Keith Lusher 02.25.26
A veteran Louisiana guide believes a massive bull redfish caught and released last week out of Venice could have rewritten the state record book.
On Feb. 19, longtime Venice charter captain Mike Frenette was fishing with two out-of-state anglers when a fog-delayed morning turned into one of the most memorable redfish trips of their lives.
By early afternoon, the group had yet to land a fish.
“It was frustrating, and I told my anglers we were going to make a run and try a new spot,” Frenette said. “It was either going to be a home run or nothing.”
The gamble paid off.
When they reached a shallow channel dropping into the Gulf of America, they found heavy current pushing schools of large mullet. Pelicans were diving, and the water surface rippled with feeding fish.
On the first cast into the frenzy, Jason Halfen of Boston hooked up with a powerful red drum on a ¾-ounce Strike King Red Eyed Shad crankbait. His fishing partner, Mike Enloe of Kansas, initially struck out throwing a large soft plastic jig. After switching to the same crankbait, Enloe quickly hooked up as well.
Halfen battled his fish for roughly 20 minutes on heavy spinning tackle spooled with 20-pound braid. When guide Mike Frenette finally slid the net under the redfish, he immediately realized it was unlike most bulls he had handled in four decades of guiding.
“I got ahold of the fish and tried to lift it, but couldn’t,” Frenette said. “I can pick up a fifty pounder with no problem, but I couldn’t lift this fish into the boat without help.”
The redfish measured 48.25 inches long with a 34-inch girth. Frenette estimates it weighed at least 65 pounds. Using common length-and-girth formulas, the fish may have pushed close to 69 pounds.
For comparison, Louisiana’s current state record redfish weighed 61 pounds when it was caught in 1992 by angler David Webber.
Because Louisiana regulations require all oversized bull reds to be released, the fish could not be legally weighed for record consideration. Frenette and his clients quickly documented measurements and returned the fish unharmed.
The guide said releasing a potential record was never in question.
“That fish can go on to spawn and help the redfish population,” he said.
The action continued for more than three hours, with multiple fish topping 40 inches. At times, Frenette said, as many as 50 redfish could be seen working bait on the surface.Capt.
Red drum, also known as redfish, are among the most popular game fish in the world. According to the International Game Fish Association, the all-tackle world record stands at 94 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by David Deuel in 1984 off Hatteras, North Carolina.
Many of the largest redfish on record have come from the Carolinas, though Louisiana waters, including Venice and Houma, have also produced multiple line-class records.
While Frenette’s fish would not have challenged the world record, it may have surpassed the Louisiana benchmark.
Instead of hanging on a scale, however, the giant bull red swam away.
“It was non-stop hook, fight, cast,” Frenette said. “When we were leaving, Jason told me, ‘I’m glad to say we can’t make one more cast.’”
For a trip that nearly ended fishless, the late-day move delivered a memory that could have been historic.
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