World’s biggest cod reeled in from Norway waters

A massive cod, weighing at a whopping 103 pounds, was caught recently off shore in Hammerfest. It is believe to be the largest such species ever caught by rod.

Michael Eisele, a forty-four year old sports fishing enthusiast from Germany, landed the 1.80m fish on Tuesday. It tops the previous world record fish by 2.5 kilos and an application has been sent to the Guinness Book of World Records to verify this.

Current record holder is Alphonse Bielevich of Hampton, New Hampshire, which weighed nearly 44 kilos at a length of just over 5 feet.

Cod is the most popular fish in Britain, known for its national dish of battered fish and chips. One ‘chippie’ speculated that more than 200 people could be fed on that single fish, though older fish are generally tougher.

It’s not unusual for cod to grow to large sizes like this, some live for up-to 25 years and reach 2 meters in length. It is widely fished in the North Atlantic as a popular commercial fish for the tables of many European and American families, but is usually caught with nets. Landing one this large on line is rare.