Home  Contact Us Regions: Northwest Florida Northeast Florida Central Florida Southeast Florida Southwest Florida Site Links: FlaTrips.com Archives Arts Books  Boat Tours Contests Entertainment  Events  Historic Lodging Interviews  Museums Mysteries Night Life Parks and Preserves Advertise Comments  Contributors Submit Press Releases	October 2012                                    Vol. 2 Issue 10          Florida Trips Magazine™ Feature Story          Destin Fishing Rodeo by SueAnn Carpenter                 Photos © 2011Forreelphotos.com                      2011 Destin Fishing Rodeo: Yellowfin Tuna caught aboard the Lady Em with Capt. Mike Eller, the biggest fish in the pic was 152.8lbs and won 1st place in the Extended Voyage Division.        Destin Fishing Rodeo- from October 1-31      The Destin Fishing Rodeo began in 1948, earning the moniker “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village”—referring to the size and amount of fish that can be caught off Destin’s shores. That year the winning King Mackerel’s angler was awarded new facilities for preparing the catch: a refrigerator, a stove--even the kitchen sink.       Although the Rodeo was still awarding kitchen appliances in 1950, the top prize was a building lot valued at $500, complete with survey, title, and insurance. The largest Triggerfish in 1951 won the lucky angler $25, a windshield wiper, and 12 cans of beer. Today the awards are fine rods and reels, fishing trips, weekend stays, and cash. Over 30,000 anglers compete throughout the month of October, with daily, weekly and overall cash prizes totaling more than $100,000.       In the early days of the Rodeo, there were 20 rules listed on one page. Today, rules take up five pages with 75 separate rules covering 33 species in 29 divisions. Virtually every game fish is recognized with awards during the Rodeo, so whether you're trolling inshore for king mackerel, offshore for marlin and sailfish, or fishing the deep bottoms for red snapper and grouper, you could win a prize.                         Miss Destin 2011, Peyton LaCicero looking through  shark jaws with Bruce Cheves, weigh master for over 20 years. The Rodeo is free to angler's fishing aboard a registered private or charter boat. Fishing on the pier bridge jetty is free for anglers 14 years and younger, with a $25 fee for anyone older. Shore fishermen and others should bring their catch to the scale for weigh-ins on the docks at A.J.'s Seafood & Oyster Bar from 10 am until 7 pm. The catch is the thrill for sportsmen, and the weigh-ins are spectator events. Hundreds of people watch every day, with standing-room-only when a shark, big grouper or tuna tips the scale. Rodeo entries used to be kept and calculated by hand until 1991. Entries were logged in a book and verified by the boat captain, the Rodeo judge, and the Rodeo director. At the end of each day, all of the entries were calculated by division and a daily winner was determined. The Rodeo director stayed after the weigh station closed every evening to calculate the winners, type a daily report, and get it to the newspaper for the next day’s edition.                The barge where the fish are brought to be weighed is parked behind AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar who has hosted the Rodeo event for the past 8 to 10 years. Today, the Rodeo is high-tech, with all catches entered into a computer and automatically calculated. Anyone with internet access can see who is leading in any category in real-time, 24/7. Destin’s 140 charter fishing boats indicate how “lucky” these waters are.  The luck is actually because Destin has the quickest deep-water access on the Gulf. From Destin's East Pass, the off-shore shelf drops rapidly. Within a few minutes of leaving Destin Harbor, anglers are in waters as deep as 60 feet. Within 10 miles of shore there are 100-foot depths, and the 300-foot mark isn't a great deal further. For those who prefer to remain on shore, Florida's Emerald Coast offers 24 miles of pristine white-sand beaches. This sand, made up of pure Appalachian quartz washed downstream for hundreds of miles, remains remarkably cool even in the heat of summer, and gives the waters here their trademark emerald-green color by reflecting sunlight back up through the surf.       A 61.2 lb Gag Grouper  took 1st place in the Charter Boat Division. The boat that brought it in was the Big John. (Capt. Todd Allen standing next to Miss Destin.) If you dream of an angler’s paradise, grab your gear and head for the Destin Fishing Rodeo. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one who sets a record this year. Call 850-837-6734 or go to www.destinfishingrodeo.org for more information.            Miss Destin 2011 Peyton LaCicero with unidentified contestants.	Search Query for Florida Trips Magazine™ Loucks-Christenson Publishing   Archives    Subscribe  Buy Book Email News Email Story  Publisher: Lisa Loucks Christenson Publisher Letter Credits Copyright Page Subscribe Join Newsletter Stories Inside: Monkey Jungle St. Augustine Lighthouse Ding Darling Days Butterfly World Clearwater Jazz Festival Whetstone Chocolates Destin Fishing Rodeo McIntosh 1890s Festival Orman House State Park Historic Venice Depot Bonus: 1st Annual Halloween Pet Photo Contest Cake Recipe Contest  Featured Children's Book Halloween Mini Mystery Photo and Quote Coming Next Issue
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