If you can dodge a wrench you can … fish with a wrench? Like something right out of a Ben Stiller movie, a man in St. Petersburg, Florida (also commonly known as “Florida Man”) caught a 400-lb goliath grouper with a homemade rig the consisted of a few hooks and a wrench. According to Ryan Hein, who says this is the biggest fish he’s ever reeled in, he was looking for cheaper ways to fish while still having a fishing rig that could handle a decent catch. His number 11 wrench did him proud, not only lasting through this catch but a few more before it broke. According to Grind TV, Hein told a local radio station that he felt trouble on the line:
“I knew it was a huge fish immediately, I had no control at first, just holding on as the fish went wherever it wanted to.”
The best fishing stories involve a moment where the person on one end of the line thinks the fish at the other end of the line has the upper hand, only for the tables to dramatically turn at the last minute like in the movies. Instead of keeping his catch when victory was finally his though, Hein says he removed some other hooks from previous fishermen’s attempts at conquering the massive fish and released it back into the sea. He will always have the memory of the huge catch though, and some more creative ideas at how to fish on a budget, as he has already moved on to a number 14 wrench and is now considering common cutlery like a fork or a butterknife. God speed, Florida Man, I hope you get your white whale. Or, as will probably be more likely, another humongous grouper who has a penchant for silverware.