Every November, near the Skyway, a group of diehard fanatics celebrate a dying traditional art of Old Florida: smoking mullet for fun and prizes. The smoking rigs vary depending on the ingenuity, carpentry skills and sobriety of the competitor they range from complicated systems of levers and pulleys to the traditional rusted-out oil drum. No matter the vehicle, though, these good ol boys smoke some mean mullet, the fatty Florida fish redolent of mangrove or crepe myrtle. Did we say good ole boys? The winner of the contest two years ago was a 12-year-old girl named Brittany. Maybe theres hope for these kids yet.
This article appears in Best of The Bay 2007.
