A Florida teenager and his friends landed the catch of a lifetime when they pulled in a fish estimated to weigh about 250 pounds from the beach.
FOX 13 in Tampa reported that Isaac Francis, a 17-year-old junior at Riverview High School, was fishing from Turtle Beach in Sarasota, Florida on Saturday night.
While fishing, Isaac’s line went tight and the fight was on until he brought in a nearly 250-pound goliath grouper, according to his father Stu Francis.
The senior Francis told the station his son called the catch “lucky,” though he credited skill and years of experience fishing.
Ever since Isaac was young, he has been an avid fisherman, his dad said.
Several of Isaac’s friends, who also attend Riverview High School, were also at the beach when he caught the fish, and helped bring it in.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website says goliath grouper, which at one time were called “jewfish,” must be released alive, unharmed and with proper fish handling techniques.
Fishermen are also not permitted to pull goliath grouper from the water because the skeletal structure cannot support its weight outside the water, and it could sustain fatal injuries.
Juvenile goliath grouper have very visible bands or stripes, though when they get older the bands can fade.
While Isaac’s catch was massive, the Florida state record for a goliath fish was set in 1961 when a 680 pounder was caught off Fernandina Beach.
The fish have been known to reach 800 pounds in other areas and can stretch to over 8 feet in length.
