Stockholm- While fishing with a friend Sunday near Jonkoping, in central Sweden, Joel Lagerkvist felt his hook snag on something very heavy.

"We rowed closer and I started to pull the rod, and then I saw the head of a moose," Joel Lagerkvist was quoted Monday as telling the Expressen tabloid.

Lagerkvist, 24, said he dropped the rod in fright - afraid the animal might attack him and his friend.

The animal was, however, dead. It took a while for the two men to get help, but eventually bystanders and police came to their aid and helped them winch the dead animal ashore.

A police spokeswoman was quoted as saying that the bull moose likely died of injuries after being gored by another bull.

Lagerkvist and his friend decided to divide the antlers of the moose, estimated to weigh 500-600 kilos, as a memento, the report said. (dpa)