12-Year Old Angler Catches 118-Pound White Marlin, Potentially Breaking Junior World Record

When 12-year-old Stone Fornes left the dock at approximately 7:30 a.m. on August 16, he anticipated a more relaxed, nonchalant day on the water alongside his mentor and avid fisherman Elliot Sudal. Leaving Nantucket Harbor with just one bag of ice and a half tank of fuel, the duo noticed the conditions were perfect for marlin fishing.

“The water was glass calm and as we were leaving the jetties, I could see the bottom like 20 feet down,” Fornes said. “It was the best visibility I have ever seen on Nantucket. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Wow, everything is perfect and as good as it could possibly be to go marlin fishing'.”

Little did Fornes know that the fishing trip of his young life was on the horizon as they made their way 10 miles out to sea on the family’s 39-foot Invincible Center Console. Soon he was face-to-face with a 118.5-pound white marlin that, if confirmed, would shatter the reigning junior world record held by an 11-year-old Martha’s Vineyard fisherman, who caught a 102-pound white marlin 13 years ago.

"If I caught this in the White Marlin Open a couple weeks ago, it would have been a $3.6 million fish because down here, our marlin are just bigger and this guy, he was just a beast," Fornes said. "We knew he was huge and the whole time, Elliot's filming and driving and we're getting all the shots we can for the IGFA (International Game Fish Association) and the whole time he's telling me like, 'Stone, this is the most important fish of your life. You just have to get this in, and you've caught the best fish of your life.'"

Sudal, who runs the popular Instagram account AckSharks, has been in thousands of ferocious battles over the years on the water – catching over 1,800 sharks while on Nantucket alone. He also famously caught a 13-foot, 1,100-pound tiger shark off Boca Grande. But he said the experience of Fornes catching the marlin last week was near the top for him as well.

“First of all, this couldn’t have happened to a better kid,” Sudal said of Fornes. “The kid loves to fish. This didn't even really like register at first. We didn't have service initially so we couldn't actually look up the record but I'm like, 'That's big.' Stone is 5'2'' and the fish is 80-inches long and he's lying down next to it. So five miles out we finally got service and I looked up the junior world record and all of a sudden I'm like, 'Stone, you just broke the world record.'

“Both of us were just freaking out,” Sudal continued. “My stomach was so tight, and I was just freaking out about doing everything right. It was so crazy. I mean listen, I've fished my entire life, and this is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I fish every day and this is the first time where I have been like ‘Oh my God’ and freaking out. A billfish world record is not something you take lightly.”

Fornes, who spends every summer on Nantucket with his family, said they heard chatter and received lots of reports in the week leading up to August 16 of white marlin about 10 miles from shore near Smith’s Point and Tuckernuck. But even if the white marlin were in the area, it takes very specific conditions and circumstances in order to catch one.

“I had never caught a billfish before this and billfish are some of the most sought-after fish in the world,” Fornes said. “And I really wanted to get out and catch one, but it doesn’t matter how many marlins are around, it’s really hard to catch one.”

"You need perfectly flat, calm days," Sudal added. "You have to see them, and you have to find them, and you have to put bait in front of them. I've caught every fish 1,000 times. I've caught 1,800 sharks on this island so trust me, this is the hardest fish to catch. It is just so cool man. I am so happy for the kid.”

Fornes and Sudal drove around at approximately 40-45 knots for 30 minutes to cover as much ground as possible before seeing their first marlin that got away. A second and third emerged that were chasing bait but went down underwater. Then a fourth emerged, just about two feet from the boat.

“I saw him and realized he was an absolute beast and put a live scup or porgy on a hook and hooked it right in front of the brain so it could move most naturally,” Fornes said. “At first we thought we saw what honestly could have been another marlin. We cast at something, and then we see this marlin, the one we were looking for, come off like 100 feet away from the boat. So that's when we were like, 'Alright, we're going to get this.’ We drove up on him, and I casted at him and landed right on top of him and scared him. Then he probably went about 20 feet away, but it was really nice visibility that day. So he saw the scup, came back for it, and ate it. We knew when he ate it because scup can't move as fast as he was moving.”

After giving the marlin about 10 seconds to eat the bait, Fornes gathered himself, shut the bail, gave the fish a bit more slack, and when the line went tight, set the hook about six times.

“For the first 20-30 seconds of the fight he didn’t know he was hooked,” Fornes said. “I was getting really good line on him. Then he jumped for the first time and the first part of the fight was crazy. He was airing out and jumping. I have caught huge tuna who were much heavier and about 300 pounds. But about 10 minutes into the fight we almost gaffed him but I’m glad we didn’t because Elliot probably would have been pulled into the ocean because this thing hadn’t spent any energy yet.”

Eventually the marlin saw the boat and they moved the engines to try to get him out from underneath, which is when the battle really began.

“Elliot deserves a major shoutout for his driving because this was the hardest fish of all-time to drive,” Fornes said. “It was constantly going under the boat. We burnt out our bow thruster at the end because we were thrusting in full circles, like donuts. My back was killing me at the end. I fought the whole battle with a spinning rod.”

"This fish was awful," Sudal added. "It would go one way and then it would just, 'Oh, I'm going to swim completely underneath the boat.' This is a 39-foot boat. You know how hard it is to move the boat completely the other way and spin it around. We really burned out the bow thruster because it runs on a battery and to try and spin this thing, it was just so difficult. I was so nervous the entire time but so hyped up. My hand was shaking the entire time. I fish every day and this was the first time I was full-blown freaking out."

Fornes said when they returned to shore, countless numbers of people helped them get the fish off the boat and to a scale. Sudal immediately texted everyone he knew requesting a cart and 100 pounds of ice while they frantically looked for a working scale.

"It was really awesome to see the fishing community really come together to help on this one," Sudal said.

Workers at Cru restaurant provided free ice, and other fishermen around the harbor including Bob DeCosta and Sudal's friend Nate Skerritt worked to find a scale as soon as possible. Bonnie Lema of the Angler’s Club also played a very important role in securing a certified weight, according to Fornes’ mother Lauren. The Hy-Line also chipped in and provided a cart.

"There were so many people that helped," Fornes said. "I could go on and on about everyone who helped with this thing. It meant a lot."

The process to get the record certified has been intense. Sudal said while speaking to someone with the IGFA, they told him "they don't take billfish records lightly." It could take a few months for the record to be made official, but Sudal is confident it is only a matter of time before that declaration is made.

"I'm pretty sure we've crossed all our T's and dotted our I's on this one," Sudal said. "We're submitting the forms (Wednesday) and cutting it up."

There have been dozens of pages of paperwork required as well as photos, video, line samples, etc. They even needed to track down a certified ichthyologist, which they were able to find in Dr. Greg Skomal, who is the head fisheries biologist for Massachusetts and a well-known shark expert in the Cape and Islands area.

"He is really, really important," Fornes said. "It was an enormous relief finding him because we were freaking out at first wondering where we would find one."

While Fornes has done much of the work on his own, Sudal continues to help in a significant way by making phone calls and talking to members of the IGFA. Fornes said he is thankful Sudal was with him that day and for the relationship they have built.

"I do not catch this marlin without him,” Fornes said. “He's taught me everything I know about fishing and saltwater fishing. (My family) bought a boat four years ago, and we found him pretty quick. It started with him teaching me how to like bass fish for stripers and stuff. I've been fishing since I was three years old. I've been fishing my whole life, and it's my favorite thing in the world. I'm just obsessed with fishing. Eventually I got really into saltwater fishing. He was teaching me how to saltwater fish and because it's Elliot, we had to start with some sharks. He got me into big fish. I am always just trying to learn as much as I can from him and ask a bunch of questions because he is a great teacher.”