A 10-year-old boy was fishing with his father off Maatsuyker Island in Tasmania when he reeled in a record catch: a 194-pound (approx. 88-kilogram) bluefin tuna.
The fish measured in at 6 feet, 2 inches (1.9 meters) and is believed to be the largest southern bluefin tuna caught on a 24-kilogram (approx. 53-pound) line by someone under the age of 11.
The catch took them both by surprise. Leo had just hauled in an 88.2-pound (approx. 40-kilogram) fish when he handed the rod to his son and asked if Lochie would like to have a go.
Not long afterward, the boy snagged the monster tuna.
Leo tried to step in to help, but he says his son was too determined to let his dad help.
“There were stages when he wanted to get off, he was pretty tired but he’s a very determined boy and he stuck with it,” Leo explained.
So, for 2 hours and 45 minutes, Lochie struggled to haul in the monster fish on a 24-kilogram line. Leo said that at times, his son was “not in a good place” but refused to give up.
“It was very hard to reel it in, it was really heavy and I was very tired by the end,” Lochie said.
Leo says his son was sore afterward, but it was worth it in the end.
“He was very tired and in quite a bit of pain and discomfort and it’s also quite a mental struggle to focus for that long,” Leo explained.
The duo is currently working on the paperwork to make Lochie an official record holder for the 88-kilogram (approx. 194-pound) catch.
Since then, Leo says the family has been eating tuna for “breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
