Young Guns: Pops’ hunting influence led teens to international shooting titles
December 1, 2014
Coastal erosion a shared concern for hunters/fishers
December 1, 2014
As sheriff of Terrebonne Parish, Jerry Larpenter spends a lot of time on the phone. And that phone doesn’t stop ringing, even when he’s in the water, somewhere near Montegut or Pointe-aux-Chenes, chasing redfish during what for most other people is time off.
“People call with problems, and you’ve got to be there for them; you’ve got to be patient with them,” says the bayou country lawman, who has served the parish as sheriff for 24 years and worked in law enforcement for years before that.
That same quality aids Larpenter’s angling efforts.
“You have to be patient with the fish,” he maintains. “The fish will bite. It may not be for long, but they will bite. It doesn’t matter what time of the day. They might not bite long, but the fish have to feed.”
If that sounds a little optimistic for those of us who don’t always see success, know that it comes from a man with credentials.
Last year at the Grand Isle International Tarpon Rodeo, Larpenter set a redfish stringer record at 39 pounds, 4 ounces. There have been other records as well for the avid fisherman, who says what’s in the books is nice but is not the mark of a man.
“Yes, I am a record holder, but all that means is bragging rights,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what award you win for a perch or a croaker all the way to a 600- or 700-pound marlin. I’m just lucky to fish and to have the opportunity to fish.”
Mike Ledet, one of Larpenter’s water patrol lieutenants who is also a charter fishing captain, calls his boss “an outstanding fisherman.”
“As a professional fishing guide, I can tell you that,” Ledet said.
Larpenter grew up in Bayou Cane, north of Houma proper, and frequently fished for choupic with his father, Erin. The family often relied on what they caught in the water or on the land to eat, so fishing was a serious business in the household.
For most of his younger years, Larpenter fished in fresh water throughout the parish, not catching his first redfish until the age of 30. From that time on he fell in love with saltwater fishing and often invites others to join him. Larpenter has played guide to north Louisiana sheriffs and judges, as well as people from out-of-state, and witnessing someone’s first time catching a bull red is, for him, an incredible experience.
“You look at them, and it’s like they just caught Moby Dick,” Larpenter said. “A guy said that to me one time, while he was fighting a redfish. He said, ‘Look, I think I got Moby Dick on this line here.’”
A four-year break from sheriffing after his unsuccessful run for Terrebonne Parish president gave Larpenter lots of extra time to fish, and he took advantage of it. But since he re-assumed the duties in 2012, fishing time has shrunk again.
He still takes to the water whenever he can in a 21-foot skiff with a Honda 225 and loves every minute of it, even if work interrupts.
Larpenter, also an avid hunter, regrets that everyone did not grow up as he did, learning to work with the natural resources that abound in Terrebonne and surrounding areas.
“It’s unfortunate a lot of kids grow up in the inner cities, in what I call a concrete forest, and don’t get their feet in the mud or in the marsh,” the sheriff said. “Kids can’t leave their houses, and land is sewed up with leases so there’s not too many places to shoot a rabbit.”
For himself, Larpenter will continue taking advantage of the resources here, seeing himself fishing until he can’t fish anymore.
“This is Sportsman’s Paradise,” he said.
Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter has set several fishing records during his time spent in the bayou region’s waterways.
