Day 1 LIVE UPDATES: Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open
All the action, as it's happening.
Stop one: The Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open, presented by Yachts 360 is underway. We will be updating this article in real time. Tune into live coverage from 11:00AM-1:00PM ET on SFC+ and from 3:00PM-5:00PM ET on ESPN+.
7:30AM - They're off! Shotgun start from outside the Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades Jetties kicks off the 2025 SFC Season.
9:00AM - Lines in. All angling clubs begin setting up their bait spreads. The common setup for this area is to fly kites with three lines each.
9:21AM - Hooked up! First reported fights of the day taking place on South Carolina Outcast.
9:24AM - Double Released! Outcast take the lead.
9:34AM - Remix hooked up! But to a yellowfin tuna, which straightened the hook and broke off.
9:45AM - Sea Birds on the board! Release recorded.
10:06AM - South Florida Sails hooked up!
10:31AM - Double sailfish release for South Florida Sails. Seahawks DL Leonard Williams registers a catch & release as an official SFC angler.
10:36AM - Outcast report they're hooked up!
10:39AM - Sails hooked up again!
10:43AM - Leonard Williams secures his second release for South Florida Sails angling club and take the overall lead.
10:52AM - Flare on the board with a sailfish!
10:58AM - Outcast report their fish on was a tuna. No points for this tournament.
11:05AM - East Coast Remix release a sail and get on the board.
11:17AM - Remix with a second!
12:08PM - New York Granders on the board with a Double! Dusty Adinolfe with the first and Shelby Callison with the second.
12:28PM - Sails back on with a single! Mike Giunta releases a sailfish.
1:10PM - North Carolina Flare join Outcast, Remix and NY Granders with a second release. The tiebreaker so far favors South Carolina Outcast Angling Club since they were the first club to reach 150 points.
1:45PM - South Carolina Outcast release another Double! They now sit in sole possession of second place. Outcast are only one fish behind, but South Florida Sails still has the tie breaker with the earlier sailfish release.
2:04PM - Sails announce they're hooked up with another double. If they successfully land both, they will regain their three-fish lead.
2:10PM - Sails confirm one release. The other fell victim to a shark.
2:24PM - We checked in with Ray Rosher, fishing in the cockpit of Lights Out New England. They have caught several species, but are still missing sailfish.
"It's a marathon, not a sprint," Rocher said. I'm not scared yet."
2:45PM - Leonard Williams releases another sailfish to extend South Florida Sails' lead.
2:58PM - Dusty lands another sailfish for New York Granders Angling Cluib
3:01PM - Remix Release a sailfish
3:07PM - Outcast back in it with another release
3:13PM - Sails hooked up again
3:16 PM - South Carolina Outcast with another one! Outcast are tied with South Florida Sails in points, but Sails own the tie breaker by reaching 450 points fist.
For reference, those 6 sailfish releases equal the same amount of points as landing a single blue marlin.
3:36PM - Lights Out New England get on the board! Will this be the beginning of a late afternoon run with a little more than 20 minutes to go before lines out?
3:38PM - East Coast Remix are hooked up again with World Series Champion and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Doug Mientkiewicz looking to bring in his first release of the day.
3:44PM - Stephen Birch releases a sailfish for New Jersey Sea Birds
3:45PM - Mientkiewicz converts for East Coast Remix
The "15 minute rule," is now in effect, where any fish hookups must be announced. That wasy tournament control knows who are still fighting fish that may potentially pass the 4:00PM lines out deadline.
4:00PM Lines Out! Day 1 is in the books, and all seven angling club
Day 1 preliminary results
South Florida Sails: 450 points
South Carolina Outcast: 450 points
East Coast Remix: 300 points
New York Granders: 225 points
North Carolina Flare: 150 points
New Jersey Sea Birds: 150 points
Lights Out New England 75 points