SFC Angling Clubs and Competitors Take Major Tournament Honors

2025 has been a banner year for SFC competition, with multiple single day, tournament and overall season records being smashed. Once the league crunches the numbers, it would not be surprising to see new records for overall billfish releases in a single season, most releases in a season by a single team and angler (overall, blue marlin, white marlin, striped marlin) just to name a few. 

It was a banner year for those competing in the league regardless of whether they were in a league sanctioned event or not. The SFC season schedule allowed for angling clubs to compete in major tournaments across the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts in between the regular season stops, and the competitors took full advantage of the opportunity. 

In the Atlantic, Lights Out Boston and the New Jersey Sea Birds won multiple tournaments. Lights Out took the overall win Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic (SFC and Open Category) setting new release records along the way and the Sea Birds (competing as Taylor Jean) finishing right behind them in second place. 

The Sea Birds flipped the order at the prestigious White Marlin Open, where Captain Blaine Birch and the boys on Taylor Jean took the overall win in the release category over Captain Tyler Dufresne and Lights Out. Birch was also named Captain of The Year by the tournament committee.

Over in the Gulf, Captain Landon Bell, Anglers Gregg Trenor and Ron Davis, Mates Connor McLeod and Zack Redman of “Southern Charm/All-In” won a total of $1.2 this season in both SFC and other tournaments combined. They were the team responsible for three of the Renegades’ four season victories (Hurricane Hole, Pensacola, MBGFC) and took several regional titles across the Florida Panhandle. 

Mississippi Blues, represented by Rising Sons, won the Louisiana Champions Cup. Jaselyn Berthelot took home the top angler title after what was a struggle in the SFC season since taking their only win at the East Pass Challenge to start the season. Jaselyn also finished second in Fly Navarro’s Blue Marlin World Cup tournament, only losing out to a fish caught in Tahiti. However, the biggest prize for them was yet to come. 

A little less than a week after Captain Spencer Johnson and Scottie Scheffler’s Texas Lone Stars won the first SFC crown of the Angling Club era, some of the biggest names of SFC’s past, present and future took the spotlight down in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. 

Jaselyn and Toby Berthelot teamed up with Garrett Frazier, the a co-owner of Third Coast Renegades Angling Club to fish two Bisbee’s tournaments in between the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, all on-board “Magnifico,” Frazier’s 60’ Spencer custom sportfish. They took third overall in the Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament, followed up with a second place in the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, finishing just 150 points shy of the Texas Lone Stars AC. In Bisbee’s Black & Blue, one of the largest tournaments in the world, the Magnifico/Rising Sons tag team came in second place, winning more than $2.5 million. 

Their 457lb. blue marlin caught on the tournament’s second day won the daily, and was only surpassed on the final day of competition by a familiar foe. Former two-time SFC Champion Captain Justin Drummond on board “Magic Touch” weighed in a 459lb. blue marlin to take the overall win. 

After only its fourth season in competition, competitors in SFC have either won or placed in all of the major billfish crown jewel tournaments:

Bermuda Triple Crown: Won in 2016 by Ray Rosher as part of team “Reel Addiction.” Rosher competed in the 2025 SFC Season as a member of Lights Out Boston Angling Club and played a pivotal role in their Atlantic Division Championship.

White Marlin Open: 2025 Release category won by Taylor Jean, competing in SFC as the New Jersey Sea Birds Angling Club and skippered by Captain Blaine Birch.

Jimmy Johnson’s Quest for The Ring: Won in 2025 by Remix Sportfishing, competing in SFC as East Coast Remix Angling Club, and skippered by Captain JC Cleare.

Bisbee’s Black & Blue: Won in 2025 by Justin Drummond as part of team “Magic Touch.” Drummond won the first two SFC Championships (2022 & 2023) as captain of “Quantified,” during SFC’s Open Era of competition. 

Runner-up: “Rising Son’s/Magnifico,” represented by Jaselyn & Toby Berthelot and Garrett Frazier. Jaselyn and Toby are longtime SFC competitors and represented Mississippi Blues Angling Club in 2025. Frazier is a co-owner in the Gulf Division Champion Third Coast Renegades Angling Club.

Blue Marlin World Cup: 2025 Runner-up Rising Son’s while competing in SFC’s Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament as Mississippi Blues Angling Club, skippered by Captain Jimmy “Cricket” Crochet. 

With a field full of so many prestigious title winners, SFC can truly say it features the best competition in the world.