There is no more crowded fishing destination in the Deep South these days than the roads, marinas and waters south of Fourchon sur La. 1 to Grand Isle.

COVID-19 calmed that joke last year, but a stronger fanfare started this year with the Golden Meadow-Fourchon Tarpon rodeo on July 4. The rodeo season then passes by Fourchon Oilman’s rodeo and a bunch of small get-togethers, and like most years ends with the Grand Isle Tarpon International Rodeo in late July.

Oh, by the way, the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo is our country’s oldest competitive fishing event, and around the time the founders decided to host this wing-ding, they chose to hold it the last weekend. Full end of July, even during the rodeo runs Thursday through Saturday.

So this year, with July 31st falling on a Saturday, the GITR will move to its earliest date and start on Thursday July 22nd and run through Saturday.

With those dates set, that means the last days of this month are open to all kinds of fishing events, and that means the Mike “Big Daddy” Bourgeois Rodeo will be held on July 31 at Bridge Side Marina in the western end of Grand Isle. The Salty Kids FishFest will take place July 30-31 at Grand Isle Marina, which if you don’t by now is the new name for the long-standing Sand Dollar Marina on the east end of the island.

The Grand Isle Rodeo Lodge is near the Grand Isle Marina, and the Rodeo Weigh Station is between the Marina and the Lodge.

Weigh-in times are new to this year’s GITR, from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday. This reduces the weighing hours of previous years by four hours in the morning.

There is a toll-free children’s division with weigh-in times from noon to 3 p.m. every third day. Children 12 and under must register in the lodge.

What these new weighing hours won’t capture is the early morning wait for the first tarpon to reach the scale. More years than not, the first tarpon was at the marina awaiting the opening of the weighers at 8 am. This year’s first tarpon will be based on the honor system – and there is an “honor” among these 10-15 tarpon hunters when it comes to fighting those Silver Kings who fight their way through the waters off the coast. from Louisiana sometimes as early as the end of June, although the late return in July is better for these fish.

As usual, there are all divisions and categories of species, including a Kayak division and a Catch-and-Release division for tarpon and other blue water species.

The $ 55 rodeo tickets are available at Puglia’s and Chag’s in the New Orleans area and at seven locations from Leeville to Fourchon to Grand Isle.

For more details, visit the GITR website: tarponrodeo.org.

Patron of the Coast Conservation Association in Louisiana David Cression is this year’s president, and, for the first time, a woman, Cynthia Lee sheng is the admiral of the fleet.

Florida Tarpon

The fish of the same name from the Grand Isle Rodeo draws the ire of other states when it comes to weighing in a tarpon. Every year, the fishermen of Texas or Florida protest slightly against the introduction of a tarpon on the scales.

A statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last week showed one reason for these passionate responses.

According to the press release, Florida FWC agents “arrested two people for the unlawful murder of a tarpon in Key Largo, Florida. Officers work to identify a third person who was also involved. “

So if you ever do tarpon fishing in Florida, write this story down: “In March, the FWC received photographs and video of a large tarpon being held by three individuals at a dock in Key Largo. With advice and information from several witnesses, two of the three individuals were identified and additional photographs were provided showing the men hoisting the tarpon into a truck.

“Tarpon is a prominent fish in Florida and fishing is prohibited unless the angler is looking for a world or state record and in possession of a tarpon tag. They are rarely used as food fish due to the poor quality of the meat and the large number of bones. In addition, tarpons over 40 inches long must remain in the water (including their gills) at all times.

Bond was set at $ 75,000 each for the two subjects. For Florida tarpon regulations, go to the website: MyFWC.com/Marine, then search for “Recreation regulations” and “Tarpon”.

snapper

LA Creel’s recreational red snapper estimates are available through the weekend of July 4. The graph shows landings of 358,130 pounds (43%) of our state’s annual allowance of 832,493 pounds.

The complete map of landings is available on the Wildlife and Fisheries website: wlf.louisiana.gov/page/red-snapper.

Delta Lottery

The LDWF has set a lottery application deadline of August 12 for barge mooring sites in the Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area for the next hunting season. Mooring permits will be valid from September 1 to March 16, 2022, for the Main Delta Log Island Pass and Wax Delta’s Campground Pass sites. The fees for a permit for two piles are $ 300 and $ 500 for two or more piles.

You can print the applications from the agency’s website: www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/atchafalaya-delta, or request a request by calling (337) 735-8667, or by email from Leslie Campbell: [email protected]

The shrimp news

New federal towing time regulations and expanded requirements for the use of turtle exclusion devices (to protect small sea turtles) come into effect August 1 and affect the use of 40-foot skimmer trawlers long and longer in the shrimp fisheries of the southeastern United States.

Cover the corals

If you have something to say about coral reefs near and off our coasts, the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Board and the Federal Coral Reef Conservation Program would love to hear it.

Marine biologists on the council said they needed “expertise on the water to guide our current understanding of what is happening with corals in the Gulf.” Specifically, we would like to know if you have noticed any changes in corals and coral reef habitats in the Gulf in recent years.

The deadline for responses is August 31 at 4 p.m. at: poll123.arcgis.com/