First-time salmon fisherman breaks 43-year state record in Michigan. ‘What did I do?’

A 19-year-old set out on his first-ever salmon fishing trip Saturday, and reeled in a record-setting ‘giant,’ local outlets reported.

“I cannot believe it, it’s like I won the lottery, (for) a fisherman at least,” Luis Martinez told WOOD.

The novice angler went out on Lake Michigan in a charter boat with his mother, sister and stepfather, the Ludington Daily News reported. Every year the mom and dad have invited Martinez and his sister to go, and every year they said no, except for this last fateful trip.

Bobby Sullivan of Icebreaker Charters took the Ortonville family to Sable Point to cast their lures for chinook salmon, and it wasn’t long before they had a bite, the outlet reported.

Martinez admits he fell asleep during the ride and his mother woke him up when they arrived at the fishing spot, WOOD reported.

Around 7 a.m., a bleary-eyed Martinez was handed a fishing rod and told to reel. And so his battle with the nearly 48-pound salmon began.

“The first 10 minutes were quite a fight. Around the 20s, 30s (minutes or so), he started jumping out of the water. That’s when we pulled it out and landed it in the boat,” Martinez told the Ludington Daily News.

Everyone on the boat, his family and the captain, seemed to know Martinez pulled in a monster fish. But he wasn’t so sure at first.

“They were all screaming, and I was like, what did I do’?” Martinez told the newspaper.

It was an impressive specimen, but was it a record? They contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to make it official.

Department employee Jay Wesley arrived from Kalamazoo to size up Martinez’ catch, WOOD reported.

“They opened the top of the cooler and I think the words out of my mouth were ‘oh my god, this thing is huge.’ It didn’t even fit in the cooler really,” Wesley told the TV station. “I couldn’t have dreamed of a bigger fish and it was just in great shape.”

The previous chinook salmon record of 46.06 pounds was set in 1978, according to the department. Martinez topped it with his fish, weighing in at 47.86 pounds.

It’s an exciting accomplishment for Martinez, but also an encouraging sign that Lake Michigan is in good health, Wesley said, WOOD reported.

“To have that big of a fish, a new state record, and to have other fish 30 pounds plus being caught daily, means we have great balance in the lake,” Wesley said.

As for Martinez, the young fisherman wonders if his angling days have already peaked.

“I will go back but I will never beat this fish,” he told the outlet. “Everything is downhill from now on.”

This story was originally published August 8, 2021 at 12:33 PM with the headline "First-time salmon fisherman breaks 43-year state record in Michigan. ‘What did I do?’."