Day 1 Atlantic Division Power Rankings

Lines are out, SD cards are handed in for the day, and we’ve analyzed four hours of live television coverage  across SFC+ and ESPN+ to produce the first Atlantic Division Power Rankings of the SFC Season:

1) South Carolina Outcast Angling Club: They’re in second place after day 1 of the Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open, presented by Yachts 360, but there’s one big reason why they take the top spot on my list. This is the same squad that will be fishing together all season, and we’ve been told since our first angling club media day that this South Florida stop would be a struggle. 

Yet here they are, tied for the lead after day one with 6 sailfish releases. Sandbagging? I guess we’ll know by Saturday evening.

2) South Florida Sails Angling Club: Why not number 1? Only because this team is based in Miami, so they were a clear frontrunner from the beginning. They may very well win outright, but the rest of the season will be a grind. Leonard Williams caught his first sail last week at SFC’s The Catch, Powered by Verizon, and is now leading all anglers.

3) East Coast Remix Angling Club: The other favorite to win this weekend sits in third. Captain JC Cleare spoke to Robbie Floyd and Peter Miller on the ride back to Pier 66 that their morning strategy didn’t turn out as planned:

“We made the run all the way to the South Boundary, thinking that the bite would make its way up with the current, but as soon as we got there, we realized it wasn’t a good choice,” Cleare said. 

Remix has come back from behind multiple times in big victories. Down only 2 fish (technically 3 to take the lead) they’ve come back from much further. 

4) Lights Out New England Angling Club: “But insider, they’re last right now.” Listen carefully. Never count out a boat that has Ray Rocher. 

Ever. 

Shooters rarely miss, and never miss twice. Fort Lauderdale Billfish Open is a 3-day tournament, so no lead is insurmountable after one day, particularly when a club is only 5 fish behind. Oh, and there’s no shortage of talent on that boat either between Captain Tyler Dufresne, Rob Carmichael and the crew. 

5) New York Granders Angling Club: Dusty Adinolfe mentioned that the Granders should have had 5 sails today, which would put the all-star squad of women anglers in sole possession of second place. Luck wasn’t on their side today, but there are two whole days of fishing left. Sporting one of the largest boats in the tournament, The Granders will be riding in style and well-rested for a slugfest. 

6) New Jersey Sea Birds: If this is the last you see of SFC Insider, Captain Blaine Birch knows where my body is buried. He totally did it. Speaking with Sea Birds at Media day this week, they were humble with expectations knowing that the later rounds in the northeast is where their strength lies. Marlin fishing is what this team does, but the SFC is a grind that demands multiple disciplines. The sailfish regulars this week will have to troll for marlin the rest of the year, and the marlin specialists are doing their best to keep up with the technicality of live bait and kite fishing. Should the Sea Birds finish in the top five, that will likely be the lowest you will see them place all season. 

7) North Carolina Flare: There’s only one reason why the Flare are sitting last in the power rankings and it has nothing to do with skill. Miss Britt is a legendary team that’s representing the Flare this weekend, this is their home waters. The only limitation for the Flare is that with a boat that doesn’t run as fast as the rest of the field, their decision making leaves little room for error. But a club doesn’t earn a reputation like Miss Britt by making many errors. The fact this team was competing in SFC sent shockwaves down the dock at media day.