A kid angler in Idaho, just 12 years old, just reeled in a huge sturgeon from Snake River – his monstrous fish nearly shattered the state record.

Vernal, Utah native Tyler Grimshaw and his father, Lance, were on a guided fishing expedition in southern Idaho near Mountain Home when Tyler reeled in the massive catch.

In late March, fishing guide Joe Weisner, age 36, encountered the youngster and his father, friends of his, after spending the day with a group of sturgeon clients.

Tyler got a big one right off the bat. Joe told The Epoch Times, ‘about a 7-foot sturgeon,” and he went on to say that Tyler, a lifelong angler, has caught “a ton of these fish.’

However, it appears that day’s bounty of fish was only beginning. After waiting for around 15 minutes, Tyler finally felt a natural tug on the line.

‘I knew it was a really big fish as soon as it was hooked,’ said Joe, a worker at Jones Sport Fishing. ‘I just knew it was really big; I had no idea how big it was.’

After roughly thirty minutes of fighting, Joe understood Tyler was something truly special. He claimed, ‘I very seldom have fish go more than 30 minutes on a fight.’

The river monster jumped out of the water twice more; the first time it was within five feet away from the boat, which Joe described as ‘terrifying, because the fish was so large.’

The 12-year-old was only eighty pounds, but he had a lot of experience, which helped him against the enormous bottom-feeder.

He crouched on the rod, using his bodyweight as leverage, resting it against the gunnel on the boat’s side.

Joe clarified, “The boat is holding the weight of the rod while the fish is running.’ ‘You should never

try to fight a running fish because you will not be able to stop a fish weighing 300 or 400 pounds.’

For about sixty minutes, they trailed the sturgeon up and down the river until it ran out of energy and surrendered.

Joe remarked of the 12-year-old angler, who has previously made headlines for his enormous catches, ‘He did it on his own.’ It’s entertaining to watch.

Following the triumphant battle, the young lad, his father, and the tour guide took out measuring tapes and cameras to take pictures with the prize catch and verify the almost perfect record.

Pulling a sturgeon from the water is prohibited by state fishing rules; harvesting is also prohibited.

Tyler had to settle for tying the current state record for catch and release in Idaho (the record for sturgeon, which was set in 1908 and weighs 675 pounds, will probably remain unbroken).

Tyler’s catch had a ‘massive girth,’ weighing more than 400 pounds, and measured 9 feet, 11 inches from nose to tail tip.

It was within half an inch of the record, but rules state that it needs to be two inches over to be eligible. However, the guide says that doesn’t lessen the value of the historic catch.

Joe added, ‘I’ve been fishing this stretch of the river for almost ten years.’ ‘Every year, we witness hundreds and hundreds of these fish… This was a lot bigger.

‘This fish was simply amazing, very noteworthy, and extremely uncommon for southern Idaho.’

The fact that sturgeons exist indicates to him that record-chasing anglers in the state probably have access to larger specimens.

Among them is Tyler, who hasn’t given up too easily. His current goal is to surpass his catch, maybe setting a new state record.