It's a miracle: Gunther Hansel spent more than two hours reeling in the 8ft 2ins halibut - and needed the help of five crewmates to land the fishA 70-year-old angler will have no need to visit his local chippie for the foreseeable future - after reeling in a record-breaking halibut that weighed more than 34 stone.
Gunther Hansel spent more than two hours battling with the 8ft 2in flatfish while on a trip to Iceland's Western Fjords.
And when he finally got his prize alonhgside his fishing boat, the German pensioner needed the help of five crewmates to haul the beast aboard.
The monster fish weighed in at a mighty 482lbs 13ozs - big enough to serve up almost 1,000 individual fillets.
But rather than shop around for a bigger freezer, Gunther sold his prize catch for around £2,500 once he returned to shore.
You're going to need a bigger freezer: Gunther and his crewmates were able to wynch the 34-stone fish onto the deck of their boatGunther, from Magdeburg near Berlin, said afterwards: 'This is the fish I have been fishing for all my life.'
He used a 30lb line and a plastic lure to snare the fish.
Halibut thrive in cold north Atlantic waters and can reach up to 15 feet in length.
The previous record for a halibut was held by anglers Bosse Carlsson and Hans-Olov Nilsson who caught a 464lbs speciman off Norway in July 2009.
One for the record books: Gunther, third from left, poses with some of his crewmates and his record-breaking catch
source: dailymail
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