The cod-father: Swedish dad and his son reel in enormous 5ft-long fish off Norwegian island

A Swedish father and son had the fishing trip of a lifetime after they managed to reel in an enormous 5ft-long cod which is big enough to feed 35 people.

Soren Nilsson and his son Anders caught the gigantic cod during a fishing trip off Lofoten – an archipelago in Norway known for its stunning views of the northern lights, small villages and fishing.

They managed to reel in the ‘high quality’ skrei cod – after a short struggle using rubber shad lures and pirks for bait.

After successfully snaring the cod, they took it back to a makeshift dining table to be devoured by family and friends, but not before posing with their catch of the day.

Both Soren and Anders were pictured cradling the 5ft-long cod, which weighs around 20kg, with both arms.

A Swedish father and son had a fishing trip to remember after they managed to reel in an enormous 5ft-long cod. Pictured: Anders Nilsson with the giant cod © Provided by Daily Mail

For scale: When the massive cod was held upright, it came all the way up to Anders’ chest in one photo

Meanwhile in one photo, Anders could be seen holding the cod upright which gives a perspective to how big the fish was. The top of the cod was in line with Anders’ chest.

Due to strict fishing laws in Norway, private fisherman are not permitted to sell their catches.

However, had this cod been caught by a commercial fisherman, they could have sold it to a high-end restaurant, where 35 portions of cod could fetch upwards of £500.

Skrei cod is a type of Norwegian dish, known for its lean meat and delicate, fresh taste.

Some British seafood restaurants have taken cod off the menu full stop as they are so expensive to import.

Industry figures show that UK sales of cod in the 12 months to January were some 55,400 metric tons, putting them behind Alaska pollock for the first time, which hit sales of 56,199t.

Erik Axner, who organised the fishing trip, said: ‘Most anglers coming to Lofoten dream about a 20kg skrei cod.

‘It requires good knowledge, skills and a bit of luck to get the right fish to bite from the large shoals of fish.

‘The skrei is a migrating cod that lives far north in the Barents Sea but during early spring they move down along the coast of Norway to spawn.

Anders’ father Soren Nilsson pictured with another massive cod that the pair caught on their trip© Provided by Daily Mail

Due to strict fishing laws in Norway, private fisherman are not permitted to sell their catches but it could have been worth up to £500© Provided by Daily Mail

Anders needed to cradle the fish with both arms after he and his father caught it using rubber shad and pirks for bait© Provided by Daily Mail

‘This cod was caught on the south side of Lofoten.

‘These fish were kept as food and is top quality fish for the dining table.

‘From a fish of this size, you would get 7kg of fillet which would make 35 good portions.

‘In Norway, it is illegal to sell fish as a private person but for a restaurant this would be a high value catch.’

Cod typically weigh between 5kg and 11kg, measuring around 2.5ft in length.

The world record catch for a cod weighed in at 96kg in 1895 off the coast of Massachusetts in the US.