Dauphin Island is bracing for the arrival of thousands of anglers and tens of thousands of spectators this week as the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo (ADSFR) prepares to celebrate its 82nd year, a milestone organizers say has only grown bigger since the event was recognized in 2011 as the world’s largest fishing tournament.
Leading this year’s tournament is Kevin Maurin, who was elected president of the Mobile Jaycees-sponsored event after more than a decade of volunteering behind the scenes. Maurin said he never expected the role to become a lifelong commitment when he first signed on shortly after his 21st birthday.
“I thought it would be fun just to volunteer and help out, and when I got here there were a bunch of people I knew who were already in it, and I’ve just never left,” Maurin said.
The rodeo officially gets underway Friday, July 17, with a cannon blast at 5 a.m. marking the start of three days of competition. More than 3,000 anglers are expected to compete across 30 categories, chasing top prizes for barracuda, tuna, cobia, swordfish, king mackerel, wahoo, tarpon, speckled trout and shark, among other species. Winners in each category will be recognized with awards for first, second and third place.
Organizers anticipate more than 75,000 spectators will pass through the tournament grounds over the weekend to watch weigh-ins, browse vendor booths and take part in activities geared toward families and children. The University of South Alabama plans to run an educational program during the rodeo featuring a display of the many fish species found in Gulf waters, giving young visitors an up-close look at marine life alongside the competition.
Maurin described the atmosphere at the rodeo grounds as something akin to a carnival, with families arriving early and staying well into the evening.
“There’s a real carnival atmosphere at the rodeo site,” Maurin said. “There’s plenty to do, and it’s an all-day event. People start filing in at around 7 or 8 in the morning and don’t leave until 8 or 9 at night.”
The festivities actually began the previous weekend with the Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament, a rodeo tradition reserved exclusively for children. For Maurin, it remains the most meaningful part of the entire event.
“That’s my favorite memory of any of the tournaments I’ve ever been a part of, the Roy Martin, every year,” Maurin said. “The kids having fun. I don’t have kids myself, but hopefully one day I will, and I see all the parents taking their kids out. It’s enjoyable to see them do the same thing that my father did with me, taking me fishing, and hopefully I’ll be able to do that with my kids in the future.”
The main tournament begins Thursday, July 16, with a captain’s meeting held simultaneously at the ADSFR site on Dauphin Island and at J&M Tackle in Orange Beach, both starting at 5 p.m. The evening continues with the rodeo’s long-running Liar’s Contest at 6:30 p.m., a lighthearted competition among anglers swapping tall tales, before the cannon sounds at 5 a.m. Friday to formally open the tournament.
For Maurin and the volunteers who run the event, the days leading up to the rodeo are as demanding as the tournament itself.
“This is what we work for all year long,” Maurin said. “We have been working 20-hour days, and now that it’s here, we’ll work 24-hour days, but it’s what we love doing.”
Anglers and spectators planning to attend can find weigh-in schedules, category rules and other tournament details ahead of the weekend’s competition.