‘We knew it was something special’: LSU graduate catches over 600-pound fish in the Gulf
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — An LSU graduate hauled in a big fish from the Gulf on Independence Day.
She said it was the second biggest fish caught in the world on July 4.
Berthelot said she participated in a Sportfishing Championship tournament called the Pensacola Release Tournament as well as the Blue Marlin World Cup and Gulf Cup at the same time.
The World Cup takes place over multiple countries, and with fishermen competing between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time. The winner of the World Cup takes home $1 million. The LSU graduate competed against 170 other boats around the world.
While she did not win that, Berthelot was fortunate to receive a payout of a little more than $50,000 for winning the Gold Cup. The LSU graduate beat 22 other boats to win that money. She won that prize by taking in the largest fish from the Gulf that day, which was the blue marlin.
Berthelot said they traveled over 450 miles during the weekend of fishing and were 150 miles from the closest marina to weigh in after catching the blue marlin.
David Valdez, Adrian Valdes, Toby Berthelot and Jaselyn Berthelot pose with a blue marlin that was caught in the Gulf on July 4. (photo courtesy of Jaselyn Berthelot)
Jaselyn Berthelot caught a 609-pound blue marlin as part of Team Rising Sons. (Photo courtesy of Jaselyn Berthelot)
Jimmy Crochet, David Valdez, Jaselyn Berthelot, Toby Berthelot and Adrian Valdes pose with a blue marlin that was caught in the Gulf on July 4. (photo courtesy of Jaselyn Berthelot)
She lives in West Baton Rouge Parish and graduated in December 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and technology. She worked at the LSU Vet School for two years while in college.
Berthelot may have worked with animals, but her passion is fishing. The recent LSU graduate has caught other big fish before, including a 618-pound blue marlin during the Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic.
She estimates that the largest fish she has ever caught was a bluefin tuna that weighed around 1,000 pounds. Berthelot said they had to release that fish due to their quota being capped.
While not the largest fish she has caught, the 609-pound blue marlin took the longest to reel in. She said it took around 7 hours and 10 minutes to get the fish into the boat after it was hooked onto her reel at 9:18 a.m.
Berthelot credited her crew for helping keep her hydrated and the captain for maneuvering the boat to keep the best angle.
She was part of Team Rising Sons, and along with the captain, she was joined by her father and two mates on the boat. Their team name was the Mississippi Blues.
Berthelot said, “Catching the blue marlin was an adrenaline rush like no other.” She said the fight was intense, but “from the moment she hit the line, we knew it was something special.”
The Gold Cup winner said it meant a lot to the team. “That marlin didn’t just win a tournament, she marked a milestone in our journey as a team,” said Berthelot.
Gov. Jeff Landry recognized her accomplishment with a post on Facebook. He said, “Congratulations to Jaselyn Berthelot and her Dad on this fantastic catch. I see a World Cup in her future!”
The Gold Cup winner said it was an incredible honor to be recognized the Gov. Landry.
She said, “Catching the Gulf Cup-winning blue marlin was already a huge moment for our team, but to have Governor Landry recognize that achievement publicly really takes it to another level.”
The LSU graduate started fishing when she was 12 years old and is competing again this weekend in the Blue Marlin Grand Championship.
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