SOM "TROPHY CATCH" CAUGHT NEAR SRBAC

A passionate fisherman, Nebojša Šarić from Kaoci near Srbac, has proven his mastery in catfish fishing by catching a 67-kilogram, 205-centimeter-long trophy fish in the Sava River after a two-hour struggle.

PHOTO: Glas Srpske

Nebojša, who has been fishing for over three decades, confirmed that this was a rare giant, and it was his biggest catch to date.

"I’ve caught catfish weighing 15 to 20 kilograms, even over 30 kilograms, but this one is by far the largest. I knew there were such trophy specimens in the Sava and believed that one day, one would take my bait," Nebojša excitedly shared.

He caught the catfish with a custom-made hook, "glavinjara," using a "Dainja Proredž" 2.4-meter lt 4000D-C rod, with a 30-70 gram test line and "Angryfish" 0.14 braided line.

"Recently, I was on the Sava with my colleague Dalibor Šaul, with whom I frequently spend time fishing on the Sava and Vrbas Rivers. We were fishing from a boat, and just after we anchored, the catfish took the bait on the first cast. We unhooked the anchor and followed the fish. After an hour of maneuvering and traveling two kilometers downstream from where it was hooked, we finally brought it in, hooked it with a gaff, and pulled it into the boat," Nebojša told Glas Srpske.

Nebojša has sold many trophy catches in the past and is confident that this one will find a buyer as well, although he hinted it might end up on his dinner table.

"Catfish are my specialty, but I’ve also caught larger zander, asp, and other fish, and I’ve won awards with some of them in competitions in Serbia," Nebojša added.

A long-time member of the "Bistro" Fishing Association from Srbac, Nebojša also serves as the vice president of the association’s Assembly. He emphasizes the importance of preserving Srbac’s rich water resources.

"It’s commendable that more and more people are getting into fishing, especially young people. I fell in love with fishing as a child, thanks to my father, and I hope at least one of my three daughters, who occasionally join me, will follow in our footsteps," Nebojša said.

Interestingly, the area has seen the catch of some very large catfish.

Archaeologist and ethnographer Vejsil Ćurčić mentioned a 200-kilogram catfish caught at the mouth of the Matura River into the Sava, which was considered an unmatched record in the South Slavic countries. In 1963, a fisherman named Mihailo Mikulin Rus caught a 105-kilogram catfish in the Sava near Hercegova Stola.