THERE’S NO SUCH THING as holding this Cubera snapper at arms’ length to make it look bigger in pictures –it weighed 137 pounds! Braden Sherron (on left) speared it about forty miles out of Port Aransas. His brother, Blake (on right), spotted the mammoth fish deep in the clear Gulf water. (Photo contributed by Braden Sherron)

by John Jefferson

Another big fish story.

In June, a high school friend – Fred Sherron – messaged me about his grandson spearfishing a possible Texas and World Record red snapper. He had previously told me his two grandsons were excellent anglers.

The last red snapper I’d eaten was just over 15-inches long, and quite tasty. Sherron’s grandson’s catch weighed 137-pounds! It was actually a Cubera snapper – the largest snapper of all.

But the “catch” is how he caught it. Experienced saltwater anglers know red snappers hang out in deep Gulf waters around oil rigs. Braden Sherron saw a video about freediving and spearfishing in 2015 and decided that was for HIM.

But think before you swim! Freediving is done without scuba or snorkeling gear. You just hold your breath underwater. It’s somewhat comparable to high wire trapeze without a net. Risks to ears, sinuses, lungs, blackouts, and possible drownings are possible. I’ve done it in the clear, upper Nueces. It’s a scintillating experience. But Jacob Krebs drowned while training to be a Navy Seal near Harper, Texas in 2013 by holding his breath too long.

Braden Sherron watched videos, read books, and practiced in pools. He’s a student at A&M-Corpus (marketing and finance major; straight “A” student) and fishes inshore and deep offshore, where the water is clearer. He was on summer break when he and his brother, Blake, took their Panga boat 30 or 40 miles out of Port Aransas. A Panga is a small, narrow boat favored by coastal smugglers. Theirs was a suspected drug runner’s boat that washed up on the shore. Braden’s father bought it for the boys and restored it.

Blake spotted a big Cubera and Braden dove to check it out. He declined to shoot, fearing his gear was too light to land it. “It would have been reckless,” he said. He talked to other anglers and rigged with heavier equipment and went back to the same rig. Down deep, he saw sharks and barracudas.

“Sharks can be a nuisance,” he told me. “They are mainly interested in the fish I spear. I don’t mind spinners, blacktips, and smaller hammers, but get out when bullsharks or sandbars (appear). You can tell when they are not a threat.”

He saw the Cubera, but it saw him and swam away. It took Braden a couple more dives to get a shot. His aim was perfect. Braden resurfaced to catch his breath. He dove again and put two more spears in it.

His largest fish before that day had been a 100-pound amberjack and an 80-pound wahoo. The major fishing records don’t allow spear-catches as entries, although spearfishing organizations recognize them. Braden wasn’t that interested in records.

Spearfishing appears to be legal in Federal Waters, but there is a 12-inch minimum length limit on Cuberas. Spearfishing is illegal for gamefish in state waters from shore to nine miles.

Getting the Cubera in the Panga took both boys pushing and pulling. Maybe they need a bigger boat – one with a hoist!

JJ