Man, 23, drowns after hooking monster fish & losing his balance as he pulled it out water in front of horrified pals

A FISHERMAN has tragically fallen off a boat to his death as he tried to reel in a monster catch.

Allax Melo, 23, was fishing with pals in Brazil when he caught a huge redtail catfish but moments later he lost his footing trying to pull it out of the water and drowned.

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Allax Melo, 23, has tragically fallen off a boat to his death as he tried to reel in a monster catch[/caption]

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Locals watched on as rescue teams attempted to find the fisherman’s body[/caption]

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Melo’s body was found a day after he fell into the river[/caption]

Melo was on a boat out on the Araguia River near the village of Itxalá in Santa Terezinha when his fatally slipped.

Two of the angler’s horrified pals told cops they saw the tragedy unfold from onboard the vessel.

They said an excited Melo managed to hook the fish and then tried to bring it out of the water by reeling it in.

But the weight of the catch meant Melo struggled to reel it in and as he battled against the catfish he slipped off the boat.

He was quickly engulfed by the fast-moving waves as he pals frantically tried to rescue him.

They told officials the river current became too strong and dragged Melo under and swept him away.

After calling the cops emergency responders began a desperate search for the Brazilian on Monday.

Several hours later the hunt was called off as it became dark.

Melo’s body was found on Tuesday morning.

He taken to a local coroner’s office to undergo an autopsy.

The Mato Grosso Civil Police say they are now investigating the incident.

Redtail catfish can grow to be up to six foot in length and can weigh as much as 82kg. 

They are found in the Amazon, Essequibo and Orinico river basins across South America.