Steven Vicknair, a 41-year-old tugboat captain from Belle Chasse, Louisiana, recently established a new state record for yellowedge grouper, landing a 48-pound specimen during the 2026 Blue Boot Rodeo. Caught on July 10, the substantial fish, measuring 47 inches, easily surpassed the previous Louisiana record of 46.22 pounds, set in 2024. However, a crucial 24-hour delay in obtaining a certified weight likely prevented Vicknair from securing a new IGFA All-Tackle world record, currently held by a 48-pound, 9-ounce fish caught in 2012 off Alabama.
Vicknair’s late start on July 9 meant his family fishing crew — including his 12-year-old daughter Nora, fiancé Ellen Voiron, and father-in-law Gary Voiron at the helm of his 36-foot Cape Horn, ‘Butcher’ — only reached offshore waters mid-afternoon on July 10. After an initial unproductive deep jigging attempt, the team repositioned to a rocky ledge in approximately 400 feet of water.
On his first drop at the new location, Vicknair deployed a 1.5-pound yellow slow-pitch jig. He reported the fish striking after only two jigs, initiating a demanding ten-minute battle. Employing a high-speed Shimano conventional reel, a rugged rod, 60-pound braided line, and a 120-pound test leader, Vicknair initially believed he was hooked into an amberjack due to the fish's powerful initial resistance from the bottom. Once clear of the seabed, the fish was brought to the surface with relative speed. A video captured the moment the massive grouper was gaffed by Gary Voiron.
While not initially pursuing records, subsequent informal weighing on a boat scale registered 50 pounds, prompting interest in record potential. The team’s late return to Grand Isle meant certified scales were unavailable on July 10. With pre-arranged offshore plans for other friends and family on July 11, Vicknair’s catch was not officially weighed until late Saturday afternoon, a full day after it was landed. Despite being meticulously preserved in slush ice, the fish was bleeding, and potential weight loss over this 24-hour period is a critical consideration when evaluating the near-miss on the world record.
Further illustrating the procedural rigor in record validation, a state fisheries biologist, Bill Hano, formally identified Vicknair’s specimen as a yellowedge grouper on July 13. This required sustained preservation in ice until verification. Vicknair plans to commission a full-size ink art print of the grouper, along with a skull mount, and has already consumed part of the noteworthy catch.
