Holy Fish! First Time Angler Reels in 35 Pound Monster From Lake Ontario

Holy fish! Wait until you see the 35-and-a-half-pound monster an Oswego, New York woman reeled in from Lake Ontario. Not bad for her first time on the water.

High Adventure

It's the one-year anniversary of the day Captain Jeff Wallace took some of his friends and family aboard the High Adventure to fish on Lake Ontario for the first time. It turned into an adventure of a lifetime for first-time angler Chelsea Giovo who went into the day on June 21, 2022, without any expectations. "My friend, Katie, caught the first fish as soon as we got out there and it took her maybe 10 minutes to reel her fish in."

From Relaxing to Reeling

After watching Katie catch her fish from the comfort of her spot on the boat, Chelsea thought she could do it too. "It wasn’t long after she reeled her fish in, that we had another bite and I said I was ready to reel one in."

Chelsea may have been ready but she wasn't prepared for WHAT she was reeling in. "I thought it was going to be as easy as my friend’s experience, but this was a fight."

40-Minute Struggle

The monster fish took 40 minutes for Chelsea to reel in. "Everyone was saying it was going to be a big one, but I thought they were just picking on me because it was taking me so long."

No Joke

No one was joking and Chelsea soon found out how big a fish she'd just spent more than a half-hour reeling in. "When I saw Jeff’s blank stare with his mouth wide open, I knew I had a monster."

Beauty & the Beast

Chelsea’s hard-fought fish of a lifetime tipped the scale at 35.2 pounds. "This is a reminder of why we come out every day to do this," said Captain Jeff. "To see an angler catch her first and biggest fish."

Record Salmon

It's not only a big fish for Chelsea. Captain Jeff said it’s the largest salmon of his career too and it could be the largest salmon landed on Lake Ontario this year.

Catch Heard Around Lake

The monster fish became the catch heard around the lake. "When we tied the boat up, fishermen were already standing on the dock just waiting to see it," said Chelsea. "They told me I may never catch a fish that big again in my lifetime."

Back on the Water

Whether or not Chelsea will reel in a monster that big, it won't stop her from hitting the water again. "I don’t think I could top my first fishing experience, that was truly a lifetime memory. To go out with a group of friends, with no expectations, and end up covered in fish slime and I didn’t even care. I will definitely be going fishing again."

There will also be a special place for Chelsea's first trophy catch. "I’m having a replica made of the fish."

Fishing Charter

High Adventure Sportfishing is a professional charter and guide service based in the Oswego Marina in Oswego, New York where the motto is "if it swims we will fish for it." Learn more at Highadventurefishing.com, on Facebook. Or you can call Captain Jeff Wallace at 315-591-8051 to book your fishing adventure. "We have availability in July to the end of September."