Swede nets giant elk on weekend 'fishing' trip

Swedish angler Joel Lagekvist’s morning at the lake resulted in the most improbable of catches and one whopper of a fish story.

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When he was out casting his line with a friend on Sunday morning, Lagekvist thought his lure had snagged the bottom of Lillsjön lake in central Sweden.

But as he started to reel in his line, the 24-year-old realized he had hooked something else completely.

What emerged from the water’s murky depths wasn’t a giant fish or a tree root, but the outline of an enormous elk (or moose as the animal is known in North America).

“My first thought was, ‘What the hell do I do if it starts to run at me?’” Lagekvist told the Expressen newspaper, explaining that he wasn’t sure whether the beast was dead or alive when its head appeared with his fishing lure securely fastened to the elk’s antlers.

In a panic, Lagekvist dropped his pole and headed for shore to call authorities, although it took some time before anyone believed his tale.

But eventually a crowd gathered to help drag the 500 to 600 kilogram elk up on shore.

“I improved my personal best by 490 kilos,” said Lagekvist.

Lagekvist and his fishing buddy each took home their own antler as a souvenir from the day’s fishing/hunting trip.

To celebrate, the pair then decided to check out the evening’s hockey game featuring the local professional team, HV71.

“I told people a few people what had happened, but no one believed me,” he told Expressen.

Police suspect the elk died from fatal injuries after being gored in the groin by another elk.

Lagekvist, however, is looking forward to what he might haul in on his next fishing expedition.

“We’ll see what I hook next, a Russian submarine, perhaps?” he said.