What began as an ordinary charter trip for Capt. Lance ‘Coon’ Schouest turned into a potential new junior world record for Cruz Gomez of Belle Chasse.
Schouest is known as the godfather of tarpon fishing in South Louisiana. A true pioneer in the sport, he and his son, Lance Schouest Jr., created the lure known as the Coon Pop, which remains a bait many fishermen still use today.
Cruz, 15, went tarpon fishing with Schouest on Sept. 21 after Mike Strohmeyer, a friend of Schouest’s and Cruz’s grandfather, booked the trip. The crew departed early, heading to the mouth of Pass-a-Loutre.
“We saw several schools of fish and began casting,” Schouest said. “By his fourth cast, he had hooked into a good one.”
Cruz hooked the fish at 7 a.m.
“I cast into a pod of fish and felt him hit it and came tight on him,” Cruz said. “I was using a Penn spinning reel with 60-pound braid and a Coon Pop as the lure.”
Fighting the fish
A tarpon on light tackle is no easy task, but what they were about to find out would make it even more epic. The massive fish breached the water, making eight jumps and running as hard as it could.
“Son, you’ve got one over 200 pounds,” Schouest told Cruz.
In that moment, Cruz knew he was in for a big fight.
“Every time it came to the surface, it seemed to get bigger and bigger,” Schouest said.
Cruz fought the fish for two and a half hours.
“I couldn’t feel my arms,” he said.
The fish finally succumbed to the fight and floated to the surface. The fish had died from exhaustion, a common occurrence when fighting these larger fish for extended periods of time.
Once the fish was alongside the boat, they knew they had something special. They put a tape on the fish. It measured 94 inches long and 46 inches in girth. They knew well enough this fish would be over 200 pounds.
A new record
Around 11 a.m., Schouest and crew pulled up to Cypress Cove Marina in Venice to weigh Cruz’s massive fish. It tipped the scale at 228.8 pounds, shattering the current junior world record that is 222 pounds, 9 ounces.
“It’s an unreal feeling to have caught this as my first tarpon,” Cruz said. “I’m definitely hooked for life now. To catch a fish that size is special.”
Schouest delivered Cruz’s tarpon to the Bourg Wildlife and Fisheries office where biologists collected ear bones and other samples for study. These will help determine the fish’s age.
Louisiana is one of the premier places to catch world-class tarpon. The convergence of the rich baitfish populations and favorable spawning conditions make it a mecca for tarpon.
Schouest has been in the charter game for 44 years now. He has seen multiple tarpon over 200 pounds. In the record books, he has been a part of seven of the Top 10 caught in Louisiana. He recently made the decision he will be relocating to Venice to be closer to the fishing grounds and operate his charters from there.
“That’s where the big fish are,” he said. “That’s where I want to be.”
Schouest plans to continue running charters through October, weather permitting, always on the hunt for the next 200-pounder.
