Ready-up for Roundup!

Anglers of all ages will be in Port Aransas Thursday through Sunday, July 9-12 for the 74th Deep Sea Roundup.

The oldest and largest saltwater fishing tournament on the Texas coast is sponsored by the Port Aransas Boatmen, Inc. Proceeds fund various youth-related activities and scholarships for Port Aransas High School graduates.

The family-friendly tournament includes a Piggy Perch Contest for the small fry, as well as junior and adult divisions for bay and offshore anglers.

The event begins with registration at the Port Aransas Civic Center on the corner of Cut-off Road and Avenue A on Thursday, July 9, starting at 2 p.m. Cocktails will be served starting at 6 p.m., followed by hors d’oeuvres at 7 p.m. The center closes at 10 p.m.

Late registration will follow at 6 a.m. Friday, July 10, at Woody’s Sports Center, 136 W. Cotter St.

Hours for the fishing competition are the same each day in all divisions.

The competition begins at 6 a.m. with bay-surf and fly-fishing divisions. Offshore anglers may begin fishing at 7 a.m.

The Piggy Perch Contest will be headquartered at the Fred Rhodes Memorial Pavilion at Roberts Point Park. Fishing in the 5 and under division starts at 9 a.m., followed by the 6 and up division at “9:30ish” a.m.

Bay-surf and fly-fishing anglers must have their lines out of the water by 2 p.m. and catches weighed in by the 4 p.m. deadline.

Offshore anglers should reel in their lines by 4 p.m. and have their catches at the weigh station by 7 p.m.

Weigh-in for all divisions is at the Fred Rhodes Memorial Pavilion at Roberts Point Park.

Spectators are invited to gather under the shade of the pavilion to watch the weigh-ins both afternoons. Refreshments will be sold on site.

On Saturday, cocktails will begin at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.

The Bill Horn Memorial Fish Fry, open to the public, will be held at the Civic Center starting at noon on Sunday. The awards presentation and drawings will start at 1:30 p.m.

Grand champions in both the bay/ surf and offshore divisions will be awarded.

The tournament will continue the release format initiated in 2001 for all billfish.

A bay-surf perpetual trophy will be awarded as well as a perpetual Billfish Champion trophy. Other awards presented will be Top Woman Angler and Top Junior Angler as well as individual species awards.

Tournament chairman is Bruce Staffel.

Programs for the Roundup, which contain a complete schedule, rules and more, will be inserted in this edition of the South Jetty for out-of-town subscribers and in the Thursday, July 9, editions on newsstands and delivered to Port Aransas subscribers.

The tournament started in as the Tarpon Rodeo in 1932. It was interrupted during World War II and, as the tarpon population declined (due to dynamiting schools of the fish) in Gulf waters, the name was changed to the Deep Sea Roundup.