13-year-old Barnstable girl reels in 591 pound tuna, wins Cape Cod tournament
BARNSTABLE - You can hear the excitement in Lola Crisp's voice as she and her team reeled in a giant bluefin tuna. "It was 591 pounds and 104 inches," Lola said.
The catch was the heaviest of the day and landed the team in first place in the Cape Cod Bay Tuna Tournament held on Sunday.
"I was very excited," Lola said.
At the young age of 13, Lola is now the youngest person ever to win the tournament. She credits her team and especially her dad who taught her everything she knows about fishing.
"We have to have one person driving the boat and one person on the rod and then once the fish comes up to the surface, we rig a harpoon," Lola said.
"It was the perfect team, the perfect situation," said Ronald Crisp, Lola's dad. "Super rough."
Video of the catch shows how much of a struggle it was to get the fish onto the boat.
"It took over half a spool of line on the first run," Ronald said.
"Dad calls it controlled chaos," Lola said. "It's hard for me because I'm smaller. So, I have to be above the rod to be able to move my arm."
The commercial tuna tournament itself is a huge community event steeped in Barnstable Harbor history, but this was the first time they had it in nearly 30 years.
"We are bringing something back to the community that's historic," said Carla Sullivan, the tournament director. "There were women in the 40s and 50s and 60s that were catching championship fish. It's amazing to see this kind of circle back with Lola and her team."
Now this team is part of Barnstable history.
"It's the whole crew, you can't do it without everyone," Ronald said.
"It was a good experience," Lola said. "I liked working with friends and family."
Lola says this whole experience taught her a lot about teamwork and the importance of preparation. When she grows up, she hopes one day to become a marine biologist.