Six men divided into two crews were needed to get this giant slug out of the sea.
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On Friday, Frank Ronny Johansen and his fishing friends got a huge mackerel sturgeon on the hook.
The beast was 268 cm long and about 200-210 cm in circumference, and weighed as much as a grizzly bear with its 340 kilos.
– The fish was weighed after it had been bled, ie drained of blood, so the weight is actually somewhat higher, says Frank Ronny Johansen.
Johansen was the one who had to steer the ship, while the two comrades Knut Einar Havn and Jarle Kostøl got the job of cranking it in.
– Then I was out and helped when needed, because it was heavy and it was heavy, says Johansen.
The fisherman says he has had mackerel sturgeon before, but nothing compares to this.
The fish was pulled on board approx. 28 nautical miles outside Grimstad.
–Between 10 and 11 in the morning, they saw 60 jumping sturgeons that they set after. Then the jumping died out, and the guys returned the same way they came from.
– Half an hour later it suddenly howled in the reel and the fight was on. The first outing took approx. 800 meters of the reel before we had secured the rod in the belt, says Johansen.
Then followed some violent basketball fights, according to Johansen. When they were to get the fish across the row, they had to get assistance from another boat, so that a total of six men helped haul in the fish.
–Nearly an hour and a half after the fish bit, they could let go of the cheers.
– Just getting noisy on the hook feels completely insane. This is the eighth time we are out fishing this year. We have been close to making noise several times, but have lost it all the time. Now this was the last attempt, so then it’s nice that it finally comes loose and that it is as big as it is. It is round and round, says Johansen.
The meat will be divided between the six who helped pull it up, including two more. Frank Ronny Johansen assumes that there is between 180 and 200 kilos of meat.
We wish them good luck eating everything.
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