A Minnesota boy fishing in his pajamas with his family expected a quiet night by the water. Instead, 7-year-old Isaac Richert hooked a fish that earned him a place in the state record books. Isaac was camping with his father, Phil Richert, and his brother, Teddy, along the Minnesota River in Scott County on June 6, 2026, when the unexpected catch happened. According to Wired2Fish, the family had been targeting catfish when Isaac’s line suddenly produced a much different surprise.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, the young angler was preparing to turn in for the night when he felt something pull on his line. Phil told the Star Tribune that Isaac reeled in the fish while he helped land it with a net. The fish turned out to be a shortnose gar, a native Minnesota species with a long, narrow body and tooth-filled snout that often gives the fish a prehistoric appearance.
