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Former Baseball – Outdoor Notebook: Former Ragin’ Cajun baseball player catches monster fish

Grant Alexander • galexander@theadvertiser.com • August 14, 2008

Former Ragin’ Cajuns infielder Justin Bourque thought it was just a normal day on the water in Toledo Bend in front of his family’s newly acquired camp.

He gingerly pulled the trout line up, one hand over the other, passing up two hooks. As he got to the third one, he felt a strong tug. He tugged back and the leviathon showed itself at the surface.

A huge 72-pound catfish sat on the other end of the line. Bourque pulled it closer to the boat and his cousin attempted to net it.

"It was a pretty good size bass net, but it only fit over about half of the fish," Bourque said.

So, Bourque decided to let it back into the water, go drop off his wife and younger cousin. He grabbed his older, and bigger, cousin and the two went back to the line where they wrestled the catfish into the boat.

Had it been caught by a rod and reel it would have been the second largest flathead catfish ever caught in Louisiana, according to records.

"To catch a big fish like that is amazing," Bourque said. "The pictures really don’t do it justice."

When he’s not hauling huge catfish out of Toledo Bend, the former middle infielder is hard at work for Drilling Services of America.

Bourque, who graduated in ’04, tore his ACL after his senior season and although he was voted first team All-Sun Belt, he never was able to try to play professional baseball.

"I talked with a few guys and they said playing in college was definitely the best time they ever had playing baseball," Bourque said. "Once you get out there, you’re on your own. You aren’t really friends with the guys you play with because at the end of the day, they’re trying to take your job."

Bourque has kept in touch with teammates, including former Cajuns’ third baseman and long-ball specialist Dallas Morris. The duo coached a little league team and made it all the way to their respective world series in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"We made it to the quarterfinals, but at the end we were just exhausted," Bourque said.

Even with his hand in teaching youngsters the game, Bourque still thinks about his playing days at UL.

"The thing I appreciated the most was being able to play in front of my home town fans," Bourque said. "You just don’t realize how awesome it is to play in front of all those people who’ve followed you through high school.

"And it carries on into life. People associate you with it. They want to know what it was like to play and they want to hear stories about playing for the Cajuns."

Justin Bourque holds this 72-pound yellow catfish he pulled up on a trout line a few weeks ago. The former UL middle infielder talks about life after baseball with the Acadiana Sportsman.

Justin Bourque holds this 72-pound yellow catfish he pulled up on a trout line a few weeks ago. The former UL middle infielder talks about life after baseball with the Acadiana Sportsman. (Submitted Photo)