Alligator gar snaps up attention on first day of the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo

A large gar commanded most of the attention of fair goers on the first day of the 71st Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo on Friday at Jones Park in Gulfport.

"We had some large alligator gar brought in, one 77 pounds and some change," said weigh master Mark Wright. "Started to see some freshwater fish brought in. Being the first day of the rodeo, it's still a little light right now. People are still working.

"A 77-pound gar is good for the first day of the rodeo," said Wright. "You usually see the bigger gars come in on the third and fourth days of the rodeo."

Preston Cuevas of Kiln brought in the big gar shortly after the scales opened on Friday.

"Felt like I had a submarine on the other end," said Cuevas. "It was a hell of an experience, but I was able to get him up. I've caught other gar, but never like that."

Cuevas caught the 6-foot gar just before daylight on Friday morning behind the Bay St. Louis Municipal Harbor while fishing for redfish and drum. He said he fought with the fish for 20 minutes before he was able get it out of the water.

Donnie Armes, MDSFR executive director, said that fishermen are excited about this year's rodeo.

The Speckled Trout Shootout has been brought back with 33 teams of up to four fishermen per boat will compete for prize money on Sunday.

"There will be a shotgun start on Sunday morning," said Armes. "They will all leave out at the same time, go out, go fish and be back by 6 o'clock."

Each team will be allowed to enter a string of five speckled trout.

"Sponsor money is added to $100 registration fee per boat," said Armes. "Sixty percent goes to first place, 30 percent to second place and 10 percent to third place. It's a pretty good prize that goes with that."

And 175 participants also registered for bounties on the tiger shark record and stingray record. A $25,000 cash prize awaits the fisherman who sets a new record in either category. Armes said that the stingray competition has drawn the most attention.

"Actually, the tiger shark has not drawn as much attention as the stingray," said Armes. "The stingray is more of a local fish. The islands are full of them. You add $25,000 in prize money for a new state record, it gets a lot more attention."

The current state record of 158 pounds, 1.6 ounces was set at the MDSFR in 2007. The current state record for the Tiger Shark is 390 pounds, set in 2016. The rodeo continues through Wednesday with carnival rides, live music and a variety of food vendors.