A giant fish snatched a devoted fisherman in Russia's southern Astrakhan region while he was attempting to drag home a trophy, Rinat Mukhtarov, a spokesman for the local border service, said on Wednesday.
Mukhtarov said that the fisherman, a banker, "was so deeply fascinated with the hefty nibble that he forgot about safety precautions."
"While trying to bring in the big fish on his hook, the 56-year-old man leaned over the boat's side, lost his balance and fell overboard," the spokesman said.
Luckily for the banker in distress, a border service boat was passing by the flailing fishing enthusiast and rescued him when they saw him vainly struggling in the ice-cold stream.
Several stocky boarder guards failed to pull the angler out, Mukhtarov said, adding that he was finally saved using a towrope.
No information was given on "the one that got away."
ASTRAKHAN, November 24 (RIA Novosti)