DESTIN — Crestview resident L.W. Burroughs didn't fish every day of the 65th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo, but he fished enough to win the Captain's Award in the Charter Boats Under-25 Division.
Burroughs — captain of the 22-foot Pathfinder, tagged IntraCoastal eXperience — and his anglers took first-place king mackerel and black snapper in the Charter Boats Under 25 Division. In addition, they won first and second place in flounder and first place in sheepshead in the Quantum Inshore Division.
But the 45-year-old was most proud of the 43.4-pound king mackerel pulled in by J.T. Woodham of Mobile. Ken Timparpley, a friend, had told Burroughs where to find the mackerel.
"He knocked that bait down and the fight was on," Burroughs said, noting it took about 15 minutes to get the big mac to the boat. "It bent the rod over hard and ran out about a 100 yards of line real fast … it truly was a smoker."
Once they got it on board, it was too big for the fish box; he had to put it in the rod box.
In addition to his fish that lasted on the leaderboard, he had about seven fish that were good for dailies.
Although he's been fishing since about age 5, this was only his fourth year to fish the Rodeo.
"I've fished a bunch of tournaments up and down the coast, but I always thought it (the Rodeo) was for the big boats and the big guys," the 45-year-old captain said.
Contact Destin Log writer Tina Harbuck at 850-654-8440 or tharbuck@thedestinlog.com. Follow her on Twitter @DestinLogTina.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview captain racks up big points with little boat