Gremillion, aka ‘Holy Mackerel,’ passes away Thursday

Avid Southeast Louisiana angler died after extended illness

Longtime LouisianaSportsman.com forum member John Gremillion, who posted under the alias ‘Holy Mackerel,’ passed away after an extended illness Thursday afternoon.

A talented angler, Gremillion, of Marrero, was well-known in the Southeast Louisiana fishing community.

Frequent fishing partner Capt. Scott Walker with Get U Some Guide Service said he particularly enjoyed targeting tarpon and speckled trout.

“In the summertime, he was an avid tarpon fisherman. He loved to chase tarpon down there in Venice,” Walker said. “In the fall, winter and spring, he’d be either in Delacroix or Myrtle Grove after the trout.”

Watch a video of Gremillion and Walker fishing in Delacroix with Louisiana Sportsman’s Andy Crawford here.

“I can’t tell you how many countless weeks me and him have spent in Delacroix fishing three, four and five days at a time,” Walker said. “His thing was, ‘I know I can go catch good trout. I want to find new  places. I want to learn different things.’ So we’d go try different things. The hunt was the thrill of it for him.”

Walker described Gremillion, who worked as a tugboat captain on the Mississippi River, as “one of the best fishermen in Southeast Louisiana by far.”

“A lot of people will say the same thing,” Walker said. “I learned a lot from him. He taught me some stuff I never knew.”

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Mothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Expressway in Harvey, with visitation starting at 9:30.

Walker said Gremillion’s ashes were going to be spread in Delacroix.

About Patrick Bonin 1315 Articles
Patrick Bonin is the former editor of Louisiana Sportsman magazine and LouisianaSportsman.com.