[caption id="attachment_73878" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Elusive: Mr Campbell had spent seven years trying to catch the species when he finally hooked it on holiday near Barcelona
[/caption]Man Nets World Record Albino Catfish

A British man on vacation in Spain managed to achieve his goal of catching an albino catfish. Albino catfish are rare, but even rarer is the size of the fish that Bernie Campbell reeled in - a massive eight-foot albino catfish, weighing 206 pounds.

Bernie was on a week long fishing trip in Spain with his son in November. On the third day of his vacation, he was fishing at night in the Ebro river near Barcelona. He hooked what he knew was a large fish, but once he got closer to shore he saw that it was white, and realized this was the fulfillment of his seven-year-long dream of catching an albino catfish. Bernie explained that it wasn't easy. It took 30 minutes to bring the fish in to shore. The fish was so big and strong that it nearly pulled Bernie into the water several times.

Once the fish was ashore, Bernie and his fishing mates, a group from CatMaster Tours, weighed the fish, took photos, and released it back into the river. Bernie said he wasn't in it for a record or for money. He just wanted to experience the feeling of achieving his goal.

"We have had two or three big albino catfish out of the river, but none that has topped 200 pounds," said John Deakin from CatMaster Tours, according to the UK Daily Mail. "Albino catfish of that size are very rare indeed. This is the biggest we've ever seen. It was a very special fish."

Mr Campbell, from Oxton, Merseyside, Tells The Mail: 'For about seven years now, I have been going out to Spain to catch catfish.

[caption id="attachment_73879" align="aligncenter" width="609"] Rare: Albinism is a congenital disorder characterised by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin[/caption]

'Right from my very first trip, I have wanted to catch an albino catfish, but I have never been successful. They are such beautiful fish but they have always evaded me.

'I was three days into my holiday this year when I hooked into a big fish coming up to midnight.

'When I got the fish closer to the shore and I saw it was white I couldn't believe it.'
He said he fought the fish for about half an hour before being able to reel it in.

'It was so strong it nearly pulled me in on four separate occasions,' he added.

'I was absolutely shattered when I landed it, but the feeling was unbelievable.

'It was a huge fish but when we got it on the scales I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

'It was my first albino and it was a world record.

'The record could stand for 10 minutes or it could stand for 10 years but for me it's going to take a long time to beat this fish.'

After taking some photos, the group says they put the fish back in the river.

On the Web:

He must have eaten a lot of whitebait: Briton catches world's biggest ALBINO catfish weighing a staggering 206lbs
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2503332/He-eaten-lot-whitebait-Briton-catches-worlds-biggest-ALBINO-catfish-weighing-staggering-206lbs.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

‘Monster’ albino wels catfish may be largest ever caught
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/11/fisherman-catches-world-record-206-pound-albino-catfish/