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LIVE UPDATES: Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament
Every catch, every development, all here.
It's Independence Day Weekend and we’re live from the home of the Blue Angels: Pensacola, Florida. This town with thousands of years of fishing history going back to the Creek tribe, SFC’s Angling Clubs are continuing the tradition as part of the Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament, presented by Legendary Marine.
July 3: Day 1
*All times Central (CST)
8:30AM - Shotgun Start! Courtney Hueston, SFC’s Chief of Staff, sends the boats on their way out of the pass. Four made it out for the start: Mississippi Blues, West Florida Black Flags, Texas Lone Stars and Third Coast Renegades
9:00AM - Louisiana Canyons are running out. The late start comes from topping off with fuel.
9:30AM - COWBOYS DELAYED: They lost navigation in the boat this morning at the dock, and had an emergency service call with technicians rushing to help sort the issue.
10:30AM - Cowboys are under way, but they’re two hours behind the field.
11:22AM - LONE STARS STRIKE FIRST! David Blackbird, the boat owner and angler, releases a white marlin to start the day with a quick 100 points.
11:39AM - Don’t mess with Texas: Bryan Richter releases the second fish of the tournament, another white marlin for the Texas Lone Stars, bringing their total to 200 points.
Catching up with Captain Spencer Johnson and the Lone Stars this season, this has been their modus operandi. Opting to fish with dredges and artificial baits means they’re on the fish faster, and don’t run as far to start the tournaments. While the majority of the field makes their run to the oil rigs to find tunas in order to make bait, the Lone Stars are already marking fish.
It’s a great strategy to get points on the board early, but their lead won’t be safe forever. We have seen sunset blue marlin bites throughout our Gulf calendar. The extra 350 points that a blue marlin release earns make all the difference in quality vs. quantity.
12:35PM - REFUELING? Mississippi Blues hugged the coastline at the start, and now we know why. They ended up running to Venice, Louisiana! Why? Because they’re grabbing even more fuel to top off their bladder in order to make a long run to where they believe they will find the blue marlin.
The fuel bladders hold hundreds of gallons of extra fuel and are used up by the clubs on their run out. If the Blues need to replenish their bladder before heading offshore, that’s a big indicator of a long trip in store. Expect the Blues to make bait in the early evening hours and try to be set up at sunset at the earliest. If they don’t get teasers in the water at sunset, expect some early morning action from Jaselyn Berthelot and Captain Jimmy “Cricket” Crochet.
2:20PM - Live on ESPN+ with the Louisiana Canyons trolling near a floating rig. Looks like they’ve got lures in the water and are searching for blue marlin.
3:06PM - Raise the black flag! West Florida Black Flags release a blue marlin for the lead, with angler David Gaston in the chair. That marks a lead change, dropping the Texas Lone Stars to second.
3:16PM - White Marlin on! Louisiana Canyons release a white via angler and owner Gus Rantz. That fish puts the Canyons in third place.
4:00PM - We head off the air on day one with Mississippi Blues still running offshore, and we’re watching the fuel bladders empty before our eyes. There’s plenty of action still to come today from our angling clubs offshore.
6:18PM - No, this isn’t fishtradamus predicting things. We just pay attention to what’s happened at every other tournament this season. Texas Lone Stars find another white marlin as the sun begins to set, bringing their total to 300 points. They’re only 150 points back now from the West Florida Black Flags
7:07PM - Another Blue for the Black Flags! So much for the Lone Stars closing in…another 450 points for the leaders brings their total to 900.
DAY 2: Independence Day! July 4th
Live Scoring
The fireworks show starts around 9:00PM tonight in Pensacola but the fireworks are already in full swing offshore. Strap in, it’s going to be a good day.
6:08AM - Gulf Coast Cowboys on the board with a blue marlin! Jordon Benefield was first in the Cowboys’ rotation this weekend, and gets a quick blue marlin release, under 15 minutes for their first points of the Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament
6:28AM - First sailfish of the tournament on the board! Peter Miller and Robbie Floyd must be smiling to see 75 points go up on the board courtesy of the Texas Lone Stars and angler Roberto Velazquez.
8:55AM - Gulf Coast Cowboys again! Dino McDowell sees Jordon’s 12 minute release, and reels in a blue marlin of his own in seven minutes to bring the Gulf Coast Cowboys even with the West Florida Black Flags on points, but in second place due to time. They’re cooking with gas now on the Fourth of July.
9:14AM - Renegades are in it! Gregg Trenor releases his first blue marlin of the tournament, and the Gulf Division Leaders climb up to fourth on the leaderboard.
9:18AM - Mississippi Blues look to be hooked up! Jaselyn Berthelot is in the chair and she’s reeling in. They believe it’s a big blue marlin. The Blues are also entered in the virtual Blue Marlin World Cup taking place, so this may be a fish they look to bring on board the boat and weigh.
We’ll be talking to Robert “Fly” Navarro, the tournament director of the Blue Marlin World Cup later this afternoon during the ESPN+ portion of our coverage.
“We didn’t head 275 miles one way yesterday to play with baby fish,” said Toby Berthelot of the Mississippi Blues Angling Club.
9:23AM - HERE COME THE LONE STARS! Raul Perez releases a blue marlin, their first of the bigger fish in this tournament and their first blue of the SFC season. That release also secures a billfish slam for them this tournament, since they have already caught three white marlin and a sailfish.
9:45AM - NO MESSING WITH TEXAS. David Blackbird releases yet another white marlin and the Texas Lone Stars have the outright lead. We mentioned a billfish slam in this tournament, now they have a billfish slam this morning before 10:00AM.
Here’s where we stand this morning:
Texas Lone Stars - 925 Points
West Florida Black Flags - 900 Points
Gulf Coast Cowboys - 900 Points
Third Coast Renegades - 425 Points
Louisiana Canyons - 100 Points
Mississippi Blues - 0 Points
Alabama Angling Club - SCRATCH
10:45AM - Renegades back at it! They’re even with both the Black Flags and Cowboys on points with 900 after a second blue marlin release by Gregg Trenor. The division leaders remain in fourth place on time, but another fish could find them in the lead.
11:12AM - Family affair with the Lone Stars! Mark Blackbird, the junior angler releases a white marlin to extend their lead to 1,025 points. The lead isn’t safe though with three angling clubs in striking distance.
1:00PM - We are live on SFC+ for day 2 with Jaselyn berthelot continuing to fight a blue marlin and recapping the action since we went off air yesterday.
1:14PM - Another sailfish hooked up for the Lone Stars! David Blackbird is tight on the fish and they secure the release for another 75 points, live on air.
1:28PM - Louisiana Canyons bring in a decent sized mahi mahi, so lunch is secured, but not good for any points.
1:30PM - LONE STARS ARE ON ANOTHER BLUE MARLIN! Captain Spencer Johnson is putting in the work today, with Bryan Richter the angler fighting in standup to start.
1:32PM - Another mahi mahi for the Canyons with the whole Rantz family getting involved, just as we like to see on the Fourth of July.
1:37PM - Leader touch and release secured for the Texas Lone Stars! That blue marlin brings their total to 1,550 points for the tournament and Scottie Scheffler’s squad is cooking.
1:52PM - LONE STARS HOOKING ALL THE FISH! A sailfish is tight now with Bryan Richter back in action.
2:01PM - It’s a DOUBLE! The second sailfish is released by Sutton Schoonover. Instead of 75 points, the two sails are good for 150 points.
2:44PM - Get used to this: Lone Stars, hooked up. This time it’s a white marlin. Bryan Richter again is the angler. Absolutely incredible run from the Lone Stars and they’re looking to double up again, feeding another fish while fighting this one.
2:51PM - Lone Stars secure the release that white marlin with Bryan Richter. Add another 100 points to their lead that continues to pile on.
2:59PM - Raul Perez with another white marlin for the Lone Stars. This is a clinic we’re watching in real time.
3:41PM - Wait, are there other angling clubs not named the Texas Lone Stars in this tournament? Louisiana Canyons release a blue! Gus Rantz back in the chair and getting it done for 450 points. Unfortunately for them, the additional points aren’t enough to climb up a spot on the leaderboard. The Canyons currently sit in fifth place, but they’re one blue marlin away from taking sole possession of second place.
3:45PM - Looks like we spoke to soon, because the Lone Stars want all of the spotlight. We’re 15 minutes away from going off the air and they’re doubled up yet again.
4:00PM - We go off the air with the Lone Stars doubled up, and the Mississippi Blues with a blue marlin at the boat, still looking to boat it for the World Cup Blue Marlin Championship.
4:13PM - We’re no longer live on ESPN+, but Captain Spencer Johnson and the Lone Stars must have adopted Ken Block’s (rest in peace) old motto: “aint care,” because they’re releasing more fish at a frenetic pace. Bryan Richter releases yet another white marlin.
4:43PM - Running up the score: Texas Lone Stars’ Sutton Schoonover completes the double of white marli we saw as we went off the air.
5:15PM - Jaselyn Berthelot gets credit for the 450 points associated with the blue marlin release, but they opted to boat the fish to weigh in. More on that adventure later.
5:53PM - Cowboys are back in action! Lori McDowell this time released a blue marlin, giving the Gulf Coast Cowboys sole possession of second place with 1,350 points. They had been even on points with the West Florida Black Flags and Third Coast Renegades with 900 points each.
6:05PM - The Texas Lone Stars just don’t stop catching fish…
Bryan Richter releases another sailfish for 75 points.
6:15PM - Raul Perez releases a white marlin, for the Texas Lone Stars and the SFC tournament team is ordering another keg of Red Bull to keep them going. It doesn’t look like the Lone Stars are stopping any time soon.
6:46PM - There goes that man again! Raul Perez releases sailfish for another 75 points added to the Texas Lone Stars’ lead.
7:31PM - Here come the Renegades! Gregg Trenor with another blue marlin means they match Gulf Coast Cowboys’ point total at 1,350 points. The Cowboys have the tiebreaker on time.
Texas Lone Stars have a 1,000 point lead going into Championship Saturday. That seems like a lot, but it’s two blue marlin and a white. Anything can happen.
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, July 5
6:55AM - Just like that…it’s happening! Third Coast Renegades off to a hot start with Gregg Trenor releasing a blue marlin.
Before signing off for the night yesterday, we mentioned that while the catch log was lighting up with fish from Texas Lone Stars Angling Club, the win today is going to come down to whether they can keep racking up the fish, knowing that a club that starts raising blue marlin can close the gap quickly.
8:38AM - THE LEAD IS NOT SAFE! Third Coast Renegades find their second blue marlin of Championship Saturday. Feels like the Pensacola Billfish Release Tournament is going to come down to the wire.
9:19AM - Catching up with Captain Landon Bell of Third Coast Renegades and he shared that they just lost a blue marlin. That fish would have given them the lead. At the moment, it appears like the Renegades are on a large school of bait if they’re finding multiple blue marlin so quickly. It’s the morning bite, so we will keep an eye on how much longer this action lasts and whether they can capitalize on the next fish.
Here’s where things stand after the first few hours today
Texas Lone Stars - 2,350 Points
Third Coast Renegades - 2,250 Points
Gulf Coast Cowboys - 1,350 Points
West Florida Black Flags - 900 Points
Louisiana Canyons - 550 Points
Mississippi Blues - 450 Points
Alabama Angling Club - SCRATCH
12:01PM - Lunch time used to mean a lull, but the action is heating back up again! They’ve been quiet for a bit but the West Florida Black Flags are back in action with another blue marlin release! A junior angler, Atlas Al-Jazra released the fish for 450 points to draw back even with the Gulf Coast Cowboys. The Cowboys have the tiebreaker on time.
12:06PM - Jaselyn Berthelot is back in action! Mississippi Blues Angling Club jump the Louisiana Canyons to fifth place with their second blue marlin release of the tournament.
12:15PM - WE HAVE A NEW LEADER! Third Coast Renegades are back on top with their third blue marlin release of the day. Gregg Trenor getting it done once again.
It’s a big day for the Renegades group. Earlier today, it was announced that Texas A&M football legend and real estate entrepreneur Terrence Murphy has joined the club’s ownership group. Full announcement here.
That blue marlin puts the Renedages up by 350 points, so should the Lone Stars hook into a blue marlin, we’re going to see the lead change with each fish released.
12:37PM - Gulf Coast Cowboys pull back clear of the West Florida Black Flags by another fish! Jordon Benefield securing the blue marlin release, bringing their points total to 1,800.
1:01PM - LONE STARS BACK IN FRONT! Angler Roberto Velazquez releases a blue marlin to take the lead back from Third Coast Renegades. They go back in front by a white marlin’s worth of points (100).
1:07PM - Here come the Mississippi Blues! Jaselyn Berthelot back in the chair again released a white marlin. The extra 100 points bring the Blues closer to the fourth place West Florida Black Flags.
1:18PM - We have a heavyweight fight for the lead and we have another heavyweight fight for third place! West Florida Black Flags release another blue marlin. This time courtesy of Bryn Jones. They draw back even with Gulf Coast Cowboys who own the tiebreaker due to time.
1:28PM - We’re live with the Gulf Coast Cowboys who look to be hooked up again on another blue marlin! Dino McDowell. While we’re watching them, Third Coast Renegades are hooked up again!
1:37PM - Dino McDowell released his blue marlin for another 450 points. The Cowboys are now clear of the West Florida Black Flags and closing in on the second place Texas Lone Stars who are 550 points ahead. That’s a blue marlin and a white marlin’s worth of points.
1:49PM - HEADING BACK IN: Third Coast Renegades are making their way in. Fuel is running low, they’re far away from Pensacola and storms are approaching in the Gulf. Part of the competition is catching and releasing the fish, the other part is getting back home by the mandated deadline.
We don’t know where the Texas Lone Stars are located in this equation, but I would suspect they are closer to shore than the Renegades, so there’s time for them to retake the lead.
2:01PM - Lori McDowell and the Gulf Coast Cowboys release a white marlin for another 100 points. The Gulf Coast Cowboys are now a blue marlin’s worth of points behind the Texas Lone Stars for second place.
It all depends on who can fish longer at this point. The Lone Stars are looking for a fish to retake the lead, and the Gulf Coast Cowboys are looking for two fish to either take second or even pass the Renegades into the lead.
2:39PM - Multiple boats are running home, including the Third Coast Renegades, Mississippi Blues and Louisiana Canyons. Cowboys are still fishing and Lone Stars are still fishing too. Second and third place are still looking to improve their position.
3:16PM - The action has died down. The Gulf Coast Cowboys and West Florida Black Flags are right next to each other and riding out a storm near a drill ship. Meanwhile, the Lone Stars are still fishing, looking for action to cut into that Renegades lead. A single blue marlin would get them the win, or several white marlin and sailfish.
3:36PM - Cowboys are hooked up to a blue marlin! A second one would give the Cowboys the win, with this fish alone, they won’t be able to advance higher in the leaderboard. Best they can do is tie the Texas Lone Stars on points. Jordon Benefield is back in the fighting chair giving this one a go.
3:50PM - LINES OUT! That’ll do it. Third Coast Renegades come back from 1,000 points down to take the win, Texas Lone Stars finish second, and the third place Gulf Coast Cowboys continue to fight a fish.
3:57PM - Jordon Benefield and the Gulf Coast Cowboys release their blue marlin and prepare to make the long run home.
10:00PM - We have a development with our scoring. West Florida Black Flags, represented by a substitute team this tournament due to mechanical issues with the primary squad, will not come in for video verification. 10:00PM was the deadline to arrive for video verification and it has since passed.
Tournament officials have decided to disqualify the Black Flags, resulting in a final score of 0 points and a sixth place finish.
Third Coast Renegades - 3,150 Points
Texas Lone Stars - 2,800 Points
Gulf Coast Cowboys - 2,800 Points
Mississippi Blues - 1,000 Points
Louisiana Canyons - 550 Points
West Florida Black Flags - 0 PointsZ
Alabama Angling Club - Scratch