Houma native catches Louisiana state record bluegill: 'I was amazed by the size of it.'

The Courier ^ | August 7, 2022 | Colin Campo

[SJackson]

Houma native Tim Trahan shows off his mounted state record bluegill. The fish, which he caught May 30, werighs in at 2.24 pounds.

Fishing in his neighbor's pond, Houma native Tim Trahan said he didn't realize what he had hooked until he reeled it in.

"Actually, I was amazed by the size of it," he said. "I thought I was back at home fishing for sheepheads."

Trahan had caught the a state record bluegill, weighing in at 2.24 pounds. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the state Outdoor Writers Association have since confirmed it, and now Trahan and his prize catch are in the record books.

The previous record, held by Dwaine Payne, was 1.72 pounds, caught in 2016.

Trahan, 65, caught the fish May 30 near his home in Arcadia, a small town in north Louisiana about midway between Shreveport and Monroe. Because of the varying readings from different scales, he didn't want to celebrate until it was official. He said he weighed it twice and it came back with two different weights within 10 minutes of each other, so he waited for a game warden to certify it.

Now, he said, he can savor the victory.

[gundog]

I haven’t kayaked, but a float tube or pontoon boat can make it easier on the knees to get in or out of the water. Especially a pontoon boat.