Scenes like this from last year's IR&GC Saltwater Fishing Rodeo will be repeated many times starting Friday at fishing rodeo headquarters along Quintana Canal at Cypremort Point. The 72nd running of the event ends at 1 p.m. Sunday. DON SHOOPMAN / THE DAILY IBERIAN FILES

As the 72nd annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo approaches, it’s hard to believe a local outdoors writer will cover the IR&GC event for the 48th time this weekend at Cypremort Point. I hope and pray it won’t be the last fishing rodeo.

The 72nd running of the fishing rodeo starts Friday, appropriately enough, on the Fourth of July. Quintana Canal Boat Landing probably will be full of empty boat trailers on tow vehicles before 6 a.m. as men, women and children, families and friends, are out on the water testing their skills in the popular fishing rodeo.

I don’t mind aging myself. This event is as old as me. Ah, you might say, the first one was held in 1952. Remember, though, there wasn’t an IR&GC fishing rodeo in 1977, so it does check out to 72. I wrote a column at the time pointing the finger at apathy among the organizers as the reason the show didn’t go on that particular Fourth of July. And I fervently expressed my sincere wishes in print that it would resume the following year and for many years to come because, you know, it means so much to this community’s outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen.

It has been refreshing and encouraging for the future of the sport to watch grandchildren and, even, great-grandchildren of some of the fishing rodeo’s most highly regarded anglers, male and female, grow up to compete over the past few years. They keep coming back, a rich tribute to the storied tradition of friendly fishing competition in and around Vermilion Bay and out into the Gulf of America.

There have been some awesome fishing rodeo chairmen and fishing rodeo committees during the event’s history. Those men and women continued the storied tradition of one of the oldest saltwater fishing rodeos along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

The current fishing rodeo committee deserves all the kudos in the world. The members have been at it for several years now but numbers are dwindling and few if any people are filling the void, which puts future fishing rodeos in doubt at the moment.

Two long-time fishing rodeo anglers and committee members referenced the predicament recently. It’s more of a challenge these days to devote the time and energy necessary before, during and after each event, they said.

A few weeks ago, Heith St. Germain said, “I’m still involved a lot, like we’ve been the last 10, 12 years.”

St. Germain, 44, agreed it’s more challenging now.

“A little bit. It’s just everybody’s been so busy lately,” he said.

Chad LeBlanc acknowledged the dilemma and said, as last-minute preparations were being made, “We’re still trying to get brochures, the trophies, the tickets, the raffles, the giveaways, the auction items. I’m going to tell you, it’s tough. Everybody has gotten so busy. It’s hard to make time where we need it. A lot of people step away to take care of family, businesses. We respect that.”

The 54-year-old outdoorsman and past fishing rodeo chairman has fished the event most of his life and helped out since the mid-1990s. He praised the men and women currently making the upcoming fishing rodeo a reality.

The three-day holiday weekend event gets underway at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ends at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both digital scales will be open for fishy business from 3-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, then from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday.

Fishing rodeo tickets are being sold at Hebert’s and Dago’s Grocery in Lydia. Fishing rodeo tickets are $5 per angler for the Junior Division (15 and under); $25 per angler for the Inside Division, and $55 per angler for the Offshore Division while the entry fee for the Inside Division Calcutta is $50; Offshore Division Calcutta is $100, and Boat Captain’s Award is $25. No tickets will be sold after noon on July 5.

The entertainment lineup is set for each day, as well. Seasoned Soul from New Iberia starts the weekend from 7-10 p.m. Friday, while the local The Bad Boys, featuring Brittany Poole, get on the stage from 7-10 p.m. Saturday, followed by Cliff Bernard from Erath who plays from 1-3 p.m. Sunday.

Who were the big fishing rodeo winners last year? First-place in each division are as follows:

INSIDE DIVISION

Species/Angler/Weight

Slot redfish, Heith St. Germain, 7.38. Speckled trout, Brennan Bishop, 3.94. Flounder, Drew Romero, 3.24. White trout, Drew Romero, 0.56. Sheepshead, Jacob Fisher, 5.26. Drum, Randy Boudreaux, 21.2. Croaker, Randy Boudreaux, .71. Garfish, Max Callicott, 44.8.

OFFSHORE DIVISION

Species/Angler/Weight

Yellowfin tuna, Andrew Godley, 73.7. Blackfin tuna, Scott Beyt, 26.4. Wahoo, Eugene Dauterive Jr., 19.6. Bonita, Elvin Fontenot, 14.2. Tripletail (None entered.) Barracuda, Dr. Joe Rustom, 27.8. Mangrove snapper, Andrew Godley, 8.6. Lemonfish, Chris Andre, 19.4. Dolphin, Kristopher Sinitiere, 6.2. Grouper, Dr. Joe Rustom, 107.2. King mackerel, Lannie Buteau, 11.2. Red snapper, Jonathan Foreman, 18.8.

JUNIOR DIVISION

Species/Angler/Weight

Slot redfish, Riley Louviere, 7.59. Speckled trout, Oliver Bishop, 2.55. Flounder, Aubrey Romero, 1.48.  White trout (None entered.) Sheepshead (None entered.) Drum, Mayz Jackson, 14.6. Croaker, Brenner Babineaux, .82. Garfish, Rhett Thibodeaux, 36.0.