AN ANGLER reeled in a massive 9ft catfish after a gruelling 50-minute battle.

Jakub Vagner, 43, hauled in the epic catch just south of Prague, in the Czech Republic - setting a new national record.

The celebrity angler was drifting past a rocky overhang in the Vranov Reservoir, on August 4, when he spotted the giant fish gliding below in the early morning light.

He cast his custom-made rod towards it and waited.

"Ten minutes passed and nothing happened. Suddenly, it turned and went straight into my trap," Jakub said.

What followed was "the hardest battle I have ever had with a catfish in the Czech Republic", he continued.

The fish put up such a fight that Jakub had to call in a friend to help him hold onto the rod.

"After almost 50 minutes, it was lying half-tired next to my boa

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