The clamor after the storm

October 3rd, 2007 · No Comments · posted by williamh

The docks were standing room only 10 minutes before the scales were set to close behind AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar. The 6.6-pound bluefish swung in the breeze as weighmaster Bruce Cheves called it as the new catch to beat in the pan-fry division.

Anglers and boats lined up and easily got their fish on the leaderboard after intermittent rains and choppy seas kept anglers away. A 4.6-pound Spanish mackerel hauled in by Jonathan Rogers, 35, of Rising Fawn, Ga., easily landed on the leaderboard. Rogers was fishing on the Willie Mae.

April Bullock, a Destin resident for two years, sat in the crowd and said her highlight of the day kept changing as anglers hauled ashore bigger and bigger fish.

“This is the best of Destin, the fish … the sunset,” she said.

At about 7:15, the crowds began to scatter after the last boat, Bill, brought in a prize- winning 17.4-pound cobia caught by Sherry Taylor, of Sheppardsville, Ky.

“Party Time,” Cheves said as he closed the scale for the day.

- William Hatfield

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