Meet Lillian Scott, world record fisher

Nearing 90, this Norwegian has hung up her rod but still dreams with the fishes

Photo courtesy of Lillian Scott
John and Lillian Scott pose with her world-record catch, a Giant Sea Bass weighing 454 pounds.

David Moe
Sun City, Calif.

Lillian Scott was born on September 28, 1927, in Kristiansand, Norway, and caught her first fish before she could walk. She had one sister, Mary, born in 1939. On May 17, 1950, at the age of 23, she left Norway aboard the ship Stavangerfjord, went to America, and ended up at Newport Beach, California, where she landed a job as a housemaid to several famous movie stars.

In 1977, she was introduced to a jeweler named John Scott, was married, and started a fishing adventure on his boat called Menehune out of the marina at Balboa, California. She holds two world records that have never been broken. One is for catching the largest Giant Black Sea Bass on September 16, 1980, a fish that weighed 454 pounds. Again on May 30, 1981, she caught another Giant Black Sea Bass that weighed 343 pounds. Both were world records. She and her husband went fishing on weekends and whenever they could get away from their jewelry business.

Approaching 90 years of age, Scott says, “I’m not able to fish anymore, but I can still dream of fishing.” Yes, Lillian, we have our memories, and they can’t take that away.

This article originally appeared in the June 2, 2017, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.