10-Year-Old Reels in World Record Fish

A 10-year-old Virginia fifth-grader has broken the junior world record for catching the largest black grouper.

Matthew Poldy reeled in a black grouper last Thanksgiving weekend in Key West, Florida that was 23 pounds and eight ounces, breaking the junior record of 17.5 pounds

“I was taking a break from fishing and eating an Oreo when we saw the rod bend down,” Matthew said. 

According to the Washington Post, Matthew “previously battled a shark for an hour and 45 minutes, and has caught goliath groupers weighing hundreds of pounds.”

After Matthew caught the fish, his father Greg Poldy used an app on his phone to see if the fish was close to a record. Once Greg realized it broke the record by nearly 6 pounds, he had to call a member of the International Game Fish Association, who came down to the dock. 

After the requisite 60-day waiting period for proper verification, Matthew was certified this week “with the Junior Angler World Record, Small Fry (10 and under) category, from the IGFA, for his catch on the day before Thanksgiving.”

Matthew, a fifth-grader at Crossfield Elementary School in Northern Virginia, said his classmates “got all excited and stuff” and thought the fish “was really cool” when he showed the photo to them.