SFC Media Days Week 1 Updates from SFC Insider

SFC Insider is on the ground in Dallas, Texas for Media Days to start the 2026 season. The league’s studio headquarters will play host to hours of photoshoots, hype videos, tv interviews, podcasts and other social media segments to use throughout the year.

The next two weeks will see nearly every angling club stop through for us to catch up with them on their offseasons, what outlooks they have for the new year of competition and what changes, if any have been made to set them up for success. 

Half of the league will be coming in this week for their media obligations, including:

Gulf Coast Cowboys
Lights Out Boston
Texas Lone Stars
East Coast Remix
Mississippi Blues
South Carolina Outcast
Third Coast Renegades

SFC Insider Rudy Tomarchio will be running TV interviews for the first week before giving way to SFC play-by-play host Robbie Floyd. Mark Farag will also record episodes of his Science of Fishing podcast, with Tomarchio hosting an SFC Insider Podcast the second week. 

Follow @SFC Insider on Instagram for reactions from each day of Media Day, but feel free to check back here as well for takeaways and observations as in between interviews.

Day 1: March 12, 2026

Day one of Sport Fishing Championship Media Days brought early-season insight from three teams preparing for the 2026 campaign: the Gulf Coast Cowboys, Lights Out Boston, and the defending 2025 champion Texas Lone Stars.

Gulf Coast Cowboys Ready for a Strong Start

After a challenging 2025 season plagued by mechanical issues, the Gulf Coast Cowboys appear ready to turn the page.

According to the team, the technical problems that slowed them last season have been fully resolved, and confidence around the program is high heading into 2026. The Cowboys are also entering the season with an additional boat in their arsenal,  BK’s 52’ Spencer Brittney Marie providing added flexibility and depth as they prepare for the year ahead.

Lone Stars off to Isla

The Texas Lone Stars, fresh off their 2025 SFC Championship victory, are currently in the process of bringing their boat back to the United States.

The vessel is set to be picked up in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, before making its return north as preparations ramp up for the season opener. Their movement marks one of two notable boat migrations taking place in the weeks leading into the new season.

Lights Out Boston Navigating an International Journey

The second major migration involves Lights Out Boston, captained this year by Rob Carmichael.

Their boat has been operating internationally since September, when it was shipped to Cabo San Lucas for the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs. Most recently, the vessel was competing in a tournament in Quepos, Costa Rica.

From there, the journey continues south to Panama, where the boat will transit the Panama Canal before beginning its return north. Current plans call for a stop Grand Cayman, followed by a run to Key West.

Before the season opener, Lights Out Boston is also expected to compete in the Viking Invitational, just one week prior to the Key West Classic.

More Clubs Arriving for Day Two

Media Days continue tomorrow in Fort Worth, with several more teams scheduled to appear, including:

East Coast Remix
South Carolina Outcast
Mississippi Blues

With the Key West Classic fast approaching, Media Days are providing a first look at how teams are preparing for what promises to be another competitive SFC season.

Day 2: March 12, 2026

East Coast Remix ready to run in 2026

JC & Sarah Cleare spoke about learnings from last season, including bringing a bigger crew to the northeast events, since they went into the North Atlantic swing thinking it would be primarily tunas, and then ran into a historic billfish bite in Oak Bluffs. Numbers on the boat to reel in fish were sorely needed.

JC confirmed that his second boat, Remix 2, a Glasstech Walkaround is being chartered by a Gulf division Angling Club. The second boat should give the two clubs a scouting advantage, covering more water and sharing information. A former World Sailfish Champion (which our color commentator Peter Miller has won three times) Cleare looks to put some of that extensive Key West Sailfish tournament experience to work in approximately a month’s time.

New Blues Adjusting to a full season of SFC Competition

We met the new Mississippi Blues for the first time. Capt. Adam McGugin and Adam Davidson shared that their biggest adjustment needed for the SFC league circuit will be being comfortable with a cameraman on their boat for each tournament. 72 hours on the water will test the chemistry of any crew, now adding a new person with a camera can certainly be a new challenge. It was one they handled smoothly last season in their lone SFC appearance, winning the 2025 Gulfport Mississippi Open when they represented Third Coast Renegades AC.

More horsepower is coming their way as well, with their 64’ Winter Custom named Home Made currently undergoing a repower and refit. The new diesel engines will be more powerful, increasing their range and overall speed. Expected to leave dry dock in mid-May, they should be up and running before the second Gulf Tournament of the season. Meanwhile, they plan to charter a different boat for the season opening Key West Classic.

2026 is the Last Ride for a Lowcountry Legend

South Carolina Outcast AC Captain Stuart Lackey told SFC Insider Rudy Tomarchio that this season will be his last as a full-time captain. The 66-year old skipper will pass control of the helm to his son Steven at the conclusion of the year. While he will officially retire from competition, Lackey said he will still attend and compete in the future, albeit on a lighter schedule.

After more than 40 years on the water, Capt. Stuart Lackey has earned a much-respected tip of that hat from everyone at SFC and his home on Shem Creek. It has been an absolute pleasure watching him compete with his family, which this season includes his youngest son, Stratton Lackey as well. South Carolina Outcast won the first event of SFC’s Angling Club era of competition last year, the Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open. Outcast AC will look to find lightning in a bottle again to start this year in the Key West Classic.

March 13, 2026

Third Coast Renegades were in the studio and SFC Insider Rudy Tomarchio caught up with co-owner Garrett Frazier and his son Dylan. The younger Frazier is a freshman at the University of Utah and will be joining the Renegades full-time this summer. Garrett spoke about his early days of fishing, mentioning that as a businessman in Texas, you need to learn three skills to entertain clients:

Fishing
Hunting
Golf

Over the years, fishing grew to be the number one on that list, starting out fishing inshore around Corpus Christi, to long runs on a center console, to his 60’ Spencer Magnifico. Now running an international program and SFC, Frazier and the Renegades are ready to show the world what their squad can do.

The boat made its way back to the US from its home in San Jose del Cabo on a transport ship, and is in Fort Lauderdale getting ready for the season opener in Key West. Without giving away too much, they have some final preparations taking place in the coming weeks.