As weighmaster Bruce Cheves put it at closing Wednesday evening - “It was a mob of people and a mob of fish.”

The 60th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo had a huge first day with almost every fish imaginable weighed in.

At 1 p.m. there were 14 entries - and when I got back to the docks around 5:30ish, the Rodeo judges were on entry No. 78.

By the time the scales closed, the bleachers were packed and more than 100 fish had been written up for the first day.

Some of the highlights include:
*A 15.2-pound stringer of mingo - for the Mingo Bingo Division - caught by Det Mitchell of Niceville aboard the Perfect Shot with Capt. Brady Bowman.
*A 51.8-pound grouper caught by Kevin Kerrigan of Gulf Breeze on the Perfect Shot.
*A 36.6-pound amberjack on the Daybreak. Tony White of Destin was the angler.
*The 60th angler, Penny Vance of Destin. She weighed in a 13.8-pound grouper. She was fishing with
Capt. Jim Westbrook on the New Florida Girl.
 *The first 60-year-old angler was Sharon Fleming of Crestview aboard the Sweet Jody. She landed a 5.6-pound red snapper.
*The first “Trash Can Slam” was brought in by Jason Steele. He weighed in a 1.2-pound ladyfish, a 3.6-pound sail cat, and a 1.4-pound Jack Crevalle.
*A 36.6-pound king mackerel pulled in by Destin’s Ken Creel.

Not a bad first day and I’m sure the rest of October is going to be even better.
See you at the docks.

- Tina Harbuck

It’s a little after lunch and 14 fish have been weighed in at the 60th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo.

The Inshore Angler with Capt. Nick Harvell at the helm just pulled in and threw up six redfish on the docks.

Chris Padilla of Texas took first place with a 6.8-pound redfish and Becky Owen came in second with a 6.4-pounder.

The group said they caught several but they were all too big to keep - what a great problem to have.

- Tina Harbuck

Six-year-old Trevor Sullivant got on the board early with a couple of Spanish mackerel. He weighed in a 5.6 and a 5.2-pounder. One took top honors in the Pan Fry Division and the other went in as Special Awards.

Young Sullivant was fishing aboard the Mindy Lou with Capt. Bill McDonald.

McDonald said they had been out since about 5:30 a.m. and hooked the fish early and could have possibly been the first fish.

But Sullivant was having too much fun and when asked if he wanted to go in he said - “I don’t think so.”

The crew aboard the Mindy Lou weighed in two Spanish and two king mackerel about 10:25 a.m.

— Tina Harbuck

The first fish of the 60th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo is in.

As a matter of fact, it has been in since about 7:15 this morning.

Capt. Jimmy Miles and the crew aboard the Kelly Girl went out at 5:45 a.m. in search of the first fish. And after struggling to find bait, they hooked what Capt. Miles called “a mystery fish” then a bonito. The third bite was the keeper — a Spanish mackerel.

Alex Boyd, 15, of Fort Walton Beach, said he had his rod sitting in the corner of the boat when all of sudden it just took off. And after about a two or three minute fight he had it on the deck.

They hooked the mackerel just outside the pass and were back at the docks and tied up at the Rodeo scales by 7:15. The scales didn’t open until 10 a.m.

The Spanish weighed 3 pounds and is the first for the Rodeo.

While his catch was being weighed others walked up with fish and another boat backed in ready to weigh.

In a matter of 25 minutes — four Spanish mackerel and two king mackerel have been weighed.

If this is a sign of things to come — it’s going to be a busy first day.
— Tina Harbuck

More than 15 families put a nautical spin on their red wagons for the fishing Rodeo’s first wagon parade.
The event was so successful, organizers plan to do it again next year.

It’s “Game On” for that first fish.

“I think there’s a competition going on for that first fish,” Rodeo executive director Helen Donaldson said Tuesday morning.

In the last couple of weeks, “There has been some people talking smack about catching the first fish” she said.

Today at 10 a.m. when the scales open for the 60th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo folks will get a chance to see who can produce.

The angler who brings in the first fish will win a trophy sponsored by MeLasers.

Donaldson said the first fish trophy is “huge.” She said it stands about 3-feet or taller.

Last year the first fish was slow coming in.

With the wind blowing and the waves kicking up, it was 10:35 a.m. before the first fish was weighed in.
Carl Jiroux of Wing, Ala., weighed in a 4.6-pound red snapper for the honors. He was fishing aboard the Mollie with Capt. Jeff Shoults.
However, that shouldn’t be the case this year.

“I think we’ll have people waiting in line with fish in a bucket,” she said.

Not only does Donaldson have high hopes for the first fish, but she anticipates that on Day 1, the Rodeo will have its 60th entry brought to the scales, a 60-pound fish weighed in, and an angler who is 60 years old. All will be eligible for prizes, which is part of the 60th celebration of the Rodeo.

The Destin Fishing Rodeo will go throughout the month of October and offer more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. There are daily, weekly and overall prizes up for grabs and divisions for juniors, teens, ladies and seniors.

Virtually ever gamefish is recognized during the Rodeo from mackerel to marlin and snapper to shark.

As for shark, the Rodeo has tagged its shark division this year as the “Mako My Day” Shark Division — they’ve even trademarked the phrase. There are prizes for the largest shark and the most tagged and Capt. Robert Hill of the charter boat Twilight has put up a $2,000 savings bond for who ever breaks his record of last year — a 638.2-pound mako.

One category that’s new to this years Rodeo is the Mingo Bingo.

The way the Mingo Bingo works is the angler who brings in the heaviest stringer of 10 mingo each day scores a 12-pack of beer.

Budweiser will be donating the beer each day for the winner.

In addition to the angler winning the Bud, the captain of the winning angler each day will get his name put up on a Mingo Bingo board, much like a bingo card. A number will be drawn from a hat at the end of each week and the captain on the lucky number will be the Mingo Bingo winner and will snag a weekly award.

Thus far about 100 charter boats have registered for the event and 70-plus private boats.

“Right now we’re down about 110 private boats from where we ended up last year,” Donaldson said, noting it could possibly be the state of the economy.

However, she said, “If we have a pretty weekend and we get some fish up on that leaderboard, I think we’ll have more register their boats.”

The scales are open daily throughout October from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on the docks behind AJ’s. However, if a boat is in the harbor and visible to weighmaster Cheves at 7 p.m. — scales will stay open longer.

— Tina Harbuck

It’s not the Florida Lottery or even Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes, but the chances of winning are better.

The name of the game in town for this year’s Rodeo is Mingo Bingo. And the chips for the board are a cousin of the area’s signature red snapper.

The 60th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo has added “a little more fun” to the month-long fishing event, which kicks off Wednesday behind AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar.

“This all came about because we were not sure whether we were going to have snapper or not for the Rodeo,” said Executive Director

Helen Donaldson, noting all the new regulations and early closings for the snapper season.

“We looked for something else to target instead,” she said.

And the mingo, also known as a vermilion snapper, was the fish of choice.

The rosy red fish typically weighs less than a pound and can be found in deep waters fraternizing with red snapper.

“It’s plentiful and everybody can catch them on any size boat,” she said.

The way the Mingo Bingo works is the angler who brings in the heaviest stringer of mingo each day scores a 12-pack of beer.

With this being the 60th Rodeo, Donaldson said the board was looking back at some of the prizes that were given away in some of the first Rodeos. On the list were things like one windshield wiper, six cans of beer and even a lot of land in Destin.

The one wiper blade didn’t seem to be enough, and the land was too expensive. So the 12-pack of beer was a good fit, she said.
Budweiser will be donating the beer each day for the winner.

In addition to the angler winning the Bud, the captain of the winning angler each day will get his name put up on a Mingo Bingo board, much like a bingo card. A number will be drawn from a hat at the end of each week and the captain on the lucky number will be the Mingo Bingo winner and will snag a weekly award.

“I’m really excited about it,” Donaldson said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

— Tina Harbuck

Rodeo Time
Scales open Wednesday at 10 a.m. behind AJ’s and closes at 7 p.m.