East Pass Challenge Preview
The Gulf Division Opener is upon us and there is plenty of uncertainty for SFC's angling clubs
Day 1 of The East Pass Challenge, presented by Legendary Marine is under way. A live update article will be live shortly, so make sure to check back for any details developing offshore in between broadcasts this weekend on SFC+ and ESPN+.
Some items to follow during day 1's action:
Mechanical Issues Will Cause Late Departures for Half the Field.
Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club are the defending champions of SFC's "open era" last year. A partial engine rebuild on their 60' Hatteras ended up being a bigger issue than anticipated.
Their boat was out of the water until this morning for a scheduled 5:30am sea trial. More delays pushed the sea trial to 9:00AM, missing the shotgun start. Per GM Jordon Benefield, the club should be departing between in a couple of hours.
The Cowboys have won tournaments before with boat issues, even having to come back to shore well before deadline. Proves that it's not about the amount of time you spend on the water, but how a club uses the time it has.
Three boats left this morning for the 8:30AM local time shotgun start. Those three were:
West Florida Black Flags Angling Club
Louisiana Canyons Angling Club
Mississippi Blues Angling Club
West Florida Black Flags are headed by Captain Danny Watts. We caught up with the crew while they were prepping yesterday morning and noticed a 300 gallon fuel bladder in their cockpit. The extra fuel is needed for their boat since they have an older 56' Viking, and the additional range the bladder provides is helpful given the distance to the fishing grounds.
"We're going to be headed to the southwest from here," said West Flordia Black Flags Captain Danny Watts. "If we see something different on the way out like a change in color and ocean temperature, that will cause us to change course a little."
Louisiana Canyons Angling Club are on their 92' Viking "Just Lookin,'" and encountered a fuel pump issue that kept them out of SFC's The Catch, Powered by Verizon, and was fixed during last week's Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Open.
"The conditions were rough rounding Key West, that day, but once we rounded the corner, it got smoother," said Captain "Stonewall" Hall Bohlinger of Louisiana Canyons Angling Club. "With any boat that's new to your crew, it will take some time to shake down everything we feel needs upgrading."
Mississippi Blues Angling Club arrived Wednesday night around 8:00PM local time. Jaselyn and Toby Berthelot are optimistic about their chances and were out pre fishing earlier in the week. The Blues left the dock at 6:00AM to fill their fuel bladders to make the long run out.
Follow along for what is sure to be a dramatic start to the East Pass Challenge, Presented by Legendary Marine. Find live coverage here:
April 24 & 25:
SFC+ 2:00-3:00PM ET
ESPN+ 3:00-5:00PM ET
Championship Saturday, April 25