The present and future of the annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo is in good hands.

That was evident Friday through Sunday this past holiday weekend at Cypremort Point, where the event was held without a hitch.

And it was evident June 26, a few days before the start of the popular fishing rodeo. That’s when the free Anglers Supper was held at the American Legion Hall in Lydia. IR&GC fishing rodeo officials got together with people who planned to fish to go over rules and regulations, sell fishing rodeo tickets and get the Calcuttas going for the big weekend.

“We had about 75-80 people there. We sold a bunch of tickets. It was a real good turnout. I was impressed,” IR&GC fishing rodeo chairman Brock Pellerin said the second day of the fishing rodeo.

More importantly, they got some positive feedback on a desire to get some help in the years to come. They put the word out for volunteers, new members to help take some of the load and stress off the core board members who have worked hard this decade to return the fishing rodeo to its status as one of the best and biggest along the coast.

A few weeks ago, Pellerin said, “It’s getting harder and harder to coordinate. Families are getting bigger and it’s harder to get together. We need fresh people with better ideas and better ways to do things. … Before we walk away (from the Anglers Supper) we’re going to say, ‘Hey, guys, we need some help.’ ”

Josh St. Germain, a long-time IR&GC official along with his wife, Brandy, echoed that sentiment and said, “We feel the same way. We need some fresh guns in there, fresh ideas.”

On Tuesday, they got their answer.

“We had quite a few guys get up and say they would help out. Hopefully, we’ll get a few more to step up,” Pellerin said, happily, the second day of the fishing rodeo.

The best part of the supper, many attendees said, was the shrimp fettuccini cooked by Korie LeBlanc of New Iberia.

Good food was a common theme for the successful fishing rodeo. At about 3 p.m. Saturday, Pellerin started cooking a sausage, white beans, rice and gravy that took 60 pounds of deer sausage, 20 pounds of white beans and three trays of rice.

The meals was free as long as it lasted, which wasn’t long.

The coup de grace was in the big pot about 8 a.m. Sunday, when he started cooking a sausage jambalaya that was free for fishing rodeo participants and $5 for others.

It took 50 pounds of pork, 20 pounds of smoked sausage, 10 pounds of tasso, 6 pounds of onions, 10 pounds of bellpeppers, 10 packs of onion tops, three packs of celery and five bunches of parsley, plus 25 pounds of rice.

“It’ll feed about 200 people … 200 hungry people,” Pellerin said.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian