A Pennsylvania angler caught his ‘unicorn’ fish Sunday in Erie. Colton Alex, 18, of Erie, was fishing in a tournament in Lake Erie when he hooked into a large Atlantic Salmon.

"I've been looking for that fish for 20 years," Thurston told the newspaper, delighted with his 50-inch catch. "Up here, that number is like a unicorn," he added.

Colton Alex, an experienced fisherman at age 18, was fishing in the tournament with Capt. Joe Nemet of Nemesis Sport Fishing when the fish hit a spoon 65 feet down, according to GoErie.

An 18-year-old reeled in a "unicorn fish" while out on Lake Erie during a fishing tournament in Pennsylvania. Captain Joe Nemet of Nemesis Sport Fishing was there for the catch.

While a trophy, Bielanin expressed mixed emotions about keeping the "unicorn fish." Lake Erie presented a Pennsylvania angler with a belated birthday bucket-list fish of a lifetime in Erie.

More About This Elusive Moonfish. Part of the reason this moonfish is so rare and is not often caught by anglers is its habitat. These fish spend most of their time at depths of 1,000 feet or more.

At some point, the fish swam south down the Oswego River/Canal, turned east at Three Rivers into the Oneida River/Erie Canal, and then entered Oneida Lake near Brewerton, a journey of some 35 miles.

A Pennsylvania angler caught his ‘unicorn’ fish Sunday in Erie. Colton Alex, 18, of Erie, was fishing in a tournament in Lake Erie when he hooked into a large Atlantic Salmon.

Colton Alex, an experienced fisherman at age 18, was fishing in the tournament with Capt. Joe Nemet of Nemesis Sport Fishing when the fish hit a spoon 65 feet down, according to GoErie.