7-year-old lands fish nearly as big as her
Circe Bailey with her massive mackinaw and Andrew Lubrano, the boat’s captain. Photo/Provided
A fisher girl did on her first outing what some veterans have never done – catch a mackinaw weighing more than 15 pounds.
“I think she wanted to cry she was so exhausted,” Capt. Andrew Lubrano of Nor-Cal Charters told Lake Tahoe News.
Seven-year-old Circe Bailey had a single minnow on the other end of her line that was about 150 feet down in 300 feet of water when the fish bit on May 24.
The Carson City youngster was fishing for the first time with her dad, brother and sister. The excursion started at 6am. They were close to Ski Run Marina when the fish took hold.
Circe said the captain was giving her direction and her sister helped a bit with reeling it in. It took about two hours to land it.
There was nothing easy about getting that fish to cooperate. Just when it was near the surface Lubrano would try to net it. But this fish wasn’t going to come aboard that easy. It dove and Circe kept hanging on.
“(It’s) one of the nicest fish I have seen working at Nor-Cal Charters,” Lubrano said. “There are fishing guides who have been on the lake for 20 years and have never caught a fish that good.”
About two hours after catching it, it was weighed – 15.1 pounds. Lubrano said fish lose about 10 percent of their muscle mass when they get in the boat, so the fish was closer to 17 pounds.
Usually the mackinaw pulled from Lake Tahoe are in the 3- to 5-pound category.
Fish tacos have been served now multiple nights in the Bailey household. Circe said they taste great.
— Kathryn Reed
I’m happy for Circe Bailey. Thats quite a fish!
I caught a 10 pounder in Emerald Bay and could’nt believe the size of it when we finally got it aboard..
Way to go Circe and Capt Lubrano!!! OLS
Now I know why Nor-Cal was voted #1
Steve, did this happen on one of your boats? I still need to charter a trip with you.
Did anyone else read the first line of this article as, “A fisher girl died on her first outing”?
Congrats on the fish. I’ve heard that the world record for mackinaw is 102 lbs, taken from Lake Tahoe. One nice fish!
greengrass: I think the record is 27 lbs or 37lbs, but not 102.
Greengrass- “A fisher girl did on her first outing what some veterans have never done – catch a mackinaw weighing more than 15 pounds.”
Unless the story has been changed methinks you misread. That or you may be ‘lysdexic’.
what an amazing catch! i’d love to CATCH a fishing trip with this lad. (hahaaa pun intended) but putting the fact aside that Andrew is my brother, this is truly the best fishing business in the world!!
Buck: You’re right. I just looked it up. It’s 37 lbs.
I am so envious! Congratulations!!!
Green grass what are you smoking ??
I do know that in the 40s and early 50s that two fishermen that I knew one named Harry James who lived off of Stateline Ave and another named Mr. Whistler who lived on Manzanita st. both caught a 44 and a 47 pounder. I knew them both and saw the fish.
Wow! This company is a few years old, being managed by a young man who has the brains and the know how. It’s time for the older guys fishing the lake to hand over the baton. Customers deserve the best and they are getting it at Nor-Cal and with Captain Andrew. Why do some of the older guys act competitive with this businessman? It’s so sad. Time to hand it over to Capt. Andrew… he is the next generation on the lake, and he’s doing it HIS way. Good job Captain, can’t wait to see what the future brings.
@leanforward it was caught on a Nor-Cal fishing boat, he has 3 in the fleet as of now.