( CNN ) Catfish come in all varieties , shapes and sizes , some big and some small . And one downright gigantic , apparently now swimming in a river in Italy . That 's the fish story being told by Dino Ferrari , who reeled in a 280-pound ( 127-kilogram ) , 8.75-foot-long catfish last Thursday along the Po River , said Davide Valla , who is with Ferrari 's sponsor company Sportex . ( The sponsored fisherman would n't say exactly where he caught the big fellow , choosing to keep his favorite spots secret . ) Assuming the world is n't being hooked , this would not be the first time someone has caught a whopper of a catfish and lived to tell the tale . In fact , it would n't be the biggest catfish ever caught . That would be a nearly 342-pound lau-lau ( or piraiba ) type of catfish snared in 2009 in Brazil 's Amazon region , according to the International Game Fish Association . Heck , it 's not even the biggest catfish ever snared in Italy . That honor goes to a 298-pound wels catfish -- which is reportedly the same variety caught by Ferrari -- also from the Po River . And Ferrari did n't necessarily bring his fish in alone , with stories linked from Sportex 's Facebook page indicating that twin brother Dario was by his side . One thing that makes the latest Po River catch unique is that it was done with a spinning reel , said Valla , who called it a record for such fishing tackle . It took Ferrari 40 minutes to bring in the fish , then bring it to shore , his sponsor said . Once it was on land , the Ferraris snapped some photos and weighed their catch . But they did n't dig in , savoring it with fresh bread , cheese and a glass of pinot grigio . That 's because this fish story has a happy ending for the star of the show : the catfish . According to Valla , Ferrari released his big catch back into the river . Teen hooks massive blue marlin off Hawaii coast .
Dino Ferrari shows pictures of a large fish he says he caught in Italy . It took him 40 minutes to reel in the fish , according to his sponsor .