Angler lands 7-foot 130 pound Bull Shark in the Bonnet Carre Spillway

Such was the case recently when out on an excursion in the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco, when Chauvin landed a real whopper: a seven foot, 130-pound bull shark.

“We caught seven or eight of them that day, including several big ones,” said Chauvin, who pens “The Apex Predator” column for Louisiana Sportsman.

This particular shark didn’t come quietly.

“I was in the water, about waist deep … and that big ol’ shark swam up right on side of me,” Chauvin said. “When we were in shin deep water, that’s when it turned on me. He spun around and actually was about a foot from my foot.

“I jumped as fast as I could and got really lucky. He woulda really tore me up … nearly bit me. I learned my lesson. You need to get all the way out of the water before you try to land the big one. I’m used to swimming with the sharks, but in that area it’s hard to see them in muddy water.”

Still, he and some fellow anglers with him on the outing were able to land the shark on the bank — eventually.

“He actually snapped the pole in half,” said Chauvin of the struggle. “Then we got him and were able to take a quick picture before we let him go. We didn’t want to kill the shark … I’ll tell you what, though, he was really big.”

That’s par for the course for Chauvin, who’s out there for the sport of it more often than not.

“I like trophy animals. I don’t really target fish to eat them now … I really don’t eat them much anymore,” Chauvin said. “If I do, it’s the smaller ones to eat. With the bigger ones, I like to see what’s out there.”

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