See 11-year-old’s ‘epic’ 260-pound catch in Australia. ‘I am still sore’

Jakim Azzopardi flashes an ear-to-ear grin and throws a thumbs up at the camera before he turns back to the water in front of him.

The 11-year-old alternates between bracing himself against the edge of the boat he’s on and gripping the fishing rod — which is bent in almost a semi-circle — attached to his waist. Despite the choppy waves and the pull on his rod, Jakim keeps a smile on his face.

After an hour at the rod, Jakim finally pulled his catch onboard — and it was the same size as him.

“All I can say is what a machine,” Phillip Pirotta, who was on the boat with Jakim and his father, wrote in a July 4 Facebook post.

Jakim’s nearly 260-pound tuna left his dad and Pirotta stunned, especially after a tough day on the water.

“He had never been in a harness before and was impressive to watch,” Pirotta wrote. “I’m sure that’s one he’s not going to forget for a long time!”

The trio told 9News they were fishing off the coast of Cape Otway in Victoria when they caught the ”ginormous” fish.

“When it came in, it was big as, bigger than me. It was so tall,” Jakim told 9News. “I am still sore from my arms.”

People shared their astonishment with Jakim on social media.

“Epic fish,” one person commented on Facebook. “Probably could retire now though!!!”

“Great capture young man! Some lifelong memories there,” another person wrote.

“Fish of a lifetime,” another Facebook commenter said.

Cape Otway is in southern Australia, about 140 miles southwest of Melbourne.

Moira Ritter

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Moira Ritter covers real-time news for McClatchy. She is a graduate of Georgetown University where she studied government, journalism and German. Previously, she reported for CNN Business.