# Pensacola Bud Light Fishing Rodeo



## strike two

The new Bud Light Rodeo format is out and it looks like it's going to be an awesome tournament!

http://www.pensacolafishingrodeo.com


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## RCB

Great concept. Well done guys!!! We'll see ya at Flounders.


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## Captain Jake Adams

This is a great idea to increase tournament participation and it should create a great weigh in atmosphere. I'll be looking forward to it!


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## Snatch it

We are all in!! Great idea cant wait!!!!!


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## marmidor

Snatch it said:


> We are all in!! Great idea cant wait!!!!!


Heck yeah!!!! TEAM WET DEBT RIDES AGAIN!!!


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## Bow Down

So it will cost more to fish the tourney this year? I like the layout just the $$ to fish it is what will keep it a low turn out. This is bascially what the adsfr was and its number have dwindled. IMO Good Luck to those that fish it.


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## Kenton

I am confused about a section of the registration page.

In the section that states Cash Awards:
*Cash Awards*

*You must sign up for the corresponding challenge in order to sign up for cash prizes.*
1st place - 50%; 2nd place - 30%; 3rd place 20% (less 10% Tournament fee)
*King Mackerel Cash Awards*

King Mackerel $200 $100 $50 
Small Boat (King Only) $100 

*Red Snapper Cash Awards*

Red Snapper $100 $50 

*Inshore Cash Awards*

Inshore Grand Slam $100 $50 
Redfish $100 $50 
Flounder $100 $50 
Speckled Trout $100 $50

If you sign up for the King and Snapper challenge, what does clicking on one of the additional cash prizes boxes in the above section do? Does this mean that you would rather take cash prize over the payout in fishing equipment? I may have had one too many beers, but i do not understand the format. Thanks.


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## JoeZ

No, cash awards are optionals or calcuttas. They are basically tournaments within the tournament between those that put in the $50, $100 or whatever amount you select. That's where you make the money.


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## JoeZ

And for the record, the new format looks great and really opens it up to a lot of people with $25 entry fee.


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## Kenton

Wirelessly posted (Matt)

Thanks for the info joe. We are entering but needed clarification on that. Cheers!


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## Chris Phillips

We appreciate all of the nice comments and hope we have put together something exciting for everyone in the tournament fishing community. I know that some of it is confusing so please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I will watch this thread closely from now until the tournament and can be reached at 916-7176. 

The entry fee for last years king tournament was $425 and this year it is $350, but each member on the boat must also enter the rodeo for $25. If a lower entry will increase participation in years to come we will definitely consider making a change. With 100% of the challenge money being given back it's really up to the anglers, but we thought $350 was a number that was affordable and would add up to a nice prize package. 

Our thinking behind making it a go anywhere and trailer as you wish was to save fuel money. It's much cheaper to trailer your boat to oil rig country than it is to run across the Gulf. 

Please feel free to send any feedback you may have my way!


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## marmidor

JoeZ said:


> And for the record, the new format looks great and really opens it up to a lot of people with $25 entry fee.


That's what I thought also Joe but I guess thats. It the case.


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## Chris Phillips

The $25 rodeo is open to everyone, you don't have to enter the challenges to participate.

There are 84 junior angler awards to be given, hopefully that gives every child a chance to take a prize home!


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## marmidor

Chris Phillips said:


> The $25 rodeo is open to everyone, you don't have to enter the challenges to participate.
> 
> There are 84 junior angler awards to be given, hopefully that gives every child a chance to take a prize home!


O ok, my apologizes it was a misunderstanding on my part. Like joe said then LoL.... it will open it up to a lot more ppl. Kudos to you and your committee!!


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## deckhand

Good job Chris! I hope you have a record turnout!


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## DreamWeaver21

Bow Down said:


> So it will cost more to fish the tourney this year? I like the layout just the $$ to fish it is what will keep it a low turn out. This is bascially what the adsfr was and its number have dwindled. IMO Good Luck to those that fish it.


Not sure what you mean? You can make it as expensive or as cheap as you want to fish it? You and a buddy could go but 2 tickets and pay $50 in entry fees and go fishing or you can run every board and pay $1500 + individual tickets or anything in between.

Didn't the ADSFR just set a world record for most participation?

I am glad they made changes. I really liked the old format but participation was just dropping too low. I don't know if this will make it the greatest tournament ever but I know they couldn't just keep doing the same thing. Kudos for trying something new!

I will miss the shotgun start though.

I would like to see a boat motor and trailer package for a prize. It is just so much cooler to say you won a boat than a few grand. I think it is cooler anyhow.


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## DreamWeaver21

Chris, 
Couple of suggestions:
1. Update the home page of the site to say "June 23-24" if you want to list only fishing days or "June 22-24" if you want to include the meeting / dinner. Right now it just states June 23 which is not accurate.
2. On the optional cash prizes, it should state that they are per boat. I know they are but it doesn't spell it out that way.


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## Bow Down

DreamWeaver21 said:


> Not sure what you mean? You can make it as expensive or as cheap as you want to fish it? You and a buddy could go but 2 tickets and pay $50 in entry fees and go fishing or you can run every board and pay $1500 + individual tickets or anything in between.
> 
> Didn't the ADSFR just set a world record for most participation?
> 
> I am glad they made changes. I really liked the old format but participation was just dropping too low. I don't know if this will make it the greatest tournament ever but I know they couldn't just keep doing the same thing. Kudos for trying something new!
> 
> I would like to see a boat motor and trailer package for a prize though. It is just so much cooler to say you won a boat than a few grand. I think it is cooler anyhow.


Last year as Chris said it was $425 to fish the whole offshore tourney(every category of fish in offshore), this year to fish the whole offshore tourney it will be $550 plus $25 per person that fishes....so for us it would be another $125-150 making the total before calcuttas $675-700(almost the entry for the international). It is nice that we can trailer are boats this year, but i know there were a lot of boats that fished the tourney because they like the shotgun start(makes it a little more even for the guys that cant run very far plus very entertainning...). 

The adsfr was a tourney that had a lot of bigger CC boats(mostly ska guys) that fished the tourney and i think they have all but ran off the ska guys over there. It started by the non ska guys complaining that they had to fish against them. Well it is a tourney and the reason most enter it is to beat the best in the business at it and it helps to be able to pay all the expenses and maybe win a little extra $$ IMO. The adsfr decided it was going to separate the ska guys from the non ska guys and you could only win in one of the divisions (recreation or competition) you also had to pay to enter one or the other plus the tourney tickets. It was the same way for the bud light they had almost all the ska guys for years . now they are seperating the tourney fisherman (like the adsfr did) and you see the numbers start dropping from the bigger boats and it will turn into another small fishing rodeo not an elite tourney like it was. i know the economy has hurt a lot of people( and the tourneys sponsors that help drop the $$) that fish the tourney and its probably the biggest reason turnouts are low in most. I personally dont care for the boat prize for one i probably wouldnt want it or need it,two it is a pain to divide 5 ways, and three it sucks to try to sale it. I like the way the Bud light has been for the last few years and really dont think there was anything wrong with the tourney other than the low turnouts. 

I would have rather seen the entry come down a little and only paid out the top 3-5 in $$ with the next 5 or so getting "fishing gear". I hope the tourney proves me wrong and they have a great turn out, but i dont think we will fish it this year. I really like this tourney and the tourney directors have been very nice to me over the years. I think we have placed in the top 10 in this tourney for the last 6 years or so and its one that we normally look forward to.


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## Bow Down

DreamWeaver21 said:


> Not sure what you mean? You can make it as expensive or as cheap as you want to fish it? You and a buddy could go but 2 tickets and pay $50 in entry fees and go fishing or you can run every board and pay $1500 + individual tickets or anything in between.
> 
> Didn't the ADSFR just set a world record for most participation?
> 
> I am glad they made changes. I really liked the old format but participation was just dropping too low. I don't know if this will make it the greatest tournament ever but I know they couldn't just keep doing the same thing. Kudos for trying something new!
> 
> I will miss the shotgun start though.
> 
> I would like to see a boat motor and trailer package for a prize. It is just so much cooler to say you won a boat than a few grand. I think it is cooler anyhow.


Yes the adsfr did set a record that they advertised they were trying to do and probably entered ever volunteer/employee they could find in it. Outside of the ska side of the tourney its more a Rodeo tourney than an elite tourney like the bud light. imo


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## DreamWeaver21

Good discussion. I will be curious to see how it goes this year. I am sure overall participation will be up making more of an event. There will be a pile of folks at Flounders over the weekend!

For the bigger money "challenges" I am not sure how it will play out. Last year, I think the whole offshore tournament got 41 boats so if they get more than that I would book it as a win.

I am sure I will fish the tournament. Very likely that I will fish the King challenge and maybe the snapper challenge. I am kind of on the fence about the snapper thing though because I know there are people that can catch bigger snapper than I can consistently and there is less luck involved. To me, king fishing has more luck involved and I have as good a chance as getting lucky as anyone else.

I know I am probably in the minority as far as liking a boat as a prize instead of cash but I like it bettter. Comparing the last few years, even a minimally equiped 17 Horn is worth way more than the 7k first place they had last year. I don't mind selling it if you want to split it up. Take what a new one costs, knock 1/3 off that and it will sell. If you try to sell for retail or what they say it is worth then selling will be a pain. Plus, it is cooler to have a picture of your team standing in the boat you won than a picture holding a check. Years down the road, the money will be gone, but you can still look at the picture and smile.

The only pain point I see is the scales. Getting hundreds of people through there with a lot of fish that are similar sized and the winners will be determined by hundreths of a pound (ladyfish, bonito, croaker, mingo, redfish) will be a challenge in that space.


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## Bow Down

DreamWeaver21 said:


> Good discussion. I will be curious to see how it goes this year. I am sure overall participation will be up making more of an event. There will be a pile of folks at Flounders over the weekend!
> 
> For the bigger money "challenges" I am not sure how it will play out. Last year, I think the whole offshore tournament got 41 boats so if they get more than that I would book it as a win.
> 
> I am sure I will fish the tournament. Very likely that I will fish the King challenge and maybe the snapper challenge. I am kind of on the fence about the snapper thing though because I know there are people that can catch bigger snapper than I can consistently and there is less luck involved. To me, king fishing has more luck involved and I have as good a chance as getting lucky as anyone else.
> 
> I know I am probably in the minority as far as liking a boat as a prize instead of cash but I like it bettter. Comparing the last few years, even a minimally equiped 17 Horn is worth way more than the 7k first place they had last year. I don't mind selling it if you want to split it up. Take what a new one costs, knock 1/3 off that and it will sell. If you try to sell for retail or what they say it is worth then selling will be a pain. Plus, it is cooler to have a picture of your team standing in the boat you won than a picture holding a check. Years down the road, the money will be gone, but you can still look at the picture and smile.
> 
> The only pain point I see is the scales. Getting hundreds of people through there with a lot of fish that are similar sized and the winners will be determined by hundreths of a pound (ladyfish, bonito, croaker, mingo, redfish) will be a challenge in that space.


DW i agree it will be chaos at the scales with everyone weighing everything thing they caught. we were the last boat(last boat through the bridge at 8) to weigh last year and it was after 9 before we actually weighed our fish. I think they should close the inshore earlier to help free up the scales for the mad rush of offshore guys. I think they will have a bunch of people do the rodeo but very few do the challenges which will hurt the payouts.


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## Chris Phillips

The weigh-in format will be a little different and I think we are prepared for the bum rush. What has slowed us in years past is a signed weigh slip by angler and weigh master for each fish, which is needed when there are large amounts of money up for takes. We have made some changes and I think it will go smoothly...


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## Tide In Knots

I commend the tournament committee for adjusting to the changing times in tournament fishing and doing a drastic overhaul to the tournament to keep it alive. I do have concerns that the weigh in process may be very time consuming to anglers. I don't know what the plan is but maybe having two different scales completely seperate from one another for inshore and offshore is something that has been considered.

If a boat has a crew of five and they are also entered into a challenge, is an angler weighing an amberjack they caught allowed to go to the scales along with the designated one crewmember/angler that has the challenge fish? It seems as it reads now that only one person per boat is allowed to the scales.


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## outcast

*New Format*

I think the new format will be a plus. I speek from 30 years of experience in promoting tournaments. The whole tournament picture has changed and in order to keep them viable we must all change with the times. I totally changed my Outcast Cobia Classic this year and will also be re-vamping my inshore slam. Owning and promoting tournaments is a thankless job at best and at the worst it is huge deficit spending. Please give the new format a chance before making any negative comments. You might be suprised at the outcome. I was able to pay 100% of my advertised prizes in the cobia tournament for the first time in about 6 years. The new format worked and I had negative comments about the changes prior to the tournament but now it has proven successful and the anglers will receive what they were promised. As far as time at the scales, you the captains and anglers can make it smoother. Only the required angler/captain/representative at the scale and keep the socializing to a minimum. I know everyone likes their time in the spotlight but even 2 extra minutes per boat at the scale times 60 boats equals 2 hours. Weigh your fish and return to your boats quickly and everyone will be happier. Chris and the guys are experienced at this and will make it as smooth as possible if everyone works together now enter the tournaments and make them all succeed.


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## Tide In Knots

This is a "try and see" year and I agree with Tommy that we should all give it a chance and allow the tournament committee the chance to see what did and didn't work and 2013 will be the year to adjust anything that needs tweeking. Support the tournament and it will continue to be there in years to come and it will only get better with time. 

Chris- can you clarify the mystery weight bonus? cost to enter? any rodeo species eligible for either weight? a 4.03lb chicken dolphin takes the money?


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## strike two

Catch the big one early. Weigh in early. Avoid the rush. Problem solved! :thumbsup:


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## Bow Down

Chris, sorry if you think i was being negative, my first post was asking a question and then comparing the change to another tournament and hoping it doesn't turn out like that one. Then you asked for feedback and i thought me a DW was doing that.


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## Chris Phillips

Doug, I appreciate the feedback and was just giving my response on the topic. It's tough to figure out how to best use two scales. Having one for inshore and one for offshore I don't think is the answer because a lot of rodeo entries will likely have a king mackerel and redfish or a Spanish mackerel and a red snapper. In order to make sure we have consistency all entries of a certain species must be weighed on the same scale. 

I think changing it back to a two day tournament will cut down on the amount of people who all show up at once to weigh. Also, you don't have to weigh your fish the day its caught and you can weigh by vehicle if you're not in any of the challenges. There will be an area at Flounders roped off for rodeo anglers coming to weigh. 

The awards ceremony isn't until Monday, so we won't be rushing the weigh-in to get the awards started like we did several years back. 

There is no doubt we will make mistakes and changes will need to be made after this years event, but I feel we have plenty to offer in 2012 for the person looking for a tournament to fish. 

I think the biggest thing we have to figure out is if our current entry fee's are where they need to be. I would love to still be giving away two boats, but the sponsor dollars simply aren't there anymore to make that possible...


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## DreamWeaver21

I am glad the awards is on another day. I know it means a lot of people won't / can't go but it will help some people.

I know that we have been in the situation mutiple times where by the time you get to scales, get called in, wait in line, weigh a fish that wins something, you don't have time to go home and clean up and make it back for the awards. The dock space needs to be reserved for other boats weighing in so you shouldn't tie up. At Flounders it isn't bad because there are places to anchor and wade, but if the awards are same day then it will be well dark by the time they are done and you have to run home in the dark and super tired from fishing all day.


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## Kenton

So what type of weather would it take to postpone the event? I am seeing 3-5 on the horizon as of right now. Sucks!


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## RCB

Past experience tells me, it would take the minimum of a tropical storm to postpone/cancel this event. 3-5's are bay chop to some of these boats that will be fishing.


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## Kenton

Thanks RCB. We may be sucking it up and getting some mouth guards.


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## DreamWeaver21

My opinion is they will have the event in forecast 3-5 and postpone in forecast 5-7. Not sure about forecast 4-6. I have fished this event every year since the 1980s.


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## Fletch Lives

Finally the weather is looking better on a weekend...rodeo time...not before a diesel fuel or two friday night...


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## Kenton

Wirelessly posted (Matt)

Recheck that weather. I Don't think I would even take a 60' Viking out in 7-10'. But then again maybe I am a little conservative.


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## Fletch Lives

Was 2-4 earlier gotta love those accurate forecasts.


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## Ultralite

we may be preparing for something else...

http://www.dabuh.com/forecast/2012/06/20/tropical-storm-debby/


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## Barry Cole

Uh Oh!!!


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## Barry Cole

Not sure if official... But I believe the tournament has been cancelled until the end of July...


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## Trophy05

Barry Cole said:


> Uh Oh!!!


Mind sharing what app that is?


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## Strictly Bizness

It's called Marine Weather. It's free. I use it all the time.


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## Barry Cole

Yep... Marine Weather by Bluefin Engineering


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## marmidor

Barry Cole said:


> Not sure if official... But I believe the tournament has been cancelled until the end of July...


It's official!


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## 20Inches

If the tourney is postponed they would obviously drop the snapper division. What would be the chance of adding amberjack


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## BEACH-N-REDS

How does the Kayak weigh in work? I'll be trying for the first Red on kayak. Do you need to paddle over in the kayak or just tell them you are in a kayak? Any info will be useful.


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## Fletch Lives

Beach I think the only thing required to be weighed by boat is the king mack challenge but I'm not 100% on that. They will explain at meeting tonight. Good luck


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## Yakavelli

Ok...so what's all this "official" talk about it being canceled? I've got friends driving here from Atlanta right now. Somebody please tell me that's BS...

Also...my friends got caught in traffic and we may be VERY late to the captain's meeting. Is it mandatory for general entry and, if not, can we get our t-shirts at the weigh-in? 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## Yakavelli

I tried the number Chris posted earlier in the thread and it's out of service. Tried calling Hot Spots and let it ring for 5 mins straight...no answer. I'm just trying to get a simple answer or two here. Can anyone help?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## JoeZ

Dude, this thread is two years old.


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## Yakavelli

Hahahahaha....thanks Joe

But still...is the captain's meeting mandatory? My buddies are gonna be late getting here.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


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## CatHunter

My wife works the leader boards.. Perhaps I will see some of you guys out there. This will be my first year attending.


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