June 23, 1996

Doc Kennedy suspected he was into some big red snapper that day in June and his hunch proved to be a reality. Doc had not one but two big fish on at the same time. He had a fight on his hands not only with the shear size of the red snappers but keeping them out of the offshore rig was also a challenge. When they surfaced it was hard to tell which one was bigger. We'll never know as one got off at the boat. Doc knew he had a Louisiana State Record for sure and until he got back to Belle Pass Marina he had no idea it was in fact a world record.red snapper.

The 50 lb. 4 oz. red snapper was nearly 41 inches to the tip of the tail and had a girth of 36.5 inches. The huge fish barely fit in a 120 qt. ice chest. It beat the former world record by almost 4 pounds and the louisiana record by 10 pounds. It was an easy choice that year for the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association to select the "Outstanding Catch of 1996." The International Game Fish Association declared it an all-tackle world record that November.