What We Learned From the Gulfport Mississippi Open
The playoff race is heating up, with one club taking a commanding lead at the top.
SFC’s Gulf Division is officially at its halfway point after this past week’s Gulfport Mississippi Open, presented by Avior. The results tell us a lot about how the division is playing out for the final stretch of the regular season.
Third Coast Renegades are on a tear…regardless of who is representing them
There were question marks going into the Gulfport Mississippi Open, knowing that Captain Landon Bell and Gregg Trenor were unable to represent the Renegades. Club ownership made some calls, and with a helpful referral from Louisiana Canyons GM Bobby Holderman, in came Captain Adam McGugin and angler Adam Davidson.
No pressure.
The division leading club extended their season points lead with the victory, becoming the first club in either division to break the 10,000 point threshold in the division standings. A good placement was never in doubt, with Renegades having the early lead in day one before the Gulf Coast Cowboys released their first of two blue marlin.
Two blues of their own on Championship Saturday sealed the win for the substitute Renegades. The Zane Grey Championship Playoffs are well in their sights with that finish.
Gulf Coast Cowboys beginning to surge
Gulfport was more like it for the Cowboys, breaking through with a second-place finish after securing two consecutive blue marlin releases on the scoring sheet, 13 hours apart from each other. It had been tough sledding for Captain Blake Bridges and company this season, with mechanical issues and other repairwork needed.
Two major accomplishments were achieved this weekend by the Cowboys: They got a major points-scoring finish and were in contention for the win on Championship Saturday, and co-owner Brian Kelley secured the first blue marlin release of his angling career. That’s a huge breakthrough moment for him, and a major bonding moment for everyone on the boat.
600 points away from second place in the season standings, more finishes like Gulfport will put the Cowboys right back in the playoff picture.
Mississippi Blues slumping
It’s been a rough go for the Blues since winning the season-opening East Pass Challenge. Back-to-back SFC tournaments without securing a billfish release drop the club to third in the season standings.
Thankfully for Angler Jaselyn Berthelot, Captain Jimmy “Cricket” Crochet and Toby Berthelot, the Blues are only 100 points behind Louisiana Canyons in second place. If the Blues can find their rhythm again (see what I did there *wink*) then they can still secure a playoff berth.
There’s no place like home
Captain Spencer Johnson and the Texas Lone Stars finally got their boat back from a refit, and it made all the difference in Gulfport. The Lone Stars took the early lead on Thursday with a sailfish release, eventually settling for third place overall. After having mechanical issues on other boats for the first two tournaments of the Gulf season, having a full crew and a familiar boat really does wonders for a team. It sounds obvious, but sometimes, things are really that simple.
Louisiana Canyons are doing what they need to do
Call it “flying under the radar,” or “sneaking up” the leaderboard, but back-to-back top four finishes is enough for the Canyons to find their way into second place on the season standings. An early lead in the Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open, effectively their home event, resulted in a second-place finish. If the Canyons were able to compete in the later fishing window, it’s possible that they could have had even more success.
For those who don’t remember, the Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open was affected by severe weather. Angling Clubs were allowed to fish in one of two windows: Thursday-Saturday, or Friday-Sunday. With Mother’s Day taking place that Sunday, the Canyons opted for the former. With better weather in the latter fishing window, it’s possible that the Canyons could have finished on top in what was effectively their home event.
Black Flags Could have secured a top-three finish
Two blue marlin broke off for the West Florida Black Flags. Securing them would have meant 900 points and a third-place finish behind the Gulf Coast Cowboys, who garnered the same points total, but owned the tie breaker based on time. Missing both of those fish resulted in zero billfish released.
Something that was missing on the Black Flag’s boat that likely would have made a difference?
The Billfish Dance, obviously. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it makes a comeback in Pensacola.
Speaking of Pensacola, we’ll see you there over Independence Day weekend for our next stop: The Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament.