Local sportsmen finding success on the water

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Local sportsmen Brandon Arceneaux and Byron “Bubba” Corbin ended the 2020 tournament season on a high note, with a second-place finish at the Elite Redfish Series Houma Hustle tournament. In that same year, they finished in the top 5 in two Inshore Fishing Association tournaments, won a Power-Pole contest and placed third for Team of the Year.

But they remained hungry for their first major tournament victory. “Sooner or later, we’ll get the top spot,” Arceneaux told the Times back in November.

That top finish came at the 2021 Louisiana Saltwater Angler Redfish Series event in Delacroix the weekend of March 12.


“It’s like a big relief off my shoulders,” Arceneaux said after the win. “We’ve been so close and fishing so well together and didn’t understand why we weren’t getting that break to have a lucky day. Everything just went perfect.”

“Any one of these guys that we fish against can win at any day. Luck plays a big factor,” Corbin added. “Of course, you have to find fish…When you hook the fish, you can’t lose them. You have to catch every fish that bites your line and then measure and weigh them. So, it’s a lot of luck and a lot of skill.”

At the Louisiana Saltwater Angler Redfish Series contest, Arceneaux and Corbin had a two-day total of 42.46 pounds, securing the top spot against some of the state’s top competitors.


“We’ve won before, but we never won at this stage of the game– in a big tournament with all the key players in it,” Corbin said. “So it really makes us feel good because we know that we can fit in with these guys. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

That competitive nature makes the two Houma natives such a good team. “We have the same personality; we are very competitive people,” said Arceneaux, a former high school ballplayer.

“[Corbin] brought his corn hole board down there to the tournament. We were playing against each other that night, and he kept beating me. And I said, ‘We ain’t going to bed until I win.’ And when I got home, I ordered me a board to start practicing,” Arceneaux laughed. “That’s just how we are.”


But when it comes to being out on the water, for Arceneaux and Corbin, it’s about more than individual accomplishments.

“On tournament day, we don’t care who gets the fish because we know no matter which one of us is up there, we’re going to catch the fish,” Arceneaux said. “In the back of our mind, we really do want to catch the fish. But we know there’s a lot of money on the line and we have to work as a team.”

The two local anglers have known each other for 20 years, but this is just their third season fishing together, already becoming a formidable opponent in the circuit.


“We both love to fish. We are both competitive. And sometimes we both think outside the box, and it works,” Corbin said on what makes the team successful. “A lot of times when we are in the boat, we argue and fuss with each other — just craziness. But at the end of the day, we fish well together.”

 

Photos submitted.