A 12-YEAR-OLD boy who is originally from Old Basing has won 15,000 US dollars by catching a 26-pound, 10-ounce Chinook salmon.

Finnan Murphy was announced as the 2021 Spring LOC champion, a sportsfishing event on Lake Ontario, on Sunday (May 16).

Finnan was born in Basingstoke, and lived in Old Basing before moving with his family to Pittsford, New York.

According to a Facebook post by Rochester Sport Fishing, which runs the boat he was on when he reeled in his prized catch, it took the young angler almost 30 minutes of work to secure the win.

The post read: "He battled this fish for over 25 minutes, where it took him out an additional 400ft on two more occasions.

“And now young Finnan holds a check for $15,000 and memories to last a life time."

In an interview with NYUpstate magazine, Finnan said: "When it was netted and on the boat, the captain said it might be a $15,000 fish. My jaw just dropped."

The magazine reported that Finnan’s catch was just marginally bigger than the second place Chinook salmon, but it was enough to scoop him the life-changing winnings.

Reacting to the news, Finnan’s grandmother, Liz Murphy from Portacre Rise, Kings Furlong, said she was “very proud” of her young grandson.