Will wet weather affect fishing rodeo?

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WALA) - Thursday, the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo got off to a wet start.

The rain stopped just at showtime. The annual fishing tournament's opening events went on as planned.

The rain was not a welcome sign, according to Gene Fox with the rodeo. He said the Mobile Jaycees wait all year for the rodeo.

“Oh Lord, were just glad to be here. It takes 50 volunteers 12 months to put this on, so it’s like Christmas when we get here,” said Fox.

According to Fox, rain wasn’t their worst fear.

"The worst thing for a fishing tournament is high seas, and the forecast calls for low seas so they might get a little soggy over the weekend. But they won’t get too bad over the water,” said Fox.

Pete Costese was there from Indiana and was  staying optimistic.

“It’s going to be good, hopefully. It's rodeo time, it's always bad weather,” Costese said.

In 2011, it poured for two days. But that didn’t stop the anglers.

“We set a Guinness record last year [2011] with 16 inches of rain, so a little rain this year wont hurt us,” said Fox.