The Grand Chenier Jug-Off Catfish Tournament
Jeff Hernandez likes to tell a story about a jug line fishing tournament where he won “Big Catfish.” Hernandez, who resides in Grand Chenier with his partner Stacy Hebert, can be described as a cross between a Cajun from Southwest Louisiana and a 1960s hippie. For him it’s about a state of mind living near the Mermentau River in Cameron Parish, where he and Hebert have been hosting the Grand Chenier Jug-Off Catfish Tournament annually for the past four years.
As the story goes, on the last day of the jug line tournament and the last jug he ran, Hernandez caught a really big blue catfish. At the weigh-in, several of the other anglers got on him in friendly lighthearted banter saying he had the fish the whole time and didn’t tell anyone.
He countered, playing up the moment, insisting he literally caught it on the last jug. Come to find out, while on the water Hernandez came across another fisherman whose boat broke down and he and his teammate stopped to lend assistance.
Hernandez said, “I told them, ‘You know why I won big fish? Because I took time to help a fellow fisherman.’ I said, ‘The fish gods will always reward you for taking care of another boater!’”
Hernandez, 55, said the Grand Chenier Jug-Off Catfish Tournament idea came one day when he and Hebert were on the water fishing the Mermentau. The day was beautiful, and the couple was taking it all in.
“That’s when I turned to Stacy and said, ‘We need to share this with people,’” Hernandez said. “Stacy took the idea and ran with it. Her and her family have been so amazing and so helpful putting the Jug-Off tournaments together.”
A quiet community
Grand Chenier is a small tightknit community located in Cameron Parish along LA-82 south of LA-14. The closest large town is Lake Charles, 57-miles distance. Kaplan is 65 miles away, and Abbeville 71 miles. In other words, you won’t find the hustle and bustle lifestyle in Grand Chenier that you’d find in an urban setting. But what you will find is a quiet community of people who share a love for the outdoors.
Hernandez hopes the tournaments will bring attention to a region where anglers can come and experience some of the best catfishing the state has to offer.
That statement speaks volumes when considering the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers in the eastern part of the state get most of the attention when it comes to big catfish. What’s more, six of the top 10 biggest blue catfish on record have come from the Mississippi River. But “big” is also relative concept. The Mermentau River has given up more than its fair share of big blue catfish, not only on jugs, but rod and reel.
The region
Hernandez said although the Mermentau starts well north of I-10, the region he and Hebert primarily fish is that portion of the river south of the interstate that begins at the Catfish Bend locks, where they open into Grand Lake. From the locks, the Mermentau empties into the Gulf.
This portion of the river is tidal and brackish; however, the water has a low enough salinity that blue catfish thrive here. It is also full of invertebrates such shrimp and crabs, as well as baitfish such as shad, mullets, minnows and croakers. Essentially, there is no shortage of food resources.
This portion of the Mermentau also has its share of long sweeping bends with shallow flats that rise out of the deeper middle portion of the river. Much of the main channel is marked, but it’s good to use a depth finder as well as use caution while getting to know the estuary. When I fished the Mermentau with Hernandez last spring, the water was stained but not muddy.
Around each bend were wintering white pelicans, American avocets in their rusty orange-headed mating plumage, along with various other shore birds that made the experience quite enchanting. I quickly began to understand why Hernandez was anxious to share this part of Southwest Louisiana.
Best baits
I’m accustomed to hearing “The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish,” from anglers who catch big catfish. Hernandez is no exception.
“Cut mullet — fresh cut mullet — the bigger the better for big fish,” he said. “I’ve tried all kinds of things over the years, like duck hearts and gizzards, that you’d think a catfish would eat, but for some reason over here they won’t eat it. It’s got to be some kind of fresh cut bait like mullet and croakers, but if you freeze it for a couple of days I find they won’t eat it.”
When considering what bait to use in the Mermentau River, the thought process is similar to what bass anglers have been saying for years with “matching the hatch.” Southwest Louisiana is teeming with shrimp, and there are locations where one can take a cast net and catch a basket full. Large jumbo shrimp are an excellent bait choice when using a rod and reel for blue catfish.
Rigging for rods, reels and jugs
According to Hernandez, the deepest parts of the Mermentau average about 20 feet in depth with some ridges in the middle of the river that rise to approximately 14 feet.
When setting up his jug lines, Hernandez said he’ll use a 20-foot main line from the jug to the weight on the bottom.
“About 6 feet up from the weight I’ll put a number 13/0 circle hook where you’ll get corner mouth catches,” he said.
For jugs, just about anything that floats will work. Empty bleach and detergent bottles are made from heavy plastic and hold up extremely well. It’s not uncommon to see and use 2-liter Coke bottles with tops that screw on. Foam children’s swimming noodles are also popular jug line floats.
One of the things that’s important whenever you’re on the water is don’t litter. For big catfish, use jugs that are robust and less prone to sink. Definitely make it a point to find and pick up your jugs after use, leaving the rivers where you fish the way you found them.
To make it fun, Hernandez tells contestants they are welcome to paint and decorate their jugs for the event. And there are some participants who go all out.
The Mermentau depth and current isn’t what the eastern Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers are in terms of heavy tackle and powerful current. Hernandez uses whatever is available for weight. He has used railroad spikes and large nuts that are put on a 2-inch all thread bolt.
When it comes to fishing the Mermentau with a rod and reel there’s no shortage of lengths and sizes to choose from. Any 6-foot, 6-inch to 7-foot length medium/light to medium action rod loaded with 10- to 25-pound test line (braided or monofilament) is adequate on this river.
Ugly Stik’s GX2 is a good choice, as is Penn Battle II catfish rods. Zebco’s Big Cat combo is a good choice, as is Shimano Spheros.
When using a drop rig for catfish you’ll want to use a 1-, 2-, or 3-ounce pyramid sinker in Mermentau waters with a Mustad 1/0 or 2/0 Baitholder Hook.
Air and opportunity
Following hurricanes Delta and Laura in 2020, Hernandez was riding down LA-82 with a friend who also lives in Grand Chenier and had lost everything in the storms. Suddenly, his friend had tears in his eyes and said, “Man! All we got left is air and opportunity!”
“That statement struck me as being so profound I wrote it down,” Hernandez said. “I kept thinking that’s one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever heard in a distressed time, and you’re still looking at where we have opportunity now. You get to create what you want it to be now is how I took it.”
It was then that Hernandez and Hebert, using shipping containers, built a place where RVers could come to Grand Chenier and stay overnight.
Taking it a step further, the couple became members in Harvest Hosts. A membership in Harvest Hosts gives RVers unlimited overnight stays at 9,397-plus unique locations across the country with no camping fees for the “first” night.
In return, campers are encouraged to purchase things like wine and beer should the location be part of a vineyard or brewery and other things like baked goods, jams, jellies, or even honey. Hernandez was able to attach fishing opportunities for guests, where many of his campers participated in the Grand Chenier Jug-Off tournament.
“We have had boondockers from Minnesota, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Poland and Holland come to Grand Chenier and stay and fish with us,” Hernandez said.
The Mermentau River in this part of the state is one of those sleeper locations for good to excellent catfishing. The fishing only gets better as spring approaches. Should you decide to visit Grand Chenier, be sure to stop in at Hernandez and Hebert’s place, Air & Opportunity. You won’t be disappointed.
Author’s note: The 2026 Grand Chenier Jug-Off tournament was held Feb. 20-21. Results were not available at press time for this article.
