Miami Teen a Reel Fish Out of Water
South Miami teenager is the top rated female angler on a popular fishing tour
By TODD WRIGHT and ADAM KUPERSTEIN
Updated 3:00 PM EDT, Fri, Mar 12, 2010
Nicole Portuando is one of the top rated female angler in the world and she's not even old enough to drive a boat.
The 15-year-old fishing phenom from South Miami can fish with the best of them, and she does exactly that, reeling in the big catch almost every time she hits the water. Marlins, sailfish, grouper, you name it, Portuando has caught it.
And usually just before she attends her first class in high school that day.
"Most of them are older than me if they are girls. And if they are my age, they are boys and the boys are like, "Wait, why is this girl out here beating me?" Portuando said.
To add insult to injury for the poor boys who have to compete with Portuando in tournaments, the 10th grader kicks butt in a pink boat. Don't feel bad guys, there is always knitting. We hear Portuando doesn't get down with the needle and thread.
Portuando got her start as a fisherman when she was 4-years old on the boat with her dad, Ernie, and caught a few snappers. He said she was hooked after that.
She entered her first tournament at 12, and has risen to become the No. 1 ranked female and junior angler on the World Billfish Series. She competes on the team with her dad, who said he loves spending time with his daughter on the seas, but he'd enjoy it a little more if he didn't have to hide his face while fishing on a 35-foot pink boat.
"You can only imagine as a guy fishing in the tough division the kind of razzing that I got from everybody," Ernie confessed. "I have heard everything about a pink boat."
As long as his daughter keeps reeling in the fish and the sponsors' bucks, we don't think Ernie will mind the ride.
First Published: Mar 12, 2010 2:42 PM EDT
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