Who’s in first place? Well the answer to that question changes often when it comes to holding on to a spot on the Destin Fishing Rodeo leaderboard.

Saturday evening, the daily amberjack leader changed hands five times in the last 90 minutes. The one who finished on top was Scott Mensor of Georgia with a 41.8-pounder. He was fishing aboard the Phoenix with Capt. Scott Robson.

We had two other first place fish come in late.

Kenny Burton, sporting his UT orange shirt, was a bit more lucky than his football team. He landed a 35.2-pound cobia for first place in the cobia division. He was fishing with Capt. Kirk Reynolds on the SS Enterprise.

The last leader to get on the board and the last fish weighed Saturday was a 40.8-pound grouper pulled in by Donna Rice of Alabama. She took over first place in the lady division for the largest grouper on a charter boat. She was fishing with Capt. Kelly Windes on the Sunrise.

The count on fished weighed in at the 59th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo is up to 572.

So “who’s in first” could change just any day.

See you at the docks.

-Tina Harbuck

Just when you think no one is going to beat your catch — another boat backs in with a whopper of a fish.

Such was the case Saturday afternoon.

Capt. Eric Thrasher on the Daybreak backed in with two fish that took top honors on the leaderboard.

Don Barry of Canada, weighed in a 10.2-pound triggerfish (which is the biggest triggerfish I’ve ever seen). Prior to today, the leading triggerfish was 8.6 pounds.

He also weighed in a 3.8-pound Kitty Mitchell (a spotted looking grouper). Now I know that’s not that big, but it is the only one and biggest one so far. The neat thing about the two fish, is they were caught by a first time fisherman - at least a first time Gulf of Mexico fisherman.

Prior to today,  the only fishing Barry has done is river fishing.

But he had such a great time today, he said, “I’m going again tomorrow.”

-Tina Harbuck

Dillon Martinez was angling for the big one on Saturday.
“I want to catch a shark,” the 8-year-old Crestview boy said during the third annual Rootin’ Tootin’ Rodeo Round-Up at the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.
As for if he hooked a fish like the giant 844.4-pound mako shark that was hauled in last Saturday at the docks?
“I’d scream,” said his mother, Flossie.
“I’d get it up on the pier and jump off,” Dillon said.
Dillon was one of about 50 kids ages 1 through 12 to turn out for the event, a part of Destin’s 59th annualFishing Rodeo. For $10, kids got a rod and reel, bait, a shirt and lunch.

Butterflies flitted around the children and their families on a beautiful clear day with no sign of storm clouds or red tide. Those two plagues have made life on the Emerald Coast pretty uncomfortable over the last few days.

While the fish weren’t biting just then for Dillon, Cody Howard, a 9-year-old from Navarre, pulled up what looked like a 1-pound pompano. Like all the little anglers, he posed for a picture with his catch

“Hold him out, son,” coached Dave Urie, who operates the pier. “The farther out you hold him, the bigger he looks.”

Even Miss Destin Emily Kaltz was on hand, fishing with Riley Santos of Mary Esther.
She helped Santos unhook her little catch, something Miss Destin has become a near expert at in the three weeks since the Rodeo began.

“I’ve gotten better at it. I’ll say that,” Kaltz admitted.

Chairman of the Rodeo Tim Broom aims to expand the event next year. In an age of Nintendo Wiis and PSPs, it is all the more critical to get kids outside and fishing, said the vice president of Half Hitch Tackle.

“We have to keep exposing them to the industry because these kids are our future.” Broom said.

— William Hatfield