When it comes to fishing, there’s something electric about the anticipation of a big trip. The evening before our planned departure, I received a text message from Capt. Preston Muller of Gulf-Angler Fishing Charters: “Is 4:30 AM good for you?” For anyone who’s passionate about fishing, that time is merely a warm-up and the SORD crew would be ready to go.
With the ropes untied, we glided away from the dock, likely the first vessel to leave that morning, casting off past rows of dormant charter boats still wrapped in slumber. We were headed south, 65 miles into the shimmering depths of the Gulf of Mexico, toward an area known as the Spur.
A stiff western wind greeted us as we exited the Destin Pass, kicking up 3-5 foot waves that made for an extremely choppy ride, with white caps as far as the eye could see. The sun remained hidden until 6:22 AM, so we enjoyed a slow cruise the first 15 miles until we could see a sliver of sunlight. We deployed high-speed lures in hopes of enticing a wahoo, and within 25 minutes, our first fish was on the line. It perfectly coincided with the sun peeking over the horizon. As I reeled in the fish, I realized just how rough it was offshore and that we still had 40+ miles to go to our spot. The best term to describe the sea conditions this day was “nautical” to say the least, but the Home Grown was an incredible vessel and handled it extremely well.
The initial thrill of hearing those clickers burn in the early morning turned to excitement as we boated a blackfin tuna—a great start to the day. The crew caught some much-needed rest after our 3:30 alarm clock, and we awoke around 9:00 AM to find we had reached our fishing grounds. Exiting the galley, I was captivated by how the water had turned to this incredible cobalt color—shades of blue that felt nostalgic. I had spent my childhood always asking the captains that I was fortunate enough to fish with to take me out to where the “blue water” is because 10-year-old me had drawn a correlation between blue water and big fish.
We baited our “chicken rigs”, a fishing rig that has multiple branches of hooks coming off the main line, and sent the baits down to the abyss. The depths here were around 1,000 feet, where tilefish love to burrow in the mud. Our weights would sink 10 feet into the mud after hitting the bottom, and we would crank up 15-20 times to pull the weight out of the mud so that the baits would be in the right zone for the tilefish that we were targeting. Not even a few minutes later, one of the rods bent over and the electric reel made quick work of what turned out to be a 5-10 pound golden tilefish, the standard in the Gulf of Mexico.
We rebaited the rod that had just caught the tilefish and sent it back down to the depths. It wasn’t a few minutes after hitting the bottom that we were tight again on another fish; this time, it was one that was stalling out our reel’s drag system. Whenever you are deep dropping and a reel gets stalled out, you know that you have a good fish on there and the anticipation on the boat starts to perk up. We peered over the side of the boat and began to see color becoming more and more distinct as the fish got closer to the boat. Once the fish broke the surface, we realized we had a massive, for the Gulf of Mexico, golden tilefish. It was easily 20+ pounds, and we assumed it would take first place in the Destin Fishing Rodeo, a month-long fishing tournament that draws anglers from all over. 
We made a move to shallower water to start fishing for deepwater groupers, and it was during the first drop in 600 feet that we entered a frenzy. We hooked into what felt like a significant fish that had not only stalled out our reels, but pulled drag off of them as well. The suspense was thick as we battled this fish up from the deep, only for our hopes to deflate when the line suddenly went slack a mere 50 feet from the boat. In a twist of fate, one of the guys caught a glimpse of a massive fish breaching about 20 feet from the boat: “IT’S A KITTY MITCHELL!”
Floating right on the surface not even 20 yards from the boat was a bloated kitty mitchell grouper, accompanied by a snowy grouper—both had been hooked on our chicken rig just below the point of failure on our leader. Our cheers echoed through the air as we celebrated going from defeated to elated in just a few seconds. We knew the kitty mitchell grouper would take first place in the rodeo, which meant we would have two very good shots at taking home first place in both that category and the golden tilefish category. 
With our spirits high, we continued to drift and fish, filling our box with 14 groupers: one warsaw, a kitty mitchell, a yellowedge, and 11 snowies. Capt. Preston Muller is world-class when it comes to deepwater grouper fishing, and if anyone out there reading this wants to catch some exotics, this is the guy to call. https://www.destinoffshorefishingcharter.com/
As we turned north, we set out the high-speed lures again, hoping for one last fish to top the box off with. The return trip was filled with laughter and camaraderie, despite the occasional rogue wave that churned your stomach up the wrong way. By the time we reached the Destin Fishing Rodeo scales, excitement bubbled over. The legendary weighmaster, Bruce, announced that we had claimed first place in both the tilefish and kitty mitchell categories!
With two potential rodeo winners on our boat, we headed back to the dock, grinning from ear to ear, ready to put our SORD knives to work on the day’s bounty.
About the Destin Fishing Rodeo
The Destin Fishing Rodeo is a storied annual event that has drawn anglers from near and far since its inception in 1948. Known for its vibrant atmosphere, competitive spirit, and rich history, the rodeo is not just a fishing competition; it’s a celebration of the Gulf’s bountiful marine life. The rodeo runs from October 1st to 31st, with daily weigh-ins, providing a chance for fishermen to showcase their skills against a backdrop of friendly rivalry. For newcomers, it’s an opportunity to witness the camaraderie and joy that fishing brings to both locals and visitors alike.