Earlier this summer a monster pike was caught and released in a lake in Italy by Paolo Paccchiarini. The pike measured 143 cm and weighed 43 pounds (19,504 kg). This January the International Game and Fish Association approved the world record with Tippet M-10 kg (20 lb) line class. Talk about a fish of a lifetime, we were able to catch up with Paolo to learn more about the fish.

“I caught this world record pike in an Italian lake, called Centro Cadore Lake. I was using a 9 foot 10 wt. fly rod. The pike ate a custom fly that I tied (see picture below) black with double tails fluoro orange.”

“This world record pike was caught and released on the fly on 20-pound class line. The pike fought hard in deep water for 10 minutes before we were able to land the fish, take some pictures and measurements,s and let it go for another angler to catch. This catch came after a lot of fishing, fishing, and more fishing, pike are temperamental fish, and somedays the angler will get lucky.”
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For tips on how to catch these monster pike check out this article 5 Tips to Catch Moster European Pike and be sure to follow along with Paolo on Instagram at @ppacchiarini