The 20 or so people at the docks this afternoon got to see a Niceville man make Rodeo history.

Tom DeMonbrun of Niceville and his 1.2-pound speckled trout made Rodeo history when the fish became the first-ever entry in the non-motorized vessel division, a division new to the Rodeo this year.

DeMonbrun said he caught his history-making fish on his 11.5-foot kayak, while fishing off White Point in Choctawhatchee Bay.

Winds out of the east have made life difficult for kayak fisherman this week, the angler said.

“When those winds get blowing out of the east like that, the seas get really rough and that is tough for us little guys,” DeMonbrun said.

The non-motorized vessel division allows anglers navigating kayaks, canoes, inner tubes and bathtubs to win some prizes and make the Rodeo leaderboard.

DeMonbrun said he was excited to see that the Rodeo had given the boats their own division.

“I saw that they had the division this year and decided to give it a shot,” he said.

-Patrick Donohue

The Rodeo closed with Capt. Jason Dudley of the Fish Destin 4Ever, who said he left to go catch some redfish at about 4 p.m. and returned with a 3.2-pound red snapper that nabbed the top daily spot for his angler, Sarah Griffin of Fort Walton Beach.

Rumor has it, the boat slips are pretty empty and it could be a big, busy day at the Rodeo.

-Patrick Donohue