Anglers enjoy banner day

• By JOE MACALUSO
• Advocate Outdoors writer
• Published: Jul 5, 2008 - Page: 7C - UPDATED: 12:25 a.m.

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PORT FOURCHON — Charterboat skipper Chris Moran said he knew Friday was a good day for a celebration, a Fourth of July fireworks of a celebration.

“There were a lot of people and they looked like they all were having fun, and they were all catching fish,” the Baton Rouge angler said after getting several fish on Friday’s second-day leaderboard in the 61st annual Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo.

“The (red) snapper fishing was phenomenal and we were into some big (amber)jacks in the upper 40-pound range, and we got into some good mangrove snapper, too,” Moran continued. “But, the best news is that the conditions are beautiful and the weather forecast is for more of the same tomorrow.”

The “tomorrow” is today, the final day of the Louisiana’s coast biggest July 4th fishing tournament that includes Moran’s targeted species in the Big Game and Shoreline division, along with dozens of species in the Inside Waters, Children’s and Scuba divisions.

Weighmaster Marty Bourgeois will open the scales at the Melancon Public Launch on Fourchon Road at 10 a.m. today. The curtain begins to drop at 4 p.m. on the Children’s Division. Scales will close at 5 p.m. for the Scuba Division and at 6 p.m. for all other anglers.

“We just couldn’t find any bluewater today. We think it moved to the west, but we couldn’t find it. We made up for it by catching some big lemons (lemonfish, cobia) and some kings (mackerel).”

The rodeo’s Admiral Davie Breaux called Friday, “…a great day for south Louisiana. Fishing was so good and everyone stayed busy all day. A man came up to us and apologized for not buying a ($20) rodeo ticket, then asked us to weigh a fish he caught. It was a 74-pound lemonfish, a giant fish that would be the leader on out board. It was that kind of a day.”

For the coastal anglers, Billy Rapp said Friday was another red letter day for speckled trout.

“We had 85 (trout) in the boat early and maybe 10 redfish and most came on live pogeys (menhaden) and live shrimp. We had trouble getting (live) croakers,” Rapp explained. “We caught all the fish on the incoming tide, the early morning tide and we couldn’t catch anything on the falling tide – nothing.”

Rapp, business partner and fishing buddy Pete McKnight and their party were in the Timbalier Bay area.

“The weather was smooth. We got rained on later in the day, but the weather was beautiful and we fished in slick, calm conditions.”

Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo Results
PORT FOURCHON – Friday’s second-day leaderboard from the 61st annual Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo with anglers, their hometowns and weight of catch in pounds and ounces:

Big Game Division
Yellowfin Tuna: 1, Mark Erie, Baton Rouge, 54 pounds, 0 ounces. 2, Charlie Ross, Baton Rouge, 44-14. 3, Michael Boyd, Baton Rouge, 43-7.
Wahoo: 1, Luke Patterson, Morgan City, 15-15. 2, Mark Gros, Ponchatoula, 11-9.
Dolphin: 1, Mark Gros, Ponchatoula, 43-6. 2, Gros, 25-1. 3, David Hutchenison, Baton Rouge, 19-3.
No entries in Tarpon, Blue Marlin/tag & release, White Marlin nor Mako Shark.