LOBSTER POT

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 2, 2001

DAVID MARLOWE

Battling Grand Isle bulls on board the “Bull Fighter” The drag on my small Penn 9m reel was set just under the breaking point for the 25-lb. test Trilene Big Game line, and it was screaming as the fish made a strong run under the boat, then turned for open water again. All I could do was thumb the spool and let the rod do the work, as I waited for it to tire enough to turn it back toward the boat. Maybe five minutes later, Larry Roussel leaned over the side and used the hand gaff to lift the bronze and gold freight train into the boat. Larry laughed and gave me a high-five for bringing in the big “bull” red with “light” tackle. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Roussel, you have missed out on being acquainted with one of the nicest and hardest-working guys in the River Parishes area. The communications liaison for Motiva Enterprises in Convent is regularly involved in fund-raising events for local, state and national charitable causes, often putting 12- to 16-hour days in their support. Such involvement often includes preparing and cooking for several hundred people. That’s a chore that wears me out just thinking about it. And he plays just as hard as he works. Roussel’s idea of play is the pursuit of trophy “bull” redfish (A “bull” redfish is one exceeding 27 inches in length.) in the waters off of Grand Isle, a pastime he’s avidly followed for more than 14 years. If he isn’t working, you will usually find him at the helm of his 22-foot bay boat, aptly named, “Bull Fighter,” entertaining one group of friends or business contacts after another. He’s as good at cooking up totally delicious meals for his guests at his Grand Isle camp as he is putting them on fish. And that’s good, folks! This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be one of those guests. Well, to be honest, when I found out my St. James Parish reporter, Daniel Gooden, had been invited to bring his father and brother, who were visiting from the Kansas City area, on a redfish trip with Roussel, I begged and wheedled until they allowed me to tag along. (I think I’ve told ya’ll, I love to fish.) Anyway, after much trial and tribulation (See the full story by Daniel in the sports section.) we met at Larry’s camp Friday evening, put out the crab traps to collect bait for the next morning’s trip, then sat around pigging out on delectable fried catfish, and trading tales. True to his nickname, the “Bull Fighter” Roussel had us doing battle with these powerful fish, almost as soon as the anchor had time to catch on the bottom early Saturday morning. Despite wind-churned waves than seemed bent on keeping us from fishing, the six of us (Larry’s son, Rudy, joined us for the trip.) limited out in a couple of hours. We only had one fish under 20 pounds and the largest was approximately 27 pounds. These weren’t giants, by any sense of the word, but were very respectable “bulls.” Sunday morning was a repeat of Saturday, with the wind blowing even harder. Daniel’s father, Dean, and brother, John, needed to be on the road early for the long drive back to Kansas City, Mo., but both wanted to get one more quick shot at the fish. Roussel didn’t miss a beat. We were on the water by 6:30 a.m. and, by 7:30 a.m., we were pulling up the anchor to head back to the dock. This time, we limited with an average that probably pushed 25 pounds, including a couple of fish that may have been bigger than 30 pounds. Final total was 12 bull redfish, one 26-pound black drum and a 5-to-6 pound Gaff-top catfish, as well as a bunch of happy fishermen! We unloaded the fish and wished a safe trip to Daniel’s family as they departed for Missouri. I loaded the car for the brief trip back to LaPlace, amidst Roussel’s invitation to stay until Sunday night and get in one more trip. Never tiring of doing battle with the “bulls,” the “Bull Fighter” already had another group of friends scheduled to arrive at noon Sunday. They were to fish Sunday evening and again Monday. All I could do was say, “Thanks for a great time.” Maybe we’ll get the chance to battle again before too long. DAVID MARLOWE is editor and publisher of L’Observateur.