Texas Angler Catches 297-pound Warsaw Grouper in Louisiana
OutdoorHub Reporters 06.10.14
Cullen Greer, 28, of Houston, Texas ended his fishing trip to Louisiana last month with a beast of a Warsaw grouper. According to KETK, Greer’s catch measured six feet, six inches and weighed an impressive 297 pounds.
“It was unbelievable,” the angler told Fox News. “Even though we were going for grouper, we had no idea what it was.”
Greer was fishing near an oil rig about 35 miles from the Mississippi Delta with business associates when the large grouper hit. He described the fish as powerful and willing to put up a spirited fight, yet at the end of 30 minutes the grouper was on the boat and inside a freezer. The fish was so large that Greer was unable to take all of it back home. He distributed a portion of the meat to the boat’s crew and captain.
“I’m getting married in a few weeks and I told my fiancee that we should use some of the meat at our ceremony,” he said. “That didn’t go over so well.”
Surprisingly, the nearly 300-pound grouper does not even come close to the Louisiana record. According to the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association, that honor belongs to J.J. Tabor, who in 2008 caught a 359.1-pound Warsaw grouper in South Timbalier. If verified by the association, Greer’s fish will be ranked as the third largest in the state and fifth largest ever caught. The current world record listed with the International Game Fish Association is a 436-pound, 12-ounce grouper caught by Steve Haeusler in the Gulf of Mexico nearly three decades ago.
You can view a short interview with Greer below:
