Live Updates: East Pass Challenge

SFC’s Gulf Division is a grind, and that grind starts today in Fort Walton Beach, Florida at the East Pass Challenge, Presented by Legendary Marine. Check back each day for updates of the action here as you watch along on SFC+ and ESPN+. 

Scoreboard
Mississippi Blues Angling Club - 1,350 points
Third Coast Renegades Angling Club - 450 points
West Florida Black Flags Angling Club - 0 points
Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club - 0 points
Louisiana Canyons Angling Club - 0 points
Texas Lone Stars Angling Club - 0 points

All times are central (CT).

THURSDAY, APRIL 24: DAY 1

6:00AM - Mississippi Blues Angling Club push away from Sunset Isle Marina and head to the fuel dock to fill their bladders. Multiple bladders are used on their boat to get the necessary fuel range to reach the distant canyons.

8:15AM - The boats make their way under the East Pass Bridge preparing for the shotgun start. 

8:30AM  - Off they go! The start is announced, and the boats are on their way out into the depths of the Gulf. Mississippi Blues, West Florida Black Flags and Louisiana Canyons are the first ones out.

10:30AM  - Texas Lone Stars make their run to the Gulf. Mechanical troubles kept their boat back at the marina in the leadup to the tournament.

10:35AM - Third Coast Renegades leave under their own power after diagnosing issues with their boat. 

11:30AM - Last but not least: The defending champions, Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club, departs for the blue water. A topside engine rebuild took longer than expected for the Cowboys, and also led to other issues after reassembly. A morning sea trial looks to have all the issues cleared up. A multiple-hour run 

3:00PM - A shot across the spread of the Black Flags! It’s a wahoo, which does not score points in this competition, but it will make for some fresh dinner on board the boat. 

4:30PM - Jaselyn Berthelot gets in the Mississippi Blues’ fighting chair and gets to work, but it turns out the bite was a hammerhead shark. The line was cut as soon as the crew got visual confirmation of the shark. Resetting the line and back into the spread it goes.

6:43PM - Mississippi Blues strike first! The first fish recorded is a Blue Marlin landed by Jaselyn Berthelot. It’s a game of catchup for the other five boats from here.

7:16PM - Make that two blues for Mississippi! Jaselyn releases her second, and is making an early case for top angler honors. She's (yet again) showing the men how it's done. 

 

FRIDAY, APRIL 25: DAY 2

9:00AM - We spoke with Toby Berthelot with Mississippi Blues Angling Club. The crew made a big move last night, traveling more than 250 miles, hoping for some action.

They found action, just the wrong kind of action. Dolphins, eating the bait fish they're trying to catch for their next Marlin run. 

Back on the move they go, looking to extend their lead. 

1:07PM - Renegades are marking some fish on sonar. Will it lead to a bite?

1:31PM - Cowboys are making a longer run looking for some action. Texas Lone Stars Angling Club in the meantime are spotting something in their spread.

1:49PM - Mississippi Blues have arrived to a new spot and are setting up their lines. 

1:52PM - West Florida Black Flags are on the move again as well, up on plane and under full power. The bite has been slow this week.

3:00PM - Marty Wilson of West Florida Black Flags Angling Club walked Robbie and Peter through some wahoo sashimi for a crew lunch.

3:32PM - Peter and Robbie checked in with Noah Miller, one of the angler/mates with Louisiana Canyons Angling Club. Miller got into fishing with Captain Blake Bridges of Gulf Coast Cowboys, but now, they’re on different boats competing each other in SFC’s Gulf Division.

4:00PM - Off the air on ESPN+ but the battle continues offshore, with angling clubs looking to position themselves for an evening bite with the blue marlin. 

9:00PM - Dinner under the stars for several angling clubs. Marty Wilson of West Florida Black Flags made a surf & turf feast next to an oil rig, while Mississippi Blues Angling Club found some bait while cooking steaks in the cockpit of their own boat. 

The Blues feel good about the bait they found and are hopeful it brings more fish their way tomorrow morniing.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY: APRIL 26

9:54AM - MISSISSIPPI BLUES GET THEIR THIRD BLUE MARLIN! The bait they found last night paid off, and Jaselyn Berthelot now has all three fish recorded in the East Pass Challenge to herself. 

Given the way the action has been, that third release may be enough for the win, but there's still plenty of time to lines out.

2:10PM - Since that blue marlin, the action has been slow once again. Shark, amberjack, but nothing from a qualifying billfish catch. 

This would be a good time to talk about the rules. In terms of payout, the other angling clubs should be making a mad scramble right now to find a billfish to score points. If the Blues are the only club to score, they will take all the prize money for first, second and third. Per SFC rule 6, section b:

"If only one (1) Teams has a Qualified Catch in a single Qualifying Event, then that Team shall win the entire prize pool for that Qualifying Event. If only two (2) Teams have Qualified Catches in a single Qualifying Event, thus receiving 1st and 2nd place, both Teams shall receive their Payout and the 3rd place Payout shall be split evenly between 1st and 2nd Place."

In terms of points, if none of the other five angling clubs score a release, they will all receive second place points. That's the only silver lining to missing out on the prize money. Their path to the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs are still tangible. 

2:30PM - West Florida Black Flags are setting live baits out in their dredge, expecting a marlin to come and attack the spread.

2:31PM - Kevin Price of the Texas Lone Stars Angling Club shared some bad luck with a marlin approaching their spread. The Lone Stars have marked several fish, but have made a move looking for points.

The Lone Stars are near the shelf off Orange Beach, Alabama looking for White Marlin and sailfish to score points and get on the board. 

2:57PM - Third Coast Renegades are trying to get a marlin to bite. They have been marking a fish and are looking to have it eat a bait in the spread. 

3:06PM - Renegades are HOOKED UP! Could it be the Blue Marlin they were marking? 

3:10PM - IT IS! 10 minutes to lines out and the Blue Marlin is jumping out of the water. The fish is far away from the boat, but the Renegades are backing down quickly looking to secure a leader touch. 

3:19PM - HUGE BLUE MARLIN for The Third Coast Renegades! 450 points and sole possession of second place. Unless someone gets another fish.

3:20PM - Lines Out! Congrats to Mississippi Blues Angling Club for the win! Renegades finish second!