's 'acquaintance'

The record catch did not bring victory: scoring was based on total points, and the German-Dutch team took second place with 28,930 points — this follows from the results list of the PZW Katowice association, cited by Berliner Zeitung. The team also earned additional points for zander, including a specimen measuring 81 cm caught at dawn — as Schäfer wrote on his Instagram.

The same catfish or a different one?

According to media reports, tournament participants believe this is the same catfish that was caught at the tournament in October 2025: back then, Polish anglers Krzysztof Pyra and Adrian Gontarz caught a catfish of the same length — 292 cm. According to Berliner Zeitung, the fish has not grown since then, but has become noticeably bulkier. At the same time, no official record list by length exists: the international association IGFA records records only by weight. Informally, however, the angling community considers the Rybnik catfish the longest known: in 2023, according to media reports citing Die Welt, Italian Alessandro Biancardi pulled a 2.85 m catfish from the Po River. Schäfer himself told Bild that he dreams of a three-meter catfish and now, in his words, he is only a 'hand's width' short.

Why catfish grow so large

The European catfish is the continent's largest freshwater fish: according to the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, it can reach three meters and 150 kg. The species was originally distributed mainly in the Danube and Rhine basins, but stocking since the 19th century and canals, including the Main–Danube Canal, have expanded its range. The warming climate also benefits the heat-loving catfish: biologist Jürgen Geist told Focus magazine that populations are growing noticeably both in numbers and in range, while cold-loving species such as the brook trout are losing out. In Rybnik, an additional factor is the reservoir itself, which serves as a cooling pond for a coal-fired power plant: in the warm water, fish feed more actively, and catfish, carp and zander grow faster there. Experts note that catfish pose almost no danger to humans, although in June 2025 a two-meter catfish in Brombachsee in Franconia bit several swimmers, causing minor injuries.