The fight of his life: That’s exactly what 12-year-old Tyler Grimshaw from Utah experienced when he was fishing with his father Lance on the Snake River in Idaho at the end of March: he hooked a huge sturgeon over three meters long – and fought a drill with it , which lasted 50 minutes. The giant was just inches short of being recognized as the Idaho state catch-and-release record.
The young angler has already caught over 100 sturgeons
Tyler and his father fished with Joe Weisner, a guide who specializes in sturgeon fishing in the Snake River. Weisner is a longtime family friend; he and Grimshaw regularly visit each other to fish their respective waters. This time Lance had his 12-year-old son with him. Despite his age, Tyler is already an experienced big fish angler. “The boy has probably caught 100 sturgeons by himself,” Weisner said. “But he’s always looking for the next big fish.”
The fish jumped out of the water several times
On March 28th the Grimshaws were in the area and arranged to meet the Guide. For Tyler, it was a chance to catch the “next big fish.” And it shouldn’t even take long. As soon as he got to the water, the 12-year-old caught a sturgeon a little over two meters long. Only 20 minutes later he tried once more – and a huge fish jumped out of the water.
Tyler fished with scraps of fish on a bottom rig and used a short, strong backed rod. Luckily for him he hooked the fish in a weak current area which made the fight easier for him. “Tyler played the fish for 50 minutes and he didn’t want to give the rod to anyone else,” Weisner said. “The sturgeon jumped out of the water four times. Once even right next to the boat, maybe half a meter away. That was really scary.”
Also interesting
Just short of the state record for sturgeon in Idaho
After some time, Tyler was able to lead the fish to the shallow bank area. The fish measured 119 inches (3.02 meters) – just another centimeter was missing from the new record. However, new record reports must be at least two inches above the existing record. However, Weisner is certain that such a fish is waiting somewhere in the Snake River.
White sturgeon are under strict protection in Idaho. It is forbidden to take them out of the water or even knock them off. Therefore, anglers can “only” try to break the catch-and-release record. In any case, the weight record (306 kilos) from the year 1908 kilos should still exist for a long time due to this law…
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