Page 33 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2016

ABOVE LEFT: CHARTER BOAT CAPTAIN Kenny Barhanovich checks work on his boat Miss Hospitality at Rebel Boat Works in Biloxi. ABOVE RIGHT: CHARTER BOAT CAPTAIN Jay Trochesset on his boat Silver Dollar III.
of Fame in Dania Beach, Fla., and received the Tommy Gifford Award for greatest saltwater charter boat captains of all time. They are the first captains from the northern Gulf of Mexico to be so honored. Now that’s a big deal!
The hall of fame is reserved for a
very few select captains, but it takes
a lot more than just knowing how to take a boat load of tourists out and catching a few fish. Both of these men are dedicated to the profession and to maintaining their boats to Coast Guard standards, but more importantly
they are dedicated to the Mississippi Sound, the Gulf of Mexico, and the
fish that inhabit these salty bodies of water.
Both men have been involved
in the Mississippi Gulf Fishing
Banks Association and have helped build numerous artificial reefs to support fish populations. Reefs
have been made from car bodies, decommissioned ships, oil rigs, and concrete culverts. FH-13, a deep water reef, is more than four miles long.
And this is just one example of their lifelong involvement in taking care of the waters from which they fish and make a living.
But the problems they face
aren’t always the whims of nature. Many years ago when the federal government built Interstate 10, it provided people interested in fishing in the Gulf a quick way to head to more famous fishing destinations, such as Destin and Orange Beach. Trochesset was quick to point out that the diversity they face has forced them to change. “This business has changed 360 degrees since I started out. It has made us into better fisherman, we have to work harder than the
captains in Louisiana and Texas.”
Trochesset and Barhanovich started out in wooden boats, boats built by master boat builders, such as Bill Holland, the last of a dying breed. Few people do this work anymore, and the day of the locally built lugger or Chandelier boat seems to have passed.
Competition, hurricanes, and other disasters, such as the oil spill, have trimmed the ranks of professional charter boat captains as well. The world Trochesset and Barhanovich started out in is forever gone, but don’t despair for these two old salts. They’re not giving up anytime soon. Few captains know their way around the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico as these two do. Drive down to the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor or the Point Cadet Harbor and chances are you’ll find them hard at work. Book a charter on the Silver Dollar III, or the Miss Hospitality, and it will be a trip you will long remember.
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
April 2016 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 33
Silver Dollar Charters
228.388.2209
Miss Hospitality Deep Sea Fishing Charters
228.392.9002