Romero has inside track to Best-All Around Inside

CYPREMORT POINT – As bigger fish bumped first-day leaders down the leaderboard in four of nine Inside Division categories Saturday, the buzz around fishing rodeo headquarters centered around a white trout bonanza.

And with all that going on, an unfolding drama stayed the course to pass the Inside Division’s Best All-Around Fisherman title from Drew Romero of Lydia to his father, Brian Romero of Lydia.

The biggest, perhaps the most welcome news, was that except for a few participants who got doused, Friday’s inclement weather gave way to partly cloudy skies on Day 2 of the 69th annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo. The three-day holiday weekend event ends today with the scales reopening at 10 a.m. and closing once and for all at 1 p.m. under the pavilion along Quintana Canal.

At least five Offshore Division boats are expected to dock and weigh their catch today under the pavilion along Quintana Canal.

Brian Romero, 64, held a commanding lead for the Inside Division’s Best All-Around Fisherman title with 555 points. Romero, who fished the first two days with his grandchildren, went into the third and final day with 555 points, followed by hard-charging Mike Robideaux, 338, and Josh St. Germain, 256.

The frontrunner had 286 points after the scales closed at 6 p.m. Friday.

“That was the goal, to accumulate points on the first day. It helped out more when those fish stayed on the board the second day,” Romero said late Saturday evening.

He has the first-place speckled trout (2.33 pounds) and flounder (2.34 pounds). His 7.17-pound “slot” redfish got bumped to second Saturday by Ryan Savoys 7.27-pounder.

Romero’s wife, Jeamie, won the coveted individual title back-to-back in 2016-17. Their son, Drew, won it in 2021.

“I never have won Best All-Around. I’ve won the Boat Captain’s Award twice in the Inside Division (2016-17),” Romero said after fishing Friday with his grandson, Bentley Vinning, and Saturday with his grandson and two granddaughters, Sophie Vinning, Bentley’s twin sister, and Alexis Romero. The twins will be 10 on July 17.

Chris Prioux of Avery Island, fishing with his son, Nathan Prioux, 14, and Kevin Horton on Horton’s boat, carried the Inside Division’s biggest redfish of the day to the scale Saturday and the 34-pounder took over first place. Prioux’s son added a 33-pound bull red to give them first- and second-place fish in the Redfish Category.

The elder Prioux said the bull red bit on a cut croaker at an undisclosed location.

Matt Migues’ 19.8-pound drum took over first place as did Nash Boudreaux’s 34.4-pound gar Saturday in the Inside Division.

Fishing rodeo officials around the scales and anglers talked mostly about the proliferation of white trout the first two days of the fishing rodeo in and around Vermilion Bay. The subject came up again Saturday.

New Iberia skipper Jason McLean, whose young son, Easton McLean, boasted a 35.2-pound gar the second day, said a 4-inch long white trout was put in the boat and, based on results the past few years, it was deposited in the ice chest for weigh-in consideration later.

Didn’t have a chance in the Inside Division or the Junior Division. There are beaucoup white trout out there.

Veteran IR&GC weighmaster Mackie Boudreaux said, “It’s the most white trout I’ve seen since I’ve been doing it (approximately 20 years).”

Josh St. Germain, IR&GC chairman the previous three years before turning the reins over this year to Brooks Amy, knows first-hand about the reemergence of white trout in inside waters. St. Germain has the first-place white trout (.68 pounds) in the Inside Division while one of his sons, Luke St. Germain, has the third-place white trout (.52 pounds.)

Josh St. Germain’s niece and nephew, Karleigh St. Germain and Kiptyn St. Germain, have the second- and third-place white trout (both .38 pounds) behind Bentley Vinning’s pace-setting .81-pounder in the Junior Division.

What’s up with that?

“The salinity is at 5 ppt (parts per thousand). That’s what I think. I’m not sure how many people caught (them) but I know a few people did,” St. Germain said.

His boat, Quality Time, caught 15-20 white trout Friday and Saturday on shrimp while targeting croakers around wharves in The Cove.

The Junior Division’s second-day highlights revolved around Grant Romero, who rallied to pass up Trey Jordan in the race for Best All-Around Fisherman in the Junior Division. Romero, who has 540 points, is followed by Hayden Amy, 453, and Bentley Vinning, 386.

Going into the final day, Romero has a first-place sheepshead (3.53 pounds), second-place flounder (1.68 pounds) and third-place gar (28.6 pounds).

CYPREMORT POINT — Following are the results Saturday after the second day of the 69th annual Iberia Rod & Gun Club Saltwater Fishing Rodeo:

INSIDE DIVISION

Redfish

1, Chris Prioux, 34.0. 2, Nathan Prioux, 33.0. 3, Faith Landry, 31.5.

Speckled trout

1, Brian Romero, 2.33. 2, Kirk Bourque, 1.88. 3, Jimmy Dupre, 1.76.

Flounder

1, Brian Romero, 2.34. 2, Joshua Hebert, 1.44. 3, Brock Pellerin, 1.37.

White trout

1, Josh St. Germain, .68. 2, Chris Prioux, .54. 3, Luke St. Germain, .52.

Sheepshead

1, Gerrit “T Blu” Landry, 2.77.

Drum

1, Matt Migues, 19.8. 2, Kelly Neuville, 19.7. 3, Chris Louviere, 16.7.

Croaker

1, Mike Robideaux, 1.07. 2, Mike Robideaux, .84. 3, Angelic Broussard, .83.

Garfish

1, Nash Boudreaux, 34.4. 2, Faith Landry, 26.2. 3, Everette Higgins, 22.0.

Slot redfish

1, Ryan Savoy, 7.27. 2, Brian Romero, 7.17. 3, Trent Hebert, 7.10.

INSIDE DIVISION BEST ALL-AROUND FISHERMAN LEADERS: Brian Romero, 555. Mike Robideaux, 338. Josh St. Germain, 256.

INSIDE DIVISION BOAT CAPTAIN’S AWARD LEADERS: Smokin’ Reels Charter, Brian Romero, 555. Gotta Have Faith, Gerrit “T Blu” Landry. (tie) Quality Time, Josh St. Germain, and Miss Angelic, Mike Robideaux.

JUNIOR DIVISION

Redfish

1, Ethan St. Germain, 26.3. 2, Hayden Amy, 25.5. 3, Wyatt Broussard, 23.9.

Speckled trout

1, Alexis Romero, 3.10. 2, Sophia Vinning, 2.25. 3, Rylie Derouen, .92.

Flounder

1, Bentley Vinning, 2.00. 2, Grant Romero, 1.68. 3, Grant Romero, 1.48.

White trout

1, Bentley Vinning, .81. 2, Karleigh St. Germain, .38. 3, Kiptyn St. Germain, .38.

Sheepshead

1, Grant Romero, 3.53. 2, Hayden Amy, 3.09. 3, Hayden Amy, .164.

Drum

1, Alexis Romero, 20.6. 2, Riley Louviere, 18.7. 3, Ethan St. Germain, 3.6.

Croaker

1, Hayden Amy, 1.10. 2, Reid Dore, .78. 3, Hayden Amy, .69.

Garfish

1, Reid Dore, 41.7. 2, Easton McClean, 35.2. 3, Grant Romero, 28.6.

Slot redfish

1, Trey Jordan, 8.52. (New fishing rodeo record: old record 7.84 by Ryelon Romero in 2021.) 2, Layne Davis, 7.01. 3, Rhett Thibodeaux, 5.30.

JUNIOR DIVISION BEST ALL-AROUND FISHERMAN LEADERS: Grant Romero, 540. Hayden Amy, 453. Bentley Vinning, 386.

OFFSHORE DIVISION

Yellowfin tuna

None entered.

Blackfin tuna

None entered.

Wahoo

None entered.

Bonita

None entered.

Tripletail

None entered.

Barracuda

None entered.

Mangrove snapper

None entered.

Lemonfish

None entered.

Dolphin

None entered.

Grouper

None entered.

King mackerel

None entered.

Red snapper

None entered.