Young Angler’s Potential World Record Catch
An eighth grader from Northern California, Julian, has gained quite a bit of attention after landing a potential record-breaking 63.7-pound White Sea Bass during a family fishing trip. The big catch happened in Tomales Bay, roughly 30 miles from Santa Rosa, on August 10.
At just 13 years old, Julian hooked this impressive fish and expressed to the media, “I feel like a star,” when asked about the newfound fame among his classmates and the fishing community.
Interestingly, the young fisherman weighs only about 15 pounds more than the massive sea bass. Prior to this, his biggest catch had been a modest 10-pound catfish.
Julian’s father, Rinna, along with Julian’s mom and siblings, shared in the excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. “Honestly, it’s hard to find the words right now,” Rinna commented about the thrill of catching such a big fish.
They’re now considering working with the International Gamefish Association to potentially verify Julian’s catch and establish a new world record. If everything goes as planned, his fish would surpass the previous junior record of 59 pounds set back in 2002.
The family’s fishing day started early at 5 AM, aiming to catch halibut with nice weather conditions. Around noon, while munching on a sandwich, Julian’s uncle noticed that the rod was bending significantly.
Initially, Julian struggled to handle the powerful fish, mistakenly thinking he was fighting against a common bat ray instead of what turned out to be a trophy sea bass.
Once Julian’s uncle assisted in bringing the fish onto the boat, reality hit. “Did I really pull that huge sea bass?” Julian asked in disbelief afterward.
Photographs were taken, and soon they rushed to Bodega Tackle in Petaluma for official measurements. Manager Angelina Love noted that while white sea bass are often caught in Tomales Bay, Julian’s age made his catch particularly noteworthy.
“There has been a lot of buzz about it,” Love mentioned, as locals began to ask about the young angler.
Interestingly, Bodega Tackle had seen impressive catches before, such as a 202.6-pound Bluefin Tuna in 2022, but Julian’s achievement stands out for a variety of reasons.
“People have been coming up to me, asking, ‘Where did you catch this fish?’ or saying, ‘That’s an amazing catch,’” Julian remarked, relishing the attention.
The tackle shop is assisting his family with the extensive paperwork required by the IGFA to confirm his record catch, which includes verifying the weight on a certified scale and offering detailed information about the equipment used.
While the verification process may take several weeks, if successful, Julian would become one of the youngest anglers to hold a world fishing record, etching his name into fishing history.
