Catch of a lifetime
On Tuesday evening, April 7, 2026, 12-year-old local angler Lucas Di Giulio experienced what many fishermen spend a lifetime chasing — the catch of a lifetime.
Fishing the Beaver tailwaters below Riverview Resort with his dad and siblings, Lucas had spent much of the evening trying his luck for trout with a fly rod. As the sun began to set and the family prepared to head home, Lucas decided he wanted one last shot.
He picked up an old fishing rod his father has owned since 1982 — a 6-foot, 6-inch medium-light rod spooled with 6-pound test line. Keeping it simple, Lucas tied on a size 22 egg hook and added a single orange Power Egg.
One final cast changed everything.
“At first, I just felt that normal jolt of excitement like anytime I get a bite,” Lucas said. “I called out to my family that I had one on, but then I couldn’t reel in line because the drag kept slipping. I thought, ‘Aww man, my hook is snagged on the bottom.’”
What seemed like a snag quickly turned into something much bigger.
Lucas’s dad encouraged him to keep the rod tip up and maintain pressure on the line. Nearby, Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Robert Kennedy, who was fishing upstream, heard the commotion and shouted that sometimes a giant walleye can feel just like being hung on the bottom.
Then came the heavy pull.
“At that moment, my hopes lifted and my heart started pounding,” Lucas said. “The fish was still on. But then I had to land it. The drag was set too light for a fish that size, and I had to slowly tighten it. All I could think was, ‘Man, I better not lose this one.’”
The battle was tense. With light line, a small hook, and a submerged log near the bank, there was little room for error.
“When I first saw the fish, I almost couldn’t believe how big it was,” Lucas said. “I was excited, but also nervous. I was worried about getting it around the log and not ripping that small hook out of its mouth.”
Staying calm, Lucas carefully worked the fish to shore and landed an absolute giant — a trophy 33 3/4-inch, 16.3-pound female walleye, full of eggs, from the White River.
For many anglers, a fish of that size is a once-in-a-lifetime catch. For a 12-year-old, it became a memory he will never forget.
After the excitement settled, Lucas made another big decision: release the fish.
“It felt great knowing that this female walleye that was full of eggs would swim to see another day and hopefully spawn,” he said. “I felt great satisfaction in knowing that I had caught the fish, and that was what really mattered the most.”
Lucas said the decision was ultimately his, though his father helped guide him through it.
“In the end, I decided to release it because walleye are naturally reproducing fish in the White River, and this was a female carrying eggs,” he said. “Every time I look at the river, it’s cool knowing that a lunker like her is swimming in there somewhere.”
For Lucas, the moment was about more than just the fish.
“This experience has made me appreciate fishing not only for catching fish, but for practicing patience, perseverance and skill,” he said.
Lucas credits his father for introducing him to fishing and his mother for being one of his biggest supporters.
“My dad got me into fishing, but my mom has also become just as big of a supporter as he is,” he said. “I really would not have caught this monster fish without them.”
He also said the support from the local community has meant a lot.
“I’ve truly been surprised at the incredible support and excitement from neighbors, local fishermen, staff at Riverview Resort, and guides like Busch Mountain Fishing,” Lucas said. “It’s actually humbling but also encouraging to get my line in the water again.”
For one young angler on the Beaver tailwaters, one final cast turned into a story that will be told for years to come — proof that sometimes, the catch of a lifetime comes when you least expect it.
Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service Owner Austin Kennedy submitted Lucas’s fish for a Master Angler Award through Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.