Following are Quotable Quotes from the 70th annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo held June 30-July 2 at Cypremort Point.

“I guess if you can only catch one it better be a good one.” Thomas Bourque before weighing a 20-pound redfish on Day 1. The Lydia angler was fishing with Keith Prince of Lydia at the mouth of Avery Island and in Shark Bayou. Prince caught one croaker.

“They’re a little bigger than the others (previous fishing rodeo carts.” – Mackie Boudreaux, weighmaster, talking about the four new carts IR&GC purchased before the event. The carts, each with two large, spoked wheels, reportedly hold up to 500 pounds of fish.

“There was a little wind in the morning. It was hot after that. Around 9:30, it got bad. It was over 100. That’s what it seemed.” – John Broussard after weighing in “slot” redfish he caught while fishing with David Kaplan and Marcus Bonvillain on Day 1.

“That’s when it went from 82 to 102.” David Kaplan, skipper of the 17-foot Triton carrying Broussard and Bonvillain.

“It (the heat) was heavy and harsh but the fishing was great on the east side of the island. Unbelievable. Anywhere you threw out there. They’re hungry and eating.” – Brooks Amy, Fish Karma captain who fished with his son, Hayden Amy, his father, Perry Scott, and his best friend, Jacob Fisher. The elder Amy won Best All-Around Fisherman and the Boat Captain’s Award on the 24-foot Blue Wave.

“Heat was brutal out there for her and her sister. We were dumping bottles of water on their heads just to make Day 1. Thing about it, she never put her rod and reel down the whole time.” – Brian Romero, Smokin’ Reel 1 skipper, said after Day 3. Romero took the 24-foot long Ranger out the first two days with his wife, Jamie Romero, and granddaughters Alexis Romero, 11, and Aubrey Romero, 9. Alexis rallied on the second day to win the Junior Division’s Best All-Around Fisherman trophy.

“We started at Southwest Pass and went all the way to the east end yesterday. That’s where we caught the speckled trout and white trout. It got too windy and we had to get out of the Gulf. It got a little too rough for us.” – Brian Romero.

“They did good. They’re used to it (the heat). They play baseball and stuff in it.” – Michael Lipari, after catching 25-30 speckled trout on Day 2 while fishing with Ashley Lipari and children Michael, 8, and Giuliana, 11.

“This is the first year our little daughter fished with us. We fished two days. She wanted to catch every fish that hit a line. She didn’t want to take turns.” – Brock Pellerin said about Ahni Pellerin, who obviously enjoyed her fishing rodeo venture while fishing aboard Donna Sue, a 20-foot long Gravois hull, with her dad, the captain, her mom, Stephanie Pellerin, and Karl Prados. Ahni proudly accepted a trophy for her second-place drum (20.1 pounds) in the Junior Division.’’

“We went to the (Flower) Garden Banks. I think we got some (rodeo-worthy) snapper, barracuda. Nothing crazy. You can just quote us this year saying it was tough.” – Chris Landry, co-skipper of Basket Case, a 34-foot long Freeman. The seven-man crew included Ryan Dearman, a former Lafayette outdoorsman who flew in from Oregon the day before the fishing rodeo started and was on the boat heading south an hour later.

“It hasn’t met its match yet.” – Dr. Patrick Savoy, talking about the 7-foot long Poseidon fishing rod he had crafted by Poseidon Fishing in Palm Beach, Florida, to specifically target grouper. Colby Mayeaux was using it when he caught a 91.1-pound grouper that caused quite a stir at fishing rodeo headquarters after it was unloaded by Outlaw, skippered by Savoy. Mayeaux won Best All-Around Fisherman in the Offshore Division while Outlaw easily earned the Boat Captain’s Award.

“Fishing was tough. Real tough. Yeah, we got a big barracuda. (But) we don’t have much fish, really. We didn’t have the opportunity to catch.” – Lannie Buteau, veteran crew member aboard Jacque Hebert’s Sea Mistress, a 36-foot Lafco hull. A decision to head west to the Flower Garden Banks — where they encountered “very warm” water and uncooperative fishing rodeo fish — turned against them.

“They (Outlaw crew members) hit some cool water and it was very productive. That was the key.” — Lannie Buteau

— Compiled by Don Shoopman, Outdoors editor