[August 19, 2011] Record shark snagged 20 miles off Rockport Tweet Aug 18, 2011 (Gloucester Daily Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Ever since the summer began, 15-year-old Amesbury resident Ethan Lynch has been having a friendly contest with his father, Chip, over who could catch the biggest fish of the season. It looks like Ethan is going to win the gentlemen's bet with his dad after hooking a 12-foot-long, 458-pound blue shark about 20 miles off Rockport near Jeffreys Ledge, a fishing grounds northeast of Cape Ann. The ledge extends northward to mid-way up the Maine coast. Ethan was on board the Erica Lee II on Aug. 9 when he snagged the potentially dangerous shark using cod as bait and reeled it in after a 35-minute struggle. "I was really excited. I mean I never caught a fish over 20 pounds before. I couldn't believe it," Ethan said. Ethan and his 10-year-old brother Noah were on board the Erica Lee II as part of the Coastal Discoveries Program, offered by Erica Lee II Charters out of Newburyport. Coastal Discoveries is a week-long marine education camp that allows kids ages 9 and older the chance to explore area waters, learn more about the creatures that inhabit the region and do a little fishing. Ethan's blue shark may put him in the record books, as it is believed the 458-pounder will likely earn him the state record in both the youth and adult categories of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries saltwater fishing derby. The state's current record-holder, caught in 1996, was 454 pounds. "It's really cool to hold something like that," Ethan said, if he indeed earned the top spot. Bob Yeomans, captain of the Erica Lee II, said blue shark sightings are common this time of year and will remain plentiful until the end of September. But it's very rare to catch a blue shark that big. Most of them range between 8 and 10 feet long and are caught and then released, he said. "That's a big shark," Yeomans said, referring to Ethan's catch. After the shark was brought back to shore, a crew member dissected the fish to give the Coastal Discoveries campers a closer look into what makes sharks such mysterious creatures. "As a parent, I really appreciate all the work they do at Coastal Discoveries; it's not just an organization that takes people fishing. They really explain the environment," Chip Lynch said. Ethan said he has been an avid fisherman for years and never gives up an opportunity to go fishing, be it deep sea or freshwater. Both his brother, Noah, and father, Chip, fish frequently as well. That led to the father-and-son contest regarding the biggest catch of the summer. Chip Lynch said the day before Ethan's shark, he hooked a large-mouth bass weighing several pounds and then texted his son a photo with the caption "I'm Winning." Little did he know that his path to summer glory would be so short. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to top that one," Chip Lynch said. "But there's still some summer, so we'll wait and see." As far as old fish tales go, Ethan has a doozy to tell his future children. Asked if it would be easy to convince his offspring that he was on the level, Ethan said he had all the proof he would ever need. "I'll have the Internet," a proud Ethan said. Dave Rogers may be contacted at [email protected]. To see more of the Gloucester Daily Times or to subscribe, go to http://www.gloucestertimes.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Gloucester Daily Times, Mass. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]