Oh boy! Fishing rodeo season is here.
Yes, it’s a chance to catch fish and take home something of a prize, although winnings most times don’t match the effort nor the expense.
What these rodeos do is bring together families and old friends for two or three days to relive past triumphs — and sometimes tragedies — all in the spirit of celebration of what Louisiana’s coastal and offshore waters add to our lives.
Sure, there’s the months-long statewide tournament and anglers rodeo — the CCA-Louisiana S.T.A.R. — and its nearly $750,000 worth of vehicles and boats and fishing tackle.
At the same time, there are the fundraising events, like Swollfest that’s working on adding to its more than $1 million donated to mostly children’s charities, schools, veterans groups and the medically needy in its now 26-year run on Grand Isle.
And, it’s high schools like Catholic High, Jesuit and Brother Martin seeking alumni, students and families to add days of fun after another school year.
We can throw in July’s Golden Meadow-Fourchon and Grand Isle tarpon rodeos into this mix for their years of fundraising efforts in those communities.
It’s all fun mixed with competition. Enjoy!
The S.T.A.R.
A hundred or so specially tagged redfish carrying the reward of a truck and rigged-out boats are the main attraction. There's also the ultra-strong showing for extra-large speckled trout along with prizes for children, women, kayakers, off-the-bank fishermen and a handful of offshore species for this rodeo beginning Saturday and running through Labor Day.
True, you need to be a CCA member and there’s an entry fee for adults. Children 17 and younger can fish free and need to catch a minimum-sized (14 inches) speckled trout and/or sheepshead then register their catch at one of the many weighstations or take a photo and email to: sam@ccalouisiana.com
CCA is celebrating its 30-year run with bigger boats and added prizes in most all categories.
The registration, rules and weighstations website: ccastar.com
Catholic High
Somebody, and no one seems to remember who, threw down the gauntlet nearly 20 years ago challenging a long-graduated Catholic High classmate’s fishing prowess.
It didn’t take long for the list of Baton Rouge-area anglers to grow into the Catholic High Alumni Fishing Rodeo.
Mark May 30-June 2 for this annual gathering at Moran’s Marina off Fourchon Road in Fourchon.
The adult and youth divisions take in four species each in inshore, rig and offshore waters.
Over the years, the most competitive categories are in the calcuttas, a back-up-your-bragging with money thrown in to determine winners in redfish stringer, mangrove snapper, red snapper, speckled trout and offshore grand slam calcuttas.
The check-in/registration party runs 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. May 31 with fishing beginning at daylight June 1. Weigh-in runs 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. June 1-2 at Moran’s.
Food and drink go with the registration fee. Go to this website: catholichigh.org
Swollfest
This four-day celebration runs June 5-8 with its headquarters and weighstation at the Grand Isle Marina on the east end of the island.
Baton Rouge dentist Nick Rauber has assembled another working crew to handle the 37 categories ranging from the “Swollest Fish” (heaviest) to offshore (10 species), deep drop (four species), inshore (five species), kayak (three species) and inshore/offshore categories in the salty kids (15 and younger) division.
June 5 is a fishing-only day, with weigh-ins held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. June 6-8. Food and music add to the mix June 7-8.
This rodeo’s work has led to $500,000 for Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, another $250,000 for Hogs House (companion housing for families) and more than $200,000 for the American Diabetes Association among its nearly 20 charities. Volunteers also have granted dozens of hunting or fishing trips to handicapped youngsters.
Registration website: swollfest.com
Blue Jays rodeo
Jesuit High’s Brother Dardis Rodeo is going back to the school’s Carrollton at Banks campus (New Orleans) for a 2-4 p.m. June 15 weigh-in. Fishing begins June 14, and fishermen need to register by 9 a.m. June 4 to get a commemorative rodeo shirt with their registration fee.
The weigh-in party has a food/drink-only option to go along with the always-strong competition for the top three places in five divisions — 19 and older, 18 and younger, trout stringer, heaviest fish and father-daughter with categories for two freshwater species (bass, catfish), five of the popular nearshore/inshore species and red snapper.
The registration website: one.bidpal.net.brotherdardisfishingrodeo.
If you need more, call Mike McMahon at (504) 650-1700.
Crusaders Festival
The Brother Martin Crusaders bill their annual gathering a fishing rodeo and festival. Weigh-in is set for 3-5 p.m. June 22 at the campus on Elysian Fields in New Orleans with a kids-friendly fun and games running from 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Fishing begins June 21 in the open waters of our state.
There’s a big fish category in open andstudent divisions, but garfish are not eligible. There’s enough other categories to fill with bass open to freshwater folks and nine species for saltwater anglers.
While there’s the usual heaviest five-trout stringer category, the Brother Martin crew goes for an unusual smallest five-trout total and one for a redfish with the most spots.
The registration website: brothermartin.com/fishing-rodeo.
You can call the school’s alumni relations office (504) 284-6700.
Worth a mention
The folks on Key West, Florida, have a 12th VFW fishing tournament set June 14-16. It’s for retired and active-duty military and first responders. The website: vfw3911.org.