PORT ARANSAS, Texas — It’s that time of year again for one of the biggest fishing tournaments in the Coastal Bend area.
On Thursday, registration began for the Deep Sea Roundup in Port Aransas. The tournament is put on by the Port Aransas Boatmen Inc. By mid afternoon on Thursday, 250 people had already registered.
“It’s the oldest fishing tournament in the gulf coast. This year’s our 87th,” tournament co-chair Kim Winton said.
From Port Aransas to the surrounding states, anglers arrive to cast their lines for bragging rights and a trophy.
Winton has been a part of putting on the tournament for 15 years now.
“I love seeing everybody come through the door," she said. "We see a lot of familiar faces. We see a lot of kids come through and a lot of community members from near and far.”
One of those returning competitors is 12-year-old Kate Zahn from Austin. She is the returning junior division champion.
“I like fishing in this tournament is (because) my family has been doing it so many years and it’s just fun. It feels like home. Like, I consider this my second home and a really fun just normal activity to do during the summer,” Zahn said.
It's the family feel that Winton said is the reason the tournament has been so successful for Port Aransas, for 87 years.
That’s the biggest important thing for me is people coming back year after year and you get their families, you get the grandparents, you get the parents. Now the kids are bringing their kids in and the great grandchildren. It’s neat to see the traditions,” he said.
Another reason is the tradition of several different divisions for men, women and children.
This will be Zahn’s third Deep Sea Roundup and she has a goal set for herself.
“This tournament I’m just looking forward to remaining my title,” she said.
Fishing begins Friday morning, you can see the whole schedule here.
Spectators can watch weigh ins at the Roberts Point Park Docks. The trophy presentation begins Sunday at 1:15 p.m. at the Port Aransas Civic Center.
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