ZGCP Field Set as ’24 SFC Season Finale Rolls into Cabo

160 days ago, on the eve of the 2024 SFC Billfish Championship Season, an eager and anxious 21 year old Jaselyn Berthelot paced the docks of Hurricane Hole Marina in Grand Isle, Louisiana, feverishly awaiting the shotgun start flare to hit the skies and begin her quest towards achieving career milestones that have been elusive to Team Rising Son's: a SFC regular season victory, Gulf of Mexico tournament records, and the opportunity to be crowned champion of offshore fishing’s most elite tournament series.

The energy, camaraderie and respect on the docks that Louisiana evening was as present as the humid Cajun air. It was ever present. Teams were fueling up and prepared to embark on a six-month journey where, at times, oil rigs and the curvature of the earth’s surface would soon become their closest friends.

“We want to be crowned champions of SFC,” said Berthelot, in an interview prior to the Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open. “We have one goal, and that’s to win it all. We want to be at the top of the podium in Cabo and we are going to do what it takes to get there!”

Just a couple of slips down from Rising Son’s iconic Viking sportfisher was Capt. Blake Bridges, preparing Team Lifeline for their first regular season test after joining Dino & Lori McDowell’s program before the start of the 2024 Season. Team Lifeline, known for their big energy, big fish, and highly organized “machine” of a fishing team, had put together a promising, yet unproven, group of the sport’s top up-and-coming anglers.

Neither Rising Son's, nor Lifeline, had won a regular season SFC qualifying event to date. And neither team knew what was about to happen over the summer of 2024.

Rising Son's and Lifeline would combine for three (out of four) SFC Gulf Division qualifying event first place victories, 12 total first place competition victories across the Gulf’s sport fishing season, three Gulf of Mexico tournament records, and nearly $1 million in prize money.

Lifeline, SFC’s 2024 Gulf Division Champions and the top overall seed in the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, recorded first place finishes at the Hurricane Hole Invitational, Mobile Big Game Fishing Club’s Labor Day Invitational, and accumulated nearly $500,000 in prize money across the Gulf of Mexico billfishing season en route to releasing 37 billfish from May through Labor Day.

"I believe we have the best team in the world," said Jordan Benefield, angler on Lifeline. "I'd put our captain, crew, and anglers against anyone! The good Lord has blessed us with an incredible season. In Biloxi, we needed five blue marlin on the final day to win—and we did it. At the Blue Marlin Grand Championship, we caught our seventh marlin with 15 minutes to spare—and won. Our team works harder than anyone, and we have the heart to win more than anyone out there!"

Rising Son's claimed their first SFC regular season victory week 1 in Louisiana and four first place tuna victories throughout the Gulf of Mexico season - including two tournament records at the Blue Marlin Grand Championship* and the Bay Point Billfish Open. Jaselyn Berthelot cemented her place amongst the top anglers in the sport with two Top Lady Angler awards and another Top Overall Angler award, smashing tournament records and releasing her 62^nd career billfish – all before turning 21 years old.

38 miles away on that Louisiana night, Ron Davis and Gregg Trenor - who had teamed up to create team “Southern Charm All In” - were plotting their path towards a birth in the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs. Davis and Trenor, two of the top boat owners in the Gulf of Mexico, have been competing in the league since its inaugural season in 2022 on competitive teams and had recently decided to join efforts.

Southern Charm All In, led by Capt. Landon Bell, boasts one of the top resumes of all teams in the Gulf of Mexico heading into Cabo: first place for Blue Marlin in the 2024 MONGO, First Place Overall in the Florida Panhandle Series*, three Gulf of Mexico first place victories and over $700,000 in prize money. Bell’s dominance led the team to a total of 49 billfish releases from May through Labor Day.

“We’re proud of the partnership and team we were able to put together at Southern Charm All In,” said Greg Trenor, angler and co-team owner. “Getting a shot at winning the SFC in Cabo will be a moment that we will cherish, and a tip of the cap to our fans that have supported us this season.”

Rounding out the field in Cabo San Lucas is one final familiar face on SFC’s Tour: Capt. Rob Carmichael and Lights Out. Carmichael and team have been fishing SFC since its inaugural season and have been mainstays atop the SFC’s Atlantic Division.

In what was a challenging Atlantic season across the board, constantly interrupted by weather and tough conditions, Lights Out advances to the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs as a Committee Invite with a resume that includes impressive outings at the Tri States Canyons Shootout and a podium at the Big Game Battle*. Don’t sleep on the underdogs, Lights Out has a regular season victory at the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic in ’22, three top five finishes on Tour, and they’re a veteran team that has fished the Bahamas circuit multiple times – which should prepare them for this test in Mexico.

Four of the world’s top fishing teams descend on Cabo San Lucas, October 19-21, with eyes set on being crowned champion at the end of SFC’s third season.

Teams will arrive in Cabo on Friday (10/18) and immediately begin preparing for the competition. Saturday, each team will embark on a pre-fishing day, where they will be permitted to put lines in the water and prepare for two days of epic shootout competition.

Day one of the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs begins on Sunday, Oct. 20, when the shotgun start flare soars above El Arco at 7am local time. Teams will be permitted to fish within a 100-mile boundary on Sunday (Day 1) and Monday (Day 2), and will score qualified catch points for releasing blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, white marlin, spearfish and sailfish.

One of these four teams will be crowned champion of the 2024 SFC Billfish Championship after two days of shootout-style competition and “lines out” is called at 5:30pm, on Monday, Oct. 21, joining 2X SFC Champions, Quantified and Capt. Justin Drummond, as the third winner of billfishing’s most prized championship series.

Live coverage of the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs can be found on all official SFC social media handles, www.sportfishingchampionship.com, SFC+, and from 6:00 – 9:00pm EST live on CBS Sports Network.

*Non-SFC sanctioned event.

Media Contacts:
Sport Fishing Championship
Courtney Hueston, Head of Marketing
courtney@sportfishingchampionship.com

About Sport Fishing Championship
Founded in 2021, SFC is an offshore fishing league serving as the governing body for championship events across the North American continent. SFC can be found on CBS Sports Network, the SFC Digital Network, YouTube and the league’s direct-to-consumer OTT streaming platform will debut in beta October 18 - 21, with live weekend coverage of the 2024 Zane Grey Championship Playoffs, plus original programing, video podcasts and the SFC+ community of saltwater fishing’s top content creators.