Meet the Bikini Model Who Spends Her Free Time Reeling in 70-Pound Fish

Sarita Natividad has over a million Instagram followers who follow her for beach photos and Southern charm. But lately, her feed has been telling a very different story, and it involves a 31-foot boat, deep ocean water, and some genuinely massive fish.

Her Love Of Fishing Started In Michigan, Of All Places

Sarita grew up fishing with her dad in Michigan's freshwater lakes long before she ever saw the ocean. Her family eventually relocated to Gulf Shores, Alabama, which is where she got her first real taste of offshore fishing.

These days, she splits her time between the Gulf and what she calls her favorite fishing destination on earth: the Florida Keys. Her reasoning makes sense once you hear it. In the Gulf, anglers have to travel a long way to hit deep water. In the Keys, boats can be just 10 miles offshore and already sitting over serious depth, which opens up access to species like mahi mahi, grouper, tuna, and the famously tricky wahoo.

The Fish Mounted On Her Wall Took Years To Catch

Sarita spent years trying to land a wahoo before finally pulling one in while fishing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The fish weighed 70 pounds and measured 66 inches, and she was so thrilled with the catch that she had a replica made to hang in her living room.

She's called it the best tasting fish she's ever had, and admitted she wishes wahoo crossed her line more often.

Cabo Is Also Where She Chases Marlin

Cabo San Lucas isn't just a wahoo spot for Sarita. She makes regular trips there specifically to target marlin, and striped marlin fights have given her some of her biggest adrenaline rushes on the water.

Blue marlin, though, remain unfinished business. She's hooked a few over the years, only to lose them within seconds each time. Marlin and sailfish always get released when she does land them, while everything else legal and in season ends up in the cooler.

Her Followers Weren't Expecting This Side Of Her

When Sarita first started posting fishing content, her fans were caught off guard watching her fight heavy fish up from deep water. She's talked about how physically demanding it is, requiring real technique and patience to pull off.

The reaction turned out to be overwhelmingly positive, and her catch-and-cook videos in particular have become a favorite among her audience.

She's Made It Her Mission To Prove Doubters Wrong

Sarita knows exactly what people assume when they see a woman step onto a fishing boat. They figure she'll need help, and they don't expect her to be the one hauling a 50-pound fish to the surface herself.

Proving that assumption wrong has become something she genuinely enjoys. She's also got her sights set on competing in a fishing tournament as a female angler, with hopes of winning the Calcutta side bet, which typically hands the largest payout to the top female angler in the field.

She Runs Her Own Boat, Built By Her Own Family

Back home, Sarita doesn't need a charter. She and her family converted an old parasail boat into a fully rigged 31-foot fishing machine that she runs herself.

She's typically out on the water by 7 a.m. to catch the early bite, though she has a soft spot for sunset fishing too. When she's not offshore, she's working the beach for pompano, Spanish mackerel, and sheepshead, though she admits nothing beats the chaos of finding a massive school of mahi and racing to reel in as many as possible before they scatter.