Ala. Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo underway

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WALA) - Any seasoned fisherman has a tale of the one that got away, but you better believe he's going to catch it this weekend!

The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo is underway!

You can't say the fish were not warned.

At the sound of a cannon blast, thousands of anglers sped off to the Gulf and came back with as much of a load as they could haul in.

"[I’m] feeling pretty good right now,” said one fisherman.

Founded in 1929, the rodeo now has more than 3,000 anglers, and $400,000 in prizes.

Tournament officials said the rodeo is the oldest and largest saltwater fishing tournament in the country.

ADSFR President John Napper said, "A lot of our anglers, they fished it, their father fished it, and their father fished it."

It may be fun, but you still have to put in some effort. Nothing in this world comes easy, and the same goes for the tournament.

One angler had this bit of advice: "Grind. Get up, get out, grind."

The tournament will be going on through Sunday, so these anglers are putting in some work for a big payoff.
Scientists are also on hand at the rodeo, taking samples of some of the fish that are brought in.