Awesome Angler

Palisadian Oliver Chang Reels in Monster Marlin in Honokohau Bay

When 11-year-old Oliver Chang was asked what he did on his summer vacation the answer he gave to his sixth-grade class at Brentwood School was not just another fish story.

Already known around the Palisades as an ace angler, he shared that he had reeled in a 737.5-pound blue marlin in Honokohau Bay in Maui on August 15. It had taken three experienced deck hands to help him wrestle this once-in-a-lifetime catch onto the boat. Amazingly, the monster marlin was not even his first trophy catch.

Chang’s passion for fishing began following a health emergency. In January 2019, after having been  treated for Kawasaki Disease at Los Angeles Children’s hospital, his grandmother, author Paula Blackman, helped care for him and during his convalescence she read him books about fishing, they played fishing games and she promised to take him on a fishing charter after he recovered. Five months later, they boarded the New Del Mar fishing charter in Marina Del Rey. On a boat full of experienced fishermen, Chang caught the most fish and won the charter’s prize—a free fishing trip. On the subsequent complimentary trip he once again caught the prize-winning trophy, a rare trigger fish, which earned earned him yet another free charter. By this time, the boy was hooked.

Upon returning to school Chang described his “special moment.” Beneath a drawing of a fishing boat, he wrote: “My special moment was fishing. I was fishing with my grandma. We were on a boat in 2019. Fishing is a busy thing. I will always remember this day.”

The sport has since become an integral part of he and his family’s life as both Oliver and his younger brother Cade have become fishing celebrities in Blackman’s hometown of Bonita Springs, Florida, where photos of the boys and their catches adorn the walls of the local bait shop, Master Bait and Tackle.

This summer’s “special moment” was even memorable and it was not the size of the fish, the set of the hook or the three mighty men it took to haul the marlin onto the deck. No, the most memorable moment came afterwards when the boat had docked at the marina. The captain asked Oliver what he wanted to do with his catch. A deck hand suggested donating the fish to a local boy Oliver’s age who was being treated for brain cancer.

“Well, that’s a no brainer,” Oliver replied. “Let’s give the fish to the boy’s family.”

Following his own health scare, Oliver became a seeker of special moments and he already has another one planned. Next summer, when the Chang family returns to Hawaii, he is hoping the boy given the marlin will be recovered enough to join him on his annual Hawaiian fishing excursion.

    Two weekends ago Oliver and his family spent several days fishing on the New Del Mar in the marina to celebrate Cade’s birthday.    

    “Our boys are very into fishing,” mom LeAnne Thrasher-Chang said. “Wherever we go, they hope they can fish! From lakes, to Oceans, even golf course ponds, they ask if they can fish. Oliver discovered fishing at a young age from my mother and grandfather. I’d say around 4 or 5 years old. Cade was in diapers when he first held a pole. Our vacations typically revolve around whether the boys can fish or not. We try to fish in Los Angeles on the New Del Mar, we’ve fished off of the docks, the piers, in the ocean— you name it.”

    The boys’ favorite fishing spots are in Naples, Florida, where their mom’s family lives, and Kona on the big island of Hawaii, where their father Blair’s family lives. All of their school breaks have been spent in Hawaii and Florida visiting family and fishing.    

     “During COVID we spent over a month straight in Florida, living on the beach, where they fished so I still have dreams of scales covering my hands,” LeAnne joked. “The boys have tremendous enthusiasm and passion for it.”

   However, Oliver does not spend all of his free time on the water. He is also the star quarterback on the school football squad, plays for a travel baseball team, Top Level, and regularly attends  pitching, batting and golf lessons. He is at his best and happiest though, with rod in hand.