British angler Ian Welch set records last month when he brought to boat a 772-pound freshwater stingray. Welch was fishing with a snakehead as bait on the Maeklong River in Thailand.

"It buried itself on the bottom and the main fight was trying to get it off the floor," Welch told British newspapers. "I tried with every ounce of power but it just would not budge. After half an hour my arms began shaking and after an hour my legs went."

Welch caught the fish as part of a stingray tagging program. The female stingray was about seven feet long and the same width; its tail measured about ten feet. The fish reportedly took 13 people to remove from the water into a holding pen.

Stingrays inhabit the freshwater sections of Florida's St. Johns River. It's the same species that swims on Florida's salty coasts, but has adapted to reproduce and complete their life cycle in fresh water.

For stingray photos and complete story, go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/24/stingray-catch-thailand-fishing.