Hall returns to take Outstanding Fisherman at tarpon rodeo

• By JOE MACALUSO
• Advocate Outdoors writer
• Published: Jul 5, 2009 - Page: 11C

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PORT FOURCHON — All’s well that starts and ends well.

For Myron Hall, the three days he spent on the Gulf of Mexico went more than well, from Thursday’s start of the 62nd annual Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon Rodeo to its end Saturday at Moran’s Marina.

Until three years ago, Hall was a fixture in this rodeo. He brought family, friends and neighbors from areas around his home in Ethel to Fourchon for three days of hot, deep-water fishing action. And, most years he and his friends stuck their names on the rodeo’s leaderboard.
Parkinson’s Disease brought all that to a halt — until Thursday.

“I had a great time. It was hot and we had a couple of hard days fishing, but I loved every minute,” Hall said during Saturday’s final-day weigh-in.

Thursday, his party left aboard the charterboat “Capt. Charlie” named in memory of the first charter skipper, Charlie Hardison, whom Hall booked for this rodeo about 25 years ago.

“The fishing was great. We hit pretty green water about 25-to-28 miles out (of Belle Pass) and we were running to the west,” Hall explained. “The fishing got real good. We caught blackfin (tuna), grouper, amberjack, red and mangrove snapper and lemonfish (cobia). And, it didn’t take long for us to limit out on the (red) snapper.”

Hall was in the mix: He brought in a first-place grouper (57 pounds, 13 ounces), a second-place blackfin tuna (26-2) and took thirds in grouper (44-15) and amberjack (48-10) to take home the Outstanding Fisherman’s Award in the Shoreline Division.

“Battling Parkinson’s has been tough for the last few years,” Hell said, his right hand shaking throughout the weigh-in.

“But, these guys don’t know that I have an advantage over them. Every time I drop a bait down, the bait will shake all the time. And, the fish seems to like that.”

Clarence Foret Jr. was another returnee to competitive fishing in this rodeo. He took most of the last three years off after his father, Clarence Sr. died. Clarence Sr. was a fixture in this rodeo, too.

The St. Charles Community angler marked his return with a third-place white trout.

“It’s a start. I’m happy to be back,” Foret said.

As usual, the Acadiana area was led by the St. Cyr family of shallow-water fishermen, Terry St. Cyr won with a 6-6 speckled trout, a category he and son Brian dominated. They swept all five places with 5-pound specks. Terry St. Cyr won the Captain’s Award and the Best Boat Award in the Inside Division.