There will be something new and something gone from the 71st annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo at Cypremort Point.

The three-day holiday weekend fishing rodeo, which is two weeks away, plans to offer a different model of plaques to the winners, according to past fishing rodeo chairman Chad LeBlanc, who has been involved with the event since 1995. Those plaques are “standup” awards in red/white/blue, shaped like the American flag, an appropriate theme for the Fourth of July event.

When Day 1 of the fishing rodeo rolls around Thursday, July 4, one historic category will be missing, out of necessity, from the Inside Division. The Redfish Category, which always gets the biggest bull reds from in and around Vermilion Bay, has been stricken from the leaderboards because of the new redfish regulations for sport fishermen that go into effect Thursday, June 20.

It is the first change to the recreational redfish harvest in the state since 1988.

Louisiana’s new rules also include a legal size limit from 18 inches long to 27 inches long. No redfish over 27 inches long, a bull red, will be allowed in the new daily creel limit of four redfish.

The old regulations allowed five redfish between 16 and 27 inches long with one redfish more than 27 inches long allowed.

Of course, the increasingly popular “slot” redfish category will stay on the leaderboard in the Inside Division, with the necessary change to 18 to 27 inches long instead of the old 16 to 27 inches long.

IR&GC fishing rodeo officials will implement another change to last year’s format. There will be no Junior Offshore Division Best All-Around Fisherman award in 2024, LeBlanc said.

Fishing rodeo tickets will cost the same as they did last year: Junior Division, $5; Inside Division, $25; Offshore Division, $55; Inside Division Calcutta (plus ticket), $50; Offshore Division Calcutta (plus ticket), $100, and Boat Captain, $25.

The 71st running of this popular saltwater fishing rodeo gets underway at 12:01 July 4 and ends at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 6. Digital scales will open from 3-6 p.m. on Thursday and on Friday, then open from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third and final day Saturday.

Before the fishing rodeo starts, participants are urged to attend the free Anglers Supper scheduled to be held from 6:30-9 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, at the Lydia American Legion Hall. It will be the only time Calcutta tickets are sold and it’s a perfect time to buy fishing rodeo tickets for each angler on your boat.

LeBlanc said his wife, Kori LeBlanc, plans to cook and serve her specialty, crawfish fettucini, with (tentatively) French bread and green salad for the supper.

Fishing rodeo headquarters under the pavilion along Quintana Canal should be rocking and rolling each afternoon and evening of the event. The 3rd annual Acadian Cornhole tournament is scheduled to start Thursday after the scales close at 6 p.m., which is when a DJ starts spinning music for the crowd.

Live music is on tap the next two nights, starting Friday with Seasoned Soul, an Avery Island-based variety rock band, from 7-10 p.m. The lineup for the third and final day features Erath’s Cliff Bernard, a solo acoustic artist and singer, from 1-3 p.m.; Swampland Revival, a five-piece Cajun and Swamp pop band out of Youngsville, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., and our own The Bad Boys from 7-10:30 p.m.