What We Learned From The HUK Big Fish Classic

The HUK Big Fish Classic is in the books, but the boats of SFC’s Atlantic Division Angling Clubs remain in Ocean City, Maryland. A month-long stay of tournaments after tournament, concluding with The MidAtlantic, which also happens to be the division’s regular season finale. 

Here’s what we’ve learned about the Atlantic Division from this past weekend.

 

All According to Plan for the Top Two Angling Clubs: Lights Out New England and  New Jersey Sea Birds.

This season has played out exactly how both the division leaders expected it to. Sure, it’s easy to say that since everyone competes to be successful, but it’s more so about how these two clubs have arrived to this point. Both knew that as long as they were in contention heading into the later-season swing that they would be in prime position to reach the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs in Cabo San Lucas. 

Captain Blaine Birch and the Sea Birds have been red hot for most of the season, setting low expectations in the season opening Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open, yet finishing strong in second place. For never fishing at the legendary Walker’s Cay before, The Flock became the first angling club to “capture the flag” by winning the Walker’s Cay Open in late May. The Sea Birds held that season points lead for two months, until being surpassed by Lights Out New England this past weekend.

“We caught our first fish at 7:10 and then he (Rob Carmichael of Lights Out) started putting a beating on ‘em after that,” said Captain Blaine Birch of the New Jersey Sea Birds Angling Club.  

“We both (Sea Birds and Lights Out) put on a clinic out there and it was fun to see us put up some numbers.” 

Even with relinquishing the points lead, the Sea Birds still finished second in last week’s HUK Big Fish Classic, so it’s not like they entered a slump. Lights Out is just that good right now.

Ocean City, NJ is not kind to East Coast Remix.

Not to say that East Coast Remix did poorly, the South Florida-based crew skippered by Captain JC Cleare with the crew of Jorge Crozo, Sarah Cleare, Cap Hinckley, Chandler Miles and Kenny Hernandez have finished in the top three of the last three events in the season.

Remix won the Charleston Billfish Cup, the other tournament of the HUK-branded series, and have taken back-to-back third place finishes in OBBC and HUK Big Fish Classic. The only unfortunate thing for them is that the two clubs they need to finish ahead of placed both first and second. At face value, it was a good weekend overall, but the crew leave with a sour taste in their mouths. 

It stems back to the 2024 White Marlin Open. A large white marlin broke away right at the boat as the crew looked to bring it on board for what could have been a major payday. 

“It wasn’t until we learned of a bigger one that got weighed that made us feel better about what happened,” said Captain JC Cleare of East Coast Remix Angling Club. 

History looked to repeat itself in 2025 at the HUK Big Fish Classic, with another large white marlin breaking off at the boat. The crew recovered on their first day, climbing up into second place on the tournament leaderboard by sundown with six billfish released in the final two hours of daylight. 

Misfortune reared its head again on Championship Sunday, with Remix going 1-for-10 on billfish. Upon sharing the news at the awards presentation, the collective mood around the SFC clubs was “that’s fishing.”

Sometimes you can do everything right, and the fish just do not care to cooperate. 

 

South Carolina Outcast have been consistent these past few weeks, but they needed stronger finishes in the middle portion of the schedule.

Similar to Remix, South Carolina Outcast have placed fourth in the past two events. Here’s the problem: After winning the season opening tournament, the Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open, Outcast placed seventh in Walker’s Cay, and then fifth in their home event in Charleston. 

Better placements would have helped their chances at making the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs. At this point, Outcast have been mathematically eliminated from contention. 

 

Bragging Rights and Calcuttas are all that is left this season for North Carolina Flare and New York Granders. 

Captain Brian Dressler and the Flare brought in a load of tunas for their calcuttas in Ocean City. The New York Granders and Kodi Smith Austin had a top three mahi-mahi on the scales, so both performed well in the meatfish categories. 

Eliminated from the playoff race, these clubs can play spoiler for either East Coast Remix or New Jersey Sea Birds in their quest to clinch the final spot. 

It all goes down in a few weeks at The MidAtlantic.