Years ago, my friend, Harris Brown, and I fished around Dauphin Island in high school and college in a 16’ Stauter. He has always been a much better fisherman than I am, and it was his boat. Since I had a summer construction job, we would drive to the island and fish late afternoons. The deal was I would buy the gas and he would charge a pair of flip-flops at Ben Burgers for both of us to avoid the sand spurs when launching and retrieving the boat. Well worth it.  

Later, he upgraded to a 21’ Negus, famous and prized in those days. He started fishing for Blackfish (Tripletail) around the channel markers in the Mississippi Sound, Mobile Bay ship channel, and the Intercoastal Waterway between Dauphin Island and Bon Secour. Back then we used long, sturdy Calcutta cane poles, a six-foot wire leader, and large, dead shrimp. One person drove the boat and the other stood on the bow with the pole trying to present the bait just to the right spot. It didn’t take long to know if there was a fish lurking, so we traveled miles and miles from one buoy to the other. At the time, not many people Blackfished and he got pretty good at it.

We had both fished the Dauphin Island Young Anglers tournament growing up. It was a big deal, especially if you won. Later, after we both had kids, we would take them fishing for the DIYAT, as it was known at the time, and won Blackfish three years in a row. It’s one of my fondest memories. Since then, the boats and equipment have all been upgraded, and a lot more people are into Blackfishing than ever before. I don’t fish as much these days, but my friend is hard at it almost every weekend. In fact, he and his wife live on the Island.

Two weekends ago, his granddaughter, Maggie, visited from Auburn for the weekend of the Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament, as it’s now known. Harris and his son, Radcliff, entered Maggie into the tournament. And you know what, they won First Place in, you guessed it, the Blackfish category. They landed a nice 21 lb. fish on the first marker they fished. And the tradition continues. Congratulations Maggie!