14-Year-Old Angler Lands Rare 45-Pound Cubera Snapper on Nantucket

14 year old angler Stone Fomes with his Cubera Snapper. Photo/Instagram@stonefornes

Forget what you know about New England surfcasting. On Friday, August 28, the coast of Nantucket felt like a Caribbean beach. That’s because fourteen-year-old local angler Stone Fornes hooked and landed a prehistoric-looking, 45-pound Cubera Snapper—a toothy predatory reef fish native to tropical waters that rarely comes north of the Carolinas.

According to the Nantucket Current, this is believed to be the first-ever Cubera Snapper caught from a Nantucket beach. In fact, the Bay State doesn’t even list a state record for the species, which can grow to five feet long and weigh more than 120 pounds.

The incredible catch quickly went viral across New England platforms, including the @nantucketcurrent Instagram feed and a video broadcast by Boston 25 News, noting the battle was a true test of strength and that this was the teen’s most unexpected catch ever. Fornes went on to explain how he could feel the fish’s large canine-like teeth clicking against his wire leader as he reeled it through the surf. “I knew it was something completely different,” he recalled in an interview for Yahoo News, adding he instantly identified the predator as it broke water near the shore. He revived and released the lifetime trophy quickly after removing the hook.

Because Fornes—who set the IGFA junior world record for white marlin in 2024 with a 118-pounder —was originally targeting large sharks, he was ready with heavy-duty tackle when the lunker bit. He utilized specialized shark gear and a rig outfitted with a thick steel wire leader paired with a large chunk bait. Had he been using standard striper tackle, the snapper’s sharp teeth would have likely sliced through the line instantly.

And how did a warm-water reef-dweller end up in chilly Massachusetts waters? Marine biologists speaking with On The Water noted this bizarre event was no fluke. Powerful Gulf Stream eddies frequently break off from the main current, spinning their warm water toward the New England coast. These temporary “highways” usher exotic species far north. When water temperatures briefly spike in late August, these tropical anomalies find themselves hunting in Nantucket’s surf.

As oceans continue to warm and currents shift, Fornes’ historic catch serves as a poignant reminder that the boundaries of the Northeast surf are likely shifting as well.