Aaron Meade, a fisherman from Bodmin, Cornwall, experienced a once-in-a-lifetime surprise when he caught a rare ocean sunfish—known scientifically as mola mola—while fishing alone near Padstow. Using gear typically intended for bass fishing, Aaron reeled in this enormous tropical giant right from the shoreline.
Setting out early to avoid bad weather, the 39-year-old angler was astonished when his rod bent sharply and the water splashed wildly. “At first, I thought I’d hooked a seal,” Aaron recalled. “It wasn’t until about ten minutes later that I realized it was a sunfish. I still can’t quite believe it happened.”
Sunfish are generally seen offshore, basking in warmer waters, and though increasingly spotted around England’s south and west coasts during summer months—often following jellyfish—they are rarely caught from shore by rod and line. Aaron was amazed that his modest £20 line held firm during the struggle. “I managed to bring it close to the rocks, grabbed one of its long fins, and helped it onto a rock to unhook it,” he explained. After snapping a few photos, he even waded into the water to assist the sunfish’s recovery before it swam away unharmed.
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Determined to document the extraordinary encounter, Aaron ingeniously fashioned a phone stand using his rod and a rock to capture timed selfies of himself with the fish. “I knew if I didn’t get a photo or video, no one would believe me,” he said. “I was on my own and had to be quick.”
Though Aaron has spent ten years at sea and seen a sunfish in passing only once before, catching one from the shore ranks as the strangest and most memorable fish he’s ever landed. “People have been amazed—some even thought I caught it abroad,” he noted.
When asked how he plans to top this extraordinary catch, Aaron simply smiled: “You always want something a bit bigger and a bit weirder, don’t you?” However, he declined to reveal the exact location, quietly stating, “I’m not giving away my fishing spots. But down here, you never know what’s lurking beneath the waves.”