When 15-year-old Farley Clarke bought some mackerel feathers to fish off a pier while on holiday with his family, the last thing he expected to catch was a very rare sunfish. This highly unusual-looking fish is typically found out in the open ocean, navigating vast distances in search of food. In this instance, however, it was patrolling just 100 yards off the coast, making the catch even more extraordinary.
While sunfish can grow to over 1,000kg, Farley estimated his catch to weigh around 30-40lbs. But with a fish this rare, size was irrelevant!
Speaking to Farley's mum, Sally, she shared what led to the interesting capture:
"Apparently, the sunfish had been seen swimming around the area prior to being caught, but we hadn't noticed it."
"Farley was casting his imitation squid feathers out, hoping to catch some mackerel, as the area is often prolific for them."
"However, Farley felt a solid resistance as he was reeling in his feathers, and as soon as it was hooked, it was clear what it was."
"The fish put up a pretty good fight but was landed within 3-4 minutes and released back into the water within a minute, swimming off strongly, evading a seal as it went."
"Needless to say, there was much excitement on the pier from other anglers and tourists, and Farley was thrilled to see such an amazing fish on the shore," she added.
