By Hugo Gye


Fishing fan John Whittaker was delighted to reel in a 13-stone catfish on an angling holiday.

But he had no witnesses - because his friends had already given up for the day and headed off for a drink.

John, 45, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, had headed to the River Ebro in Spain with two pals to try and land one of the area's giant fish.

Whopper: John Whittaker landed this huge catfish on a fishing holiday in Spain


So he was over the moon to catch the 185lb whopper - but disappointed that his friends Dave Watkins and Nick Duffield had already called it a day and gone to the pub.

Luckily, angling guide Gary Sheridan rushed to the bank and helped John haul in his huge catch.

John, a manager at a building firm, said his two friends didn't believe his luck when he told them what had happened.

He said: 'When I told them what I'd caught, they were clearly under the impression it was a fisherman's tale.

'Then I took the pictures to prove it and forwarded them on they couldn't believe their eyes.


Huge: But John's mates had already given up and gone to the pub


'They really wished they'd not gone to the pub, as it was a dream fish and I might not have landed it if it had caught on their lines. It was the best day's fishing of my life - the other catfish I caught weighed 72lbs and 130lbs and I also landed a common carp weighing 45lbs.'

The River Ebro, which flows through the city of Zaragoza, is a popular destination for anglers because of its monster catfish.

Last year, blind grandmother Sheila Penfold made headlines by landing a fish even bigger than John's catch.

But both fall some way short of the world record for a freshwater catfish - a whopping 646lbs.


source:dailymail