59th Deep Sea Rodeo Was One for the Books: One Record Set, One Pending
By Al Jones, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.
Jul. 6–GULFPORT — Whether the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo makes a return trip to the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor next year or not, the 59th edition will go down in the record book.
The event, billed as the World’s Largest Fishing Rodeo, ended Wednesday at the Harrison County Fairgrounds with a pending state record, a new rodeo record and barely missing another state record by two ounces.
In all, $35,000 in prizes were handed out as 27 of the 28 categories had fish entered. The lone category without a fish was tarpon. The last time a tarpon hit the scales was in 2002 by Taylor Butterworth of Pass Christian with a rodeo record-tying 109-pounder.
The rodeo record was a two-pound, 15-ounce crappie caught by Walter Crapps of Pass Christian. The fish was caught in the Ross Barnett Reservoir and broke a 27-year-old record set in 1980.
Rick Grimstead of Gulfport set a pending state record in stingray at 158 pounds, 1.6 ounces, which also won first place in the rodeo. The stingray, caught while Grimstead was fishing for redfish, is pending until certified by the Commission on Marine Resources.
Other top catches were a 64-pound, 13-ounce yellowfin tuna by Derek Dedeaux of Gulfport and a 134-pound, nine-ounce shark by Ryan Rockholt of Biloxi. On the freshwater side, Andrew Dedeaux of Gulfport won the green trout category with a solid eight-pound, 10-ounce bass. In all, five bass weighing more than five pounds were entered during the five days.
Although overall numbers were down in terms of saltwater participation, freshwater categories saw an increase for the second straight year.
Weighmaster Mark Wright said the total number of registered fishermen will be around 1,000. That number is down from 2006, the first year the rodeo was moved to the fairgrounds following Hurricane Katrina.
Several factors played in the low saltwater numbers including the 4th following in the middle of the week. When the 4th falls on a Wednesday, the rodeo normally ends the following Sunday.
Since the fairgrounds had a Pony Club show scheduled for this weekend, the rodeo was bumped up to run from June 30 through the 4th.
As far as moving back to the Gulfport, where the rodeo stood for 57 years prior to Katrina, rodeo directors have begun discussions with Gulfport mayor Brent Warr on the matter.
The issue will be the choice topic in next months rodeo board of directors meeting.
Al Jones can be reached at 896-2351 or at afjones@sunherald.com
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.
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