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An adventure-loving tween from Miami landed two state records and three world records (with one pending) whereas fishing off the Florida Keys earlier this yr — reeling in sizable cobia, a snapper and a grouper that any fisherman could be proud to catch.
This weekend, Julia Bernstein, age 12, will settle for the Fleming Species Award, the best junior honor, from the International Women’s Fishing Association for catching and releasing 37 completely different species of fish in 2023.
“Once she is hooked up to a fish, she is very determined and has incredible willpower,” Dale Bittner, fishing information and boat captain of the 27-foot conch boat, “Bait Stealer,” advised Fox News Digital.
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“She is very coachable and doesn’t show a lot of emotion high or low. Julia is very quiet and respectful,” Bittner stated.
That’s simply how the tween snagged the Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) state records for cobia and mangrove snapper in addition to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) junior size records for crimson grouper, crimson snapper and cobia on Jan. 5.
Guided by Captain Dale Bittner, 12-year-old Julia Bernstein hooks a 24-inch crimson grouper, which is an IGFA junior size file. (Heidi Mason)
The cobia continues to be pending certification, however is anticipated to be permitted.
“We went out with a plan,” the younger girl advised Fox News Digital.
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“When fishing for records, it’s important to have a strategy for the day. We were lucky we were able to get the red snapper on the first drop.”
Twelve-year-old angler Julia Bernstein of Miami, Florida, fights for the IGFA crimson snapper file on Jan. 5 off the coast of the Florida Keys. “We went out with a plan,” she advised Fox News Digital. (Heidi Mason)
It was a sunny day with mild winds, stated Bittner, who has been fishing with the woman and her household since she was simply 10. She focused the crimson snapper in 240 ft of water.
“We were on a roll,” younger Julia Bernstein stated.
After photographing and measuring it, she launched the snapper and moved onto her subsequent conquest: cobia.
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“We arrived at a perfect time as they were on the surface and visible above a shipwreck,” she stated.
Measuring 25 inches, the crimson snapper Bernstein caught on Jan. 5 earned her an IGFA junior world file. (Heidi Mason)
“The action was fast, and between the barracudas and cobia, we hooked and released several fish before she landed the qualifying record for IGFA junior release,” stated Bittner.
The younger angler stated she was not in a rush — and on a mission.
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“We stayed longer with the cobia because we knew we could catch both a world record and a state record, and they are one of my favorite species to catch,” younger Bernstein stated.
By the top of the day, she nabbed her share of record-setting fish — and was appreciative of doing so.
“It’s an incredible sport. You can do it all over the world, and it’s something I can have fun with my whole life.”
“I would have called it a great day if we had caught even one or two records,” she stated, “but to pick up four in one day was a very special experience.”
Catching a file fish, Julia Bernstein stated, takes a lot of willpower and the flexibility to energy by obstacles.
“We try to take advantage of every opportunity we have, but sometimes a shark will eat a fish that you are fighting or it will break off in a wreck,” she stated.
“Things don’t always go to plan with fishing — lines break, fish don’t cooperate, weather plays a part from the first drop. But we never give up.”
She comes by that angle naturally — as her mother, Dr. Heidi Mason, is a lifelong fisherwoman and has 4 IGFA records herself.
Seasoned fishing information Dale Bittner celebrates with Julia Bernstein after the woman reeled in a state-record cobia off the coast of Key West. (Heidi Mason)
“It was one thing that I beloved and treasured as a child and located it very formative,” Mason, a Miami-based doctor, advised Fox News Digital.
“It was a lot of fun as a young lady going out and beating the boys. I had a blast with it.”
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Mason stated she’s loved watching her daughter study and develop out on the water.
“She is very focused and very determined,” Mason stated.
After it was measured and recorded, Julia Bernstein launched her IGFA junior-record cobia again into the ocean and it swam away. (Heidi Mason)
“She’s very teachable. When she units her thoughts to one thing, she says, ‘Hey, I want to do this.’ Maybe the first time she hooks up with a fish, it might not necessarily be the biggest, or she might make a mistake and lose it,” Mason said.
“But she will take feedback and [say], ‘OK, this is what I need to do differently.’ She’ll keep working at it.”
Character-building opportunities through fishing, Mason said, are plentiful.
“With fishing, we honestly don’t get all that many days to go out,” Mason said.
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“When we do, the days are our 12-hour days. We’re out on the water, and it’s very physically demanding,” she added.
“She [her daughter] has to work hard and fight for it the entire time. She’s not whining or complaining. She’s at all times placing in her full effort.”
Julia Bernstein’s mother, Dr. Heidi Mason, is a seasoned fisherman herself, hooking this African pompano on a current journey. (Heidi Mason)
With all of the work, there’s nonetheless time to take in nature’s magnificence.
“There are the most magical, incredible sights to be seen,” Mason stated.
“These magical moments the place you cease and have a look at the superb, lovely world and the ocean round you — it actually makes you admire every little thing that we have now,” she stated. She additionally stated she hopes folks “realize the importance of conservation.”
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All of Julia Bernstein’s world-record catches have been launched, per IGFA guidelines.
“It’s amazing to catch and release a fish and watch it swim away, knowing it’s going to keep growing, and hopefully someone else will get to have the same fun I had when I caught it.”
“It’s teaching the kids, from a very young age, the importance of this amazing resource,” Mason stated. “We have these incredible sites and animals, but we have to take care of them.”
Julia Bernstein is on board with the conservation idea.
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“It’s amazing to catch and release a fish and watch it swim away, knowing it’s going to keep growing,” she stated, including that she hopes “someone else will get to have the same fun I had when I caught it.”
A straight-A scholar, Bernstein can be an achieved sailor.
Also an achieved sailor, Bernstein was chosen final week to be on the U.S. group for a regatta in the Netherlands. Team USA received the regatta, and he or she was fifth in her fleet. (Heidi Mason)
Recently, she was chosen to be on the U.S. group for a regatta in the Netherlands.
Team USA received the regatta final week, and Bernstein was fifth in her fleet.
The woman and her mother stated they hope their fish tales encourage different women and ladies to attempt the game.
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“I would love for more girls and women to be out there doing it,” Mason stated.
“It’s amazing to catch and release a fish and watch it swim away, knowing it’s going to keep growing.”
“It’s an amazing family activity. Some people think of fishing as a solitary sport, where you sit at the end of the dock. But if you’re doing it at this level, it’s very much a team sport.”
Fishing additionally ranges the taking part in discipline, younger Bernstein stated.
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“I think it’s cool that boys and girls compete against one another for junior records,” she stated.
“A lot of times it comes down to finesse and strategy, particularly if you fish with lighter line. It’s not just brute strength, so it’s something that we can compete in as equals.”
Bernstein will likely be accepting the Fleming Species Award from the International Women’s Fishing Association for catching and releasing 37 completely different species of fish in 2023. (Heidi Mason)
Bernstein stated that whether or not she’s fishing offshore out of Key West, in the Everglades or in the Florida flats, she’s in it for the lengthy haul.
“It’s an incredible sport,” she stated.
“You can do it all over the world, and it’s something I can have fun with my whole life.”
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