SFC Insider's 5 Tournaments To Keep An Eye On in 2026

With SFC officials releasing the official competition schedule for 2026, SFC Insider went through the dates and locations, with five stops on the calendar immediately jumping out at him. Not to say that all of the 11 regular season stops will be incredible to follow, but these five tournaments all bring something different to the table than what the professional angling clubs saw in 2025. 

Key West Classic

The season opening event will be a roller coaster ride. This will mark the first time ever that both divisions have competed in a sanctioned-SFC qualifying event. 

The Catch is an exhibition tournament that features every club from both the Atlantic and Gulf divisions, but only bragging rights are on the line in that tournament, along with making memories with some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. 

This time, it’s different. Atlantic and Gulf Divisions will earn season placement points based on their finishes. An additional cash prize goes to the club that places first overall. This will mark the first time that the Gulf Division competes in a sailfish tournament as part of their regular season. It’s a major departure for many of these outfits, which are used to targeting blue marlin. 

A tournament like this requires a total change in strategy and equipment. Lighter tackle, kites, trade out the tuna tubes for live wells. Smaller baitfish like pilchards, goggle eyes, threadfins, blue runners instead of tunas.

This marks the second year in a row that the Atlantic Division starts the year in sailfish territory. 

Walker’s Cay Open

This year, the Walker’s Cay Open moves up a couple weeks to mid-May, taking place the week before the Walker’s Cay Invitational. The Atlantic Division has high hopes that the barracudas will not be as prevalent this year, as schools of the toothy fish decimated their bait stocks. 

Speaking with the Walker’s Cay crew and AllenX, the Famous Bahamian Crab Races may be kicked up another notch in 2026. Stay tuned for behind the scenes photos of the buildout from the crew. 

Bay Point Billfish Open

One of the largest blue marlin tournaments in the Florida Panhandle will welcome the SFC Gulf Angling Clubs. League officials are potentially considering a remote set, bringing the full broadcast crew to the excitement and camaraderie that overflows from the docks in Panama City Beach. 

Expect a big presence from several angling clubs, including Gus Rantz of the Louisiana Canyons ownership group who will be bringing his own 92’ Viking Just Lookin’ to compete in other brackets. Will there be any intel shared? Larger tournaments mean more boats chasing the fish, but also more observers to spot migrations. 

Cape Cod Bluewater Classic

The craziest billfish bite of 2025 leaves everyone wondering: was that an anomaly or is that the new normal. What was the hottest white marlin action of the past decade in New England produced an SFC record 47 releases by Lights Out Boston Angling Club. 

Taking place over the weekend after the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic, tournament director Damon Sacco welcomes SFC’s Atlantic Division to their own event. If lighting strikes a second time in two years, it may be time to move the White Marlin Capital of the World to Tuna Town. 

Hurricane Hole Louisiana Invitational

SFC fans recall that last year’s Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open took place in early May. The start date was incredibly early in the season, which overlapped with the tail end of bluefin tuna spawning season in the Gulf. 

Because of that bluefin migration, it led to an extremely slow blue marlin bite, but also produced the 2025 Moment of The Year, when Jaselyn Berthelot fought a 700+ pounder for more than seven and a half hours.

Now representing Louisiana Canyons Angling Club, Jaselyn Berthelot likely sent a personal thank you message to the league office for holding their home event later in the season when the bite is historically better. 

We are still a few months away from the season officially starting, but we will have our answers to many of the compelling questions that meet us each tournament stop sooner than you think. There are more developments coming from every event on the 2026 calendar, with each announcement coming first on sportfishingchampionship.com.