Guy Cenac’s catch on opening day breaks record set in 1972
They say records are made to be broken — and it finally happened at the 90th Annual International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo.
Back in 1972, Johnny Guidry of Galliano landed a 206-pound tarpon to establish a rodeo record that stood for 46 years. But Guy Cenac of Houma etched his name into the record books Thursday, when he landed a 208-pound, 14-ounce tarpon after a nearly three-hour battle.
Cenac told The Advocate he had no idea the fish was a record breaker.
“When we hooked that fish, we knew it was a good one, but we didn’t realize that it was quite as big as it was,” Cenac said. “I fought that thing for three hours, and that’s when I realized how big it was.
“After I got it into the boat, I figured we had a shot at it.”
He credited his three co-anglers aboard the Blue Monkey — Billy Cenac and Al Cenac, of Houma, and Mike Arcement of Lockport — for assisting in the record-breaking catch.
“It feels great to catch that record fish, and God has blessed me very much,” he told the newspaper. “I’m very grateful for it.”
The rodeo continues today, with scales closing for the final time at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
By the way, Cenac’s tarpon is a definite rodeo record, but if you’re wondering how it compares to the state record books, the No. 10-ranked fish currently weighs 220 pounds. The state record is held by David Prevost, who landed a 246.63-pound tarpon in 2015 in the West Delta Blocks.
