‘A TOUGH WINTER': As bookings dry up, captains worry and hope for a Rodeo resurgence

They’re Rodeo registered and ready. All that’s needed is a ring.

But the phone calls are not coming in to charter trips for this year’s Destin Fishing Rodeo which goes throughout the month of October.

“Bookings are down for September and October,” said Capt. Harold Loeffler of the Un Reel.

Loeffler, who is a past winner in the Rodeo, says he usually is booked 25 to 30 days for the Rodeo.

But right now, he has only four or five trips booked for October.

“It’s going to be a tough winter,” he said. “We’re not even getting any calls or inquiries.”

Why no calls?

Loeffler, like other captains, thinks it’s a twofold problem.

One being the down state of economy and the other is the snapper regulations.

Federal regulators maintain that red snapper is overfished and closed red snapper season Aug. 15, even though anglers and captains have said they can’t get away from them.

Capt. Mike Parker of the Silver King said his bookings for October are also down.

But he, like Loeffler said, it’s a “combination of things,” that is cutting into their efforts.

“The word got out that we can’t catch snapper,” Parker said. “That was the backbone of the trip ... they’re used to having that snapper. That hurts.”

And the other half of the combo is “the economy,” he said. “People are still in a conservative mode.”

Capt. William Frank Davis, who handles the booking for his son Capt. Tony Davis on the Anastasia, said they have about 11 days on the schedule for October.

“We’re usually booked for October,” said Capt. William Frank. “But we’re just not getting the calls.”

Nevertheless, Capt. William Frank said, “We’ve had the best summer in a long time. But when they shut down the snapper and the kids got back in school,” things slowed down.

However, he said the snapper isn’t the only fish in the sea.

“There’s plenty of other fish out there. And the other fish is what we depend on,” he said, pointing to the abundance of amberjack, king mackerel and mingo.

Although fishing is great in the summer, Capt. Loeffler said, “Some of the best fishing is in the fall. And the Rodeo has brought us plenty of business, but times are changing and you have to adapt.”

The Rodeo has registered about 53 charter boats for the fishing tournament which is celebrating its 61st year this October.

“And we’ve had some register in just the last few days,” said Helen Donaldson, executive director of the Rodeo.

In 2008 just before the Rodeo began, about 100 charter boats were registered for the event and 70-plus private boats.

With numbers a bit down, Donaldson agrees with the captains that the red snapper closure has “something to do with it.” However she tends to think the economy is the main issue.

“But it’s coming back, and I hope things are starting to turn around here,” she said.

Donaldson is hopeful for the Rodeo.

“As the next two weeks roll around, we’ll get more boats registered,” she said.

Boats, private and charter, can still register for the Rodeo right up until the day before they plan to fish. For more information, call 837-6734.

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To see the Rodeo highlights from 2008, click here.