The Mobile Jaycees' Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo ran July 17-19, 2026, on Dauphin Island. 2027 dates are not out; tickets go on sale Father's Day weekend.
Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from the rodeo’s own site, adsfr.com, run by the Mobile Jaycees.
The Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo is the Mobile Jaycees’ three-day fishing tournament on Dauphin Island every July. The 93rd rodeo ran Fri. July 17 to Sun. July 19, 2026. The 2027 dates had not been announced as of Oct. 17; tickets usually go on sale Father’s Day weekend, and the rodeo posts its dates and schedule on adsfr.com.
Know before you go
- 2026 dates: July 17-19 (rodeo), July 11 (young anglers)
- 2027 dates: not announced yet
- Where: rodeo headquarters on Dauphin Island
- Tickets: $60 per angler, $5 for ages 15 and under (2026)
- Questions: 251-277-7079
What it is
The rodeo calls itself the largest fishing tournament in the world. It draws more than 4,000 anglers and 100,000 spectators, its home page says. Its history page traces it to a party of Mobile businessmen fishing Mobile Bay in 1928. The first rodeo, in 1929, drew 260 anglers, and catch reports went back to town by carrier pigeon. The Mobile Junior Chamber of Commerce, later the Mobile Jaycees, took it over in 1948.
It is a three-day captain’s choice tournament sanctioned by the Southern Kingfish Association. The prize package is worth up to $1 million in cash and prizes, led by boat, motor and trailer packages. There are 33 categories with first, second and third places, plus Most Unusual Species, lionfish and one Master Angler, and cash jackpots for king mackerel, speckled trout, red snapper and big game.
2026 schedule
From the rodeo’s schedule of events:
| Date | What | Live music |
|---|---|---|
| Sat. July 11 | 68th Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament | |
| Thu. July 16 | Captain T-Bone’s Liar’s Contest: sign-up 5 p.m., contest 6 p.m. | Bruce Smelley, 7:30 to 10 p.m. |
| Fri. July 17 | Rodeo, day 1 | Mustache The Band, 7:30 to 10:15 p.m. |
| Sat. July 18 | Rodeo, day 2 | Ryan Balthrop, 5 to 7 p.m. |
| Sun. July 19 | Rodeo, day 3 | Channing Spicer, 12:30 to 2 p.m.; Kat Deal, 2:30 to 5 p.m. |
The rodeo has not posted weigh station hours for 2026. In 2023, the last year it published them, the weigh station opened at 10 a.m. each fishing day and closed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. A cannon blast at 5 a.m. Friday started the tournament and another at 5 p.m. Sunday ended it, with awards the next evening at The Grounds in Mobile.
Tickets
From the rodeo’s ticket page, 2026 prices:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Open competition | $60 per angler |
| Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament (15 and under) | $5 per angler |
| Speckled trout jackpot, motorized or nonmotorized | $40 per angler |
| Shark jackpot | $40 per angler |
| Red snapper jackpot | $60 per angler |
| King mackerel jackpot | $250 per boat |
| Big game jackpot | $400 per boat |
| Swordfish jackpot | $400 per boat |
Tickets go on sale Father’s Day weekend at outlets and online, and are sold on Dauphin Island from noon Thursday until 5 a.m. Friday of rodeo week. Every ticket must be registered with Fishing Chaos, the rodeo’s scoring app. Young anglers tickets are sold at the same outlets and on site that day.
2026 outlets in Mobile: Academy Sports + Outdoors, 3725 Airport Blvd. and 7460 Airport Blvd.; Pronto Pawn, 4114 Moffett Road and 4436 Government Blvd.; and Tackle This Fishing Outfitters, 5256 Highway 90 West Service Road. Elsewhere in Mobile County: Greer’s Market, 10835 Dauphin Island Parkway, and Pronto Pawn, 5790 U.S. 90, both in Theodore. In Baldwin County: Academy Sports + Outdoors in Foley and J&M Tackle in Orange Beach.
What to know
- Weather: the rodeo links to National Weather Service updates from its home page.
- Shirts and merchandise are sold at rodeo headquarters on Dauphin Island during the young anglers tournament and again during the rodeo, the FAQ says.
- Rules for each category are on the rules page, and past results are on the results page.
- Science on the docks: the Dauphin Island Sea Lab collects data on fish brought to the scales, and the rodeo has given more than $500,000 to the University of South Alabama’s marine sciences program, matched each year by the USA Foundation.
- Parking and traffic: the rodeo does not publish parking details. Call 251-277-7079 or message the rodeo on Facebook before you go.
For more summer plans, see our summer camps and pools guide and things to do in Mobile.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2027 Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo?
The Mobile Jaycees had not announced 2027 dates as of Oct. 17, 2026. The 2026 rodeo ran July 17-19 on Dauphin Island, with the young anglers tournament the Saturday before, July 11.
How much is a ticket for the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo?
In 2026 the open competition ticket was $60 per angler and the Roy Martin Young Anglers Tournament, for ages 15 and under, was $5. Jackpots cost extra, from $40 per angler to $400 per boat.
When do Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo tickets go on sale?
Father’s Day weekend, at ticket outlets and online. Tickets are also sold on Dauphin Island from noon the Thursday before the rodeo until 5 a.m. on the first fishing day.
Who runs the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo?
The Mobile Jaycees, who took it over in 1948. Mobile businessmen founded it, and the first rodeo was in 1929.
Where can I buy Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo tickets in Mobile?
The rodeo’s 2026 outlets in Mobile were the two Academy Sports + Outdoors stores on Airport Boulevard, Pronto Pawn on Moffett Road and Government Boulevard, and Tackle This Fishing Outfitters on the Highway 90 West service road.
Have your say