CYPREMORT POINT – On the 70th annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo, 70-year-old Perry Scott had his most rewarding outing.

While fishing through the unrelenting heat after mid-morning all three days in the holiday weekend event that ended Sunday, Scott rode three fish he hooked and boated the first day to the Inside Division Best All-Around Fisherman title in the division known for its high-caliber competition. His first-place flounder (2.32 pounds) went wire-to-wire, his runner-up bull red (25.6 pounds) started out first but stayed second the next two days and his second-place slot redfish (7.97 pounds) did the same.

Scott racked up 694 points to finish ahead of Josh St. Germain, 564, and Karleigh St. Germain, 534.

“It was an awesome weekend. We took on the heat and kept on going,” Scott said after fishing aboard Fish Karma, a 24-foot long Blue Wave skippered by his son, Brooks Amy.

“It feels great. It was a lot of hard work. I have to give thanks to my boy, Jacob Fisher and Hayden Amy. They’re good crew members.”

It showed after three days because the elder Amy also earned the Inside Division Boat Captain’s Award with 886 accumulated points to finish ahead of Heith St. Germain’s Pacifier, 683, and Brock Pellerin’s Donna Sue, 650.

Scott got his first major individual title and so did Alexis Romero, 11, of Lydia. Romero, fishing with her grandparents, Brian and Jamie Romero, also of Lydia, and her younger sister, Aubrey Romero, 9, continued a recent trend when she ran away with the Junior Division Best All-Around Fisher(wo)man title with a torrid two days of fishing starting Friday.

The Iberia Middle School student, riding aboard the Smokin’ Reel 1, her grandpa’s 24-foot long Ranger, wasn’t even in the top three following a day of fishing Friday. But she came on strong Saturday and finished with 888 points to outdistance Paul Jordan II, 463, and Reid Dore, 423.

Day I kicked off the big weekend for Scott. Day II was even better.

“Friday and Saturday were awesome days. The water was right,” he said.

Fish Karma’s captain and crew enjoyed an incredible day of fishing Saturday while fishing Boxcar Reef. They ran into a marauding school of bull reds chasing shrimp.

They ventured out again but without success Sunday.

“We went today to try to catch trash fish, you know, croaker, sheepshead, something like that. But it didn’t work out. What I had Friday and Saturday held up,” Scott said.

The Boat Captain’s Award was lagniappe.

“We figured we’d be competitive. You never know if you win or not but the team has a big heart and puts it all on the line when we go out,” Brooks Amy said after concentrating on waters around Marsh Island and at Boxcar Reef.

This Inside Division Boat Captain’s Award was more special than the one he won in 2015, he said.

“Yes, being I had a wonderful weekend with my son, my father and my best friend. It all came together,” the winning skipper said. “It was hard work. The whole team put in 150 percent effort this weekend.”

An all-out, full-time effort is what the Junior Division champion gave the first two days, according to Brian Romero.

“One thing about it, she never put her rod and reel down the whole time. She was keeping her line in the water as soon we’d get to a spot,” he said.

“I’m real proud,” the veteran charter boat captain said, noting he won the Inside Division title in 2022, the year after her father, Drew Romero, won it in 2021. Also, Jeamie Romero captured Best All-Around in 2016 and again in 2018.

Alexis Romero took it in stride before receiving the tall trophy. She confided she used her “daddy’s secret bait” – shrimp.

“It was kind of difficult at first. Then we started moving around and it got better,” she said.

She finished with first-place speckled trout (2.25 pounds) and white trout (.84 pounds); second-place speckled trout (2.06 pounds), and third-place flounder (1.48 pounds) and white trout (.67 pounds).

Her grandfather said, “We started at Southwest Pass and went all the way to the west 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.”

Keo Khamphilavong, who fished with his nephew, Matt Khamphilavong, 17, his Southcentral Fishing Association buddy, Randy Migues, and Michel Fortier, won $800 in the Inside Division Calcutta. His 31.4-pound, second-place garfish on the last day of fishing sealed the deal as his boat accounted for five fish on the final leaderboard in the Inside Division.

First-, second- and third-place finishes in the Inside Division were worth $200, $100 and $50.