Medical Student Catch 359-Lb Grouper

A medical student who blindfolds his friends to keep his favorite offshore fishing spot secret has come up with a record-beating fish – a warsaw grouper weighing 359.1 pounds. The giant hauled in by J.J. Tabor of Thibodaux is 12 ounces above the previous Louisiana state record, a state biologist confirmed. He caught it near an oil rig 70 miles south of Fourchon, in 400 feet of water. He won’t give a more specific description. Tabor said he thought at first that his hook with a live hard tail on it had it the bottom “until I felt the big head shake.” Rodrigue steered away from the rig. Tabor says he believes the fish is about 33 years old. He plans to send an inner-ear bone called the otolith to a university in Florida where researchers can help determine the age of the fish. He hopes to get the results in about four weeks. The world record, caught off Florida in 1985, is 436 pounds, 12 ounces.