Determined to be the first, Lynn Usrey or Miramar Beach reeled in a redfish a little after 1 a.m. and was at the Destin Fishing Rodeo weigh-in barge by 4 a.m. Wednesday.
"I was definitely trying for first," Usrey said.
When the scales opened at 10 a.m. on the docks behind AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar for the 66th annual Destin Fishing Rodeo, Usrey was sitting at the judges table and his fish in a cooler near the scales. His redfish weighed in at 5.2-pounds and was first to go on the leaderboard.
Usrey said he went to bed early Tuesday evening and set the alarm for midnight and by 12:45 a.m. he was on the water in his kayak tagged "Bonito Bandito," fishing on the southeast side of the 331 bridge.
"I stopped at the first house with a light on their dock. I try to find that lonesome light," he said, noting he does a lot of night fishing and seems to have better luck around the solo lights.
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM DAY ONE, CLICK HERE
After collecting a few pinfish with his cast net, he started drifting a 3-inch pinfish on 6-pound test line with light tackle.
"That’s all I ever use," he said.
Within about five minutes, a fish had taken the bait.
"It slammed it. I definitely knew there was a fish on it," he said.
"It pulled me around for about eight or nine minutes. That's the fun thing about a kayak … fish will pull you around."
By about 1:15 Usrey had the redfish on board. He said he stayed until about 2 a.m. and had another fish on line, but lost it.
"I wasn't sure how early people get here," he told The Log while sitting at the docks waiting for the scales to open.
After landing the fish, he went home and tried to sleep, but after about 10 minutes, "I knew sleep wasn't going to come. So I decided to come on down here."
Usrey got to the deserted docks at 4 a.m. and didn't see anybody else show up with a fish until 6:30 a.m.
Mike King of Tennessee fishing aboard his private boat "I Fish" pulled up with a Spanish mackerel to weigh. His mackerel was the second of the day and weighed 2-pounds.
"This is the first time I've tried to get the first fish," Usrey said.
However, it's not his first rodeo.
He's been a winner for the last three years, winning with sheepshead, redfish and trout.
"I plan to go back out this afternoon," Usrey said.
"Hopefully this wont be the last fish I bring in. I'm going to give it my best shot this year."