Largest freshwater fish caught on rod and line

History Channel's MONSTER QUEST: GIANT FISH 

Prompted me to write about the largest freshwater fish caught.

Sturgeon were plentiful in West Florida until they were hammered by gill nets into near oblivion in the 1930s, but we don’t remember hearing of a behemouth like this one which was caught recently at the mouth of Rainy River in Minnesota.

Four anglers took turns for six hours reeling in the 11-footer that weighed more than 1000 pounds.

A limited non-commercial take is allowed and stocks are making a slow comeback according to fishery managers. Florida is also nurturing a program to bring back the unusual fish famed more for its caviar though the meat is excellent too.

White sturgeon of this size are certainly not unprecedented. In fact, according to information on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website, the white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America. The article notes that they can grow to 20 feet (6.2 m) in length, weigh over 1500 pounds (680 kg) and live for over 100 years.

Video of a large green sturgeon....

Amazing fishes..

Here in this post we will feature strange fishes across the world..

The African Tiger Fish

First we head to Congo or Zaire River in Africa..

The Congo river basin covers a vast area of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This huge, often swampy depression has an average altitude of less than 400m, the lowest areas being located in the north western region near lakes Tumba and Maji Ndombe. The Congo is the second largest river in the world after the Amazon. With a length of 4700km its volume averages between 30 000 and 80 OOO m3/sec Upstream from Kinshasa the river broadens and at "the Pool of Kinshasa" reaches a width of 15km.

The African Tigerfish is big, powerful, and well armed, thus making it among the worlds most sought after gamefish. It lives in the open rivers and streams of central and northern Africa. The impression one gets from viewing these fish, is one of awe, terror, and mystery, not unlike the feeling of watching a Great White Shark.
These fish hunt in large packs, just as their South American counterparts, the piranhas do. Prey consist primarily of other fish, but just about anything alive can fall prey to the tigerfish. Like the piranha, prey is eaten away bite by bite. Because they have razor sharp knife-like teeth, and extremely strong jaw muscles, they are among the few fish that can turn the tables on prey the same size or larger than themselves. There are unverified reports of attacks on humans.

Candiru: Vampire Fish

The Candirú or Canero (Vandellia cirrhosa) is a freshwater fish belonging to the Catfish group. The species grows only to being one to two inches in length and four to six millimeters wide. It is shaped like an eel and is almost completely transparent, making it almost impossible to see in the water. A fast, powerful swimmer, the fish is smooth and slimy, with sharp teeth and backward-pointing spines on its gill. The Candiru is primarily found in the Amazon and Oranoco rivers and has a reputation among the natives as the most feared fish in its waters.

The Candirú has few natural enemies. They are feared throughout their geographic range and are given a worse reputation than the piranha.
The Candirú is found only in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers of South America. They do not like the sunlight and tend to bury themselves in the sand and mud under logs and rocks in the river bottom.

Candirus primarily set up house inside larger fish, where they feast on the host's blood. They are attracted to nitrogen, which usually leads them to a gill chamber, but apparently they can't distinguish between one nitrogen-emitting orifice and another: They have been known to follow a stream of urine right to its source.

However the reason that the Candiru is most feared by humans is because it is the only vertebrate known to parasitize humans! The fish is said to be addicted to the taste and smell of human urine. Candirus parasitize humans, when they are skinny-dipping while urinating in the water. The candiru tastes the urine stream and follows it back to the human. It then swims up the urethra and lodges itself somewhere in the urinary tract with its spines. Blood is drawn, and the candiru gorges itself on the blood and body tissue, its body sometimes expanding due to the amount of blood consumed.

Pacu - The fish with Human-like teeth

Although it belongs in the piranha family, the pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) is not as agressive as its more notorious cousin. However, it has powerful dentition capable of causing serious bites. The danger does not deter the Amazonian fisherman who considers the pacu to be a tasty fish and will be able to fetch a high price at market for his catch. The commercial value of the pacu has led to its consideration as a candidate for aquaculture in the Amazon region.

When bait-fishing in pacu-stocked ponds, anglers in Malaysia are advised to use circle hooks, size 2 or larger, and braided leather rather than nylon leaders which are easily broken by the pacu's teeth. Since pond pacu often nibble at the bait before taking it, anglers should let them swim away with the bait. If the angler simply allows the line to tighten, the circle hook will slide to the side of the fish's mouth and embed its point there