Page 14 - March & April

12 MYROUSESEVERYDAY MAY | JUNE 2013
W hen I say I’m going to the beach, I’m usually talk-
ing about Grand Isle, not Destin or Gulf Shores. I go
to Grand Isle at least once a month, more in warmer
weather.Trips always include a stop at one of the Rouses along High-
way 1 for supplies for the camp. By supplies I mean beer and food.
Like my cousin, Donny, and my fish-crazy dad, Tommy, I never
miss an opportunity to take a boat out on the water. The difference
is the kind of boat. I’m just as happy idling around as I am fishing.
I love the laid back atmosphere in Grand Isle – boating, swimming,
fishing, eating, just hanging around the camp. We usually boil
shrimp, crabs or crawfish from Rouses, depending on the season.
Someone always brings thick cut steaks, ribs, or Rouses fresh sausage
for the grill. Sometimes we’ll wander over to the Lighthouse or
Starfish Restaurant, or get a snowball at Meghan’s, but by nightfall,
it’s usually all fish stories and card games. I play a mean game of
pedro, and I’m more likely to go for a “14-28” bid on the isle than
anywhere else.
At our camp, the only thing more competitive than pedro is the
fight for a bed or a space on the sofa over the July 4 th holiday or on
a big rodeo weekend, like the Tarpon Rodeo, which is held the last
weekend in July. Just like the early bird gets the worm, first on the
island gets the bed!
Grand Isle
The Big Fish
by Ali Rouse
by Tim Acosta, Marketing Director
We used to hold our own Rouses fish-
ing rodeos in Cocodrie with a cash
prize for the biggest fish. Our first year out,
it didn’t matter what kind of fish you caught
– redfish, flounder, mackerel, sheepshead –
the only thing we judged was size. After
three hours in the boat and three times as
many beers, I reeled in a four-foot blacktip
shark. It took me a few more hours to reel in
the $300 grand prize – everyone else argued
a shark wasn’t a fish!
Photo circa 1990s. Rouses Store Director Ricky Plaisance,
front, standing, light blue shirt; Rouses Store Director
Ronnie Pitre, front, red hat; Tim Acosta, front, beige
hat; Rouses District Manager, Clint Adams, front, blue
hat (next to poll); Anthony Rouse, front, blue jumpsuit;
Tommy Rouse, rear, white hat (behind Clint Adams)