LIVE UPDATES: WALKER'S CAY OPEN
All the action as it happens from the legendary rock of the Abacos
SFC Insider is live on “the rock.” No, not Dwayne Johnson, not Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, but the iconic rock of the northern Bahamas, Walker’s Cay for the 2025 Walker’s Cay Open, presented by Anetik.
Treat this document as a live ticker for all the action as it gets called in, and as we check-in with the seven angling clubs of SFC’s Atlantic Division.
THURSDAY, MAY 29: DAY 1
*All times Eastern
6:00AM - It’s been a while since we have seen the Atlantic Division in action, but some trends have not changed since April’s Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open. The first two clubs to push off from the dock once again are Lights Out New England Angling Club and East Coast Remix Angling Club.
They sit fourth and fifth respectively in the division standings and will look to climb up the ladder.
6:42AM - New Jersey Sea Birds are on the way out of the marina. The flock from exit 98 are second in the division.
6:55AM - New York Granders and their 80’ Viking are exiting the marina. Angler Dusty Adinolfe has left her mark on Walker’s with dozens of Granders stickers, as its tradition for all boats visiting. Walking under the gantry is a who’s who of sportfishing.
6:59AM - Off go the North Carolina Flare, and new dad Capt. Brian Dressler.
7:05AM - The Division leading South Carolina Outcast, skippered by Capt. Stuart Lackey, have left the dock. This is the first time Lackey has visited Walker’s since the 80s.
7:15AM - South Florida Sails are the last to leave, but currently sit third overall in the division standings. Captain Jim Puller shared some great memories and photos with us from his time at Walker’s over the years. A veteran of the Bertram-Hatteras shootout days, he is a second-generation Walker’s Captain. His dad fished Walker’s in the 70s.
8:00AM - LINES IN
10:30AM - HOOKED UP! Capt. Jim Puller of South Florida Sails looks to be getting the party started again, just like they did at the Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open.
10:31AM - But…it’s a barracuda. That’s the problem species we’ve been hearing about all week, highlighted in the preview article.
12:00PM - It’s slow to start. Reports show a blue marlin sighting and some sailfish.
2:09PM - Trey Kemmerlin of the South Carolina Outcast has an idea: Dunkaroo. If you haven’t heard of it, you stick your head in a bucket of ice water, then chug a bottle of water on the way out.
“90% of the time, it works every time,” Kemmerlin said to the camera on the SFC+ broadcast.
2:17PM - HOOKED UP! Billfish on for South Florida Sails while under commercial break. Small blue marlin but the jumping fish confirmation is promising for them to secure the release. 450 points is 450 points regardless of the size.
2:48PM - We just watched North Carolina Flare Angling Club mark, hand feed and get tight with a fish live!
2:56PM - Release! 450 Points to South Florida Sails Angling Club and the early lead. Matt Osheroff reeling in the fish and securing the release.
3:00PM - Remix was hooked on a fish and bit off, unsure of what the species was. Flare’s fish was lost as well.
4:00PM - LINES OUT. Back to Walker’s Cay the clubs come, but there’s plenty to report on in the meantime. Stay tuned to coverage on instagram at @Sportfishingchampionship @SFCinsider presented by Gregory Poole Marine
FRIDAY, MAY 30: DAY 2
7:30AM - Walker’s Cay Marina is empty this morning, with every boat now out and on their way to their spots. SFC’s angling clubs left in this order:
New Jersey Sea Birds
East Coast Remix
Lights Out New England
New York Granders
South Florida Sails
South Carolina Outcast
North Carolina Flare
8:05AM - HOOKED UP! New York Granders look to be hot this morning, with a billfish on and jumping. Waiting to hear more information about particular species and potential release.
8:53AM - Granders on the board! Kelly Young successfully releases a blue marlin for 450 points and possession of second place. They’re off to a good start today and Kelly has a tournament marlin release to go along with her collection of trophies from the week at Walker’s Cay.
12:25PM - South Carolina Outcast got themselves a wahoo. Not a Marlin, but tastier than a barracuda. More mullet re-rigging for that crew.
1:42PM - Multiple fish marked on Remix and they HOOK UP LIVE! Two fish are marked, Sarah Cleare might be tight on a blue marlin.
1:44PM - New Jersey Sea Birds are reporting a double hookup. Waiting to hear what the species may be
1:45PM - Afternoon bite is heating up. New York Granders are tight again. Kodi Smith Austin is feeling and the 80' Viking is making a turn.
1:47PM - A double sailfish release secured by New Jersey Sea Birds! Brian Shortino & Dave McKendrick secure a quick 150 points.
1:55PM - REMIX ON THE BOARD! Sarah Cleare secures a quick release, 450 points. Remix currently sits in third place.
2:33PM - Whatever fish was on the Granders had broken off. We’ll find out later what that happened to be.
2:54PM - New Jersey Sea Birds look to be hooked up again! We’ll see if these are more sails of if they cashed in on blue marlin.
3:00PM - SEA BIRDS IN THE LEAD! A blue marlin release will give them the lead for now with a total of 600 points.
3:28PM - Lights Out New England are in the points! A Sailfish release is secured by Jackie Hayes. 75 points for them with a little more than half an hour left before lines out on day 2.
4:00PM - LINES OUT! Here’s how we stand after two days of fishing:
1) New Jersey Sea Birds - 600 Points
2) South Florida Sails - 450 Points
3) New York Granders - 450 Points
4) East Coast Remix - 450 Points
5) Lights Out New England Angling Club - 75 Points
T7) South Carolina Outcast Angling Club - 0 Points
T7) North Carolina Flare Angling Club - 0 Points
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, MAY 31: DAY 3
6:45AM - Same departure order as yesterday. Creatures of habit.
7:50AM - LINES IN. We have an earlier start time by 10 minutes today, with lines out also taking place at 3:50PM.
8:13AM - LIGHTS OUT NEW ENGLAND RELEASE A BLUE MARLIN! The 450 points leapfrog them into second place behind the New Jersey Sea Birds with 600 points. Rob Carmichael the angler to secure the catch and release.
9:31AM - Here's how things stand so far this morning:
1) New Jersey Sea Birds - 600 Points
2) Lights Out New England - 525 Points
3) South Florida Sails - 450 Points
4) New York Granders - 450 Points
5) East Coast Remix - 450 Points
T7) South Carolina Outcast Angling Club - 0 Points
T7) North Carolina Flare Angling Club - 0 Points
10:10AM - North Carolina Flare are on the board! Dexter Montague catch and release of a sailfish break the tie at the bottom with South Carolina Outcast.
12:35PM - The first line of showers has hit Walker’s Cay. About 10 minutes of hard rain and some wind. Some of our angling clubs likely experienced this line of showers before we did on the island.
1:18PM - New Jersey Sea Birds look to be tight with something. Checking to see what species it could be. Their lead is a sailfish, but they have the tie breaker on time for an earlier registered release.
Current Leaderboard:
1) New Jersey Sea Birds - 600 Points
2) Lights Out New England - 525 Points
3) South Florida Sails - 450 Points
4) New York Granders - 450 Points
5) East Coast Remix - 450 Points
6) North Carolina Flare - 75 Points
7) South Carolina Outcast - 0 Points
2:20PM - We’re 90 minutes from lines out, and we’re looking for more action.
2:29PM - HOOKED UP! New Jersey Sea Birds are tight, and they are currently on a blue marlin. Carl Allen at the desk with Peter Miller and Robbie Floyd doing color commentary. The Sea Birds are in the lead and securing this release will make it really difficult for the field to catch them. This fish may have Captain Blaine Birch climbing the Walker’s Cay gantry to capture the flag.
2:44PM - NY GRANDERS COMING BACK! Kelly Young brings in a sailfish. That fish puts the Granders into fourth place behind Lights Out New England.
2:55PM - NEW JERSEY SEA BIRDS LAND THEIR BLUE MARLIN! The 1,000 point mark has been surpassed and the Sea Birds have a commanding lead in the final hour of competition. Steve Melchiorre racks up another one.
3:22PM - Here’s how it looks with about 30 minutes to go:
1) New Jersey Sea Birds - 1060 Points
2) Lights Out New England - 525 Points
3) New York Granders - 525 Points
4) South Florida Sails - 450 Points
5) East Coast Remix - 450 Points
6) North Carolina Flare - 75 Points
7) South Carolina Outcast - 0 Points
3:30PM - “We got a sandwich!” North Carolina Flare bring in a mahi-mahi. Not sure if it’s big enough to weigh for calcuttas but it’s large enough to keep.
3:49PM - HOOKED UP? Lights Out New England looking for points at the buzzer!
3:50PM - LINES OUT! CONGRATS TO THE NEW JERSEY SEA BIRDS. Lights Out have their fish pulled off, so all lines are out. We’ll look to make it official after video verification.