By any measure, 12-year-old Julia Bernstein of Miami is a excessive achiever. The seventh grader, who’s additionally a straight-A scholar, was lately acknowledged by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee for catching each a state-record cobia and a state-record mangrove snapper within the Florida Keys on Jan. 5. Each information were certified in FWC’s new youth all-tackle weight class, which was simply established in January.
On that very same day, Bernstein additionally caught and launched a cobia that measured greater than 42 inches lengthy and had an estimated weight of round 30 kilos. That fish was launched and is now a pending IGFA all-tackle junior size report.
Bernstein’s mother, Dr. Heidi Mason, tells Outside Life that they have been fishing with Capt. Dale Bittner on his 27-foot Conch boat, Bait Stealer. Mason says they went out with the intention of catching a report that may add to Bernstein’s already lengthy listing of fishing accomplishments. Though she’s solely 12, Bernstein presently has 11 IGFA world-record catches to her credit score.
“It was an incredible morning of fishing off Key West,” Mason says. “We fish so much with Dale, and we knew Florida had simply established its youth all-tackle information.”
Capt. Bittner first took the duo to a shallow-water wreck to focus on cobia. The fish have been there ready for them.
“As we slowed down, we noticed a cloud of fish on the floor – they usually have been all cobia, an enormous faculty, they usually have been all very hungry,” Mason explains. “They have been very aggressive, and Julia hooked a fish on each forged.”
Utilizing heavy spinning sort out and 30-pound braid, Bernstein started working. As a result of they have been concentrating on record-size fish, she tried to select the largest ones and forged squid baits to them.
Bernstein caught a pair small cobia first, after which she forged to a much bigger fish. She hooked the large cobia and landed it after a 15-minute battle. After measuring the fish at 107 centimeters, they launched it again into the ocean. The cobia is now a pending IGFA size report within the Junior division.
The very subsequent fish Bernstein caught from the varsity was a 20-pound 15-ounce cobia, which was large enough to set the primary youth all-tackle weight report for the species.
The anglers stored fishing close to the wreck and caught a pair extra cobia from the varsity. Then they determined to maneuver on and goal mangrove (grey) snapper to see if Julia may rating one other report.
“Dale knew proper the place they’d be, on a reef in deeper water,” says Mason. “She used spinning gear and a small dwell bait, dropped it to the underside, and bought a strike. It was an enormous 1.5-pound mangrove snapper, which was massive sufficient to develop into the Florida youth report for the species.”
To be honest, FWC’s youth all-tackle weight category was solely created a number of months in the past, and 12 totally different saltwater species at the moment are eligible for a report. If an angler below the age of 15 catches any one in all these species weighing greater than 1 pound, the fish can qualify as a possible report, in line with the brand new laws.
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Mason additionally says that whereas Jan. 5 was a big day for her and her daughter, Bernstein has had even higher record-setting days on the water. In April 2023, she caught eight IGFA junior size information in at some point whereas fishing with Capt. Bittner. Mason’s no stranger to the report ebook both and she or he presently holds three IGFA world information, together with the 8-pound line class cobia report.
Capt. Bittner, who additionally took Bernstein out final April, says he enjoys fishing with the younger, decided angler.
“Julia’s most exceptional trait I’ve noticed is how a lot willpower she has when she is overmatched by the power of huge fish,” he says. “She by no means provides up.”