Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tournament welcomes Sport Fishing Championship

Gulf Coast Masters © Luke Dusenbury

Sport Fishing Championship (SFC), the governing body of saltwater tournament fishing, announced today their return to the re-scheduled Gulf Coast Masters, beginning June 15.

The next generation of anglers return to the Gulf Coast Masters with 11-year old Tate Yancey on Miss Ma'am and 13-year old Tucker Wade on Bandito, who both made an appearance at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic. Each of these young anglers released two blue marlin and one white marlin for their teams, the only fish caught on their boats. These next-gen anglers are fishing against men and women of all ages and are shining stars making a difference on their team at such a young age.

"It felt so good to get those big blues," said Yancey. "I have to give all the credit to the crew. They helped me get it in. They are the ones who set the hook, tighten the drag, get me into position, grab the leader and get the fish into the boat. They know what they're doing and are so good at helping you any way they can. My right arm burns, but it's such a jolt of excitement when you catch it."

Team All in continues leading the Gulf with another strong tournament finish at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic. Finishing in first place with four blue marlin they earned 3500 points giving them a big gap in the SFC overall leaderboard with 6300 points. They will be competing this week and if they can get another top-place finish, it will be hard for another Gulf Team to catch them.

Captain Justin Drummond and Team Quantified make their way onto the SFC Leaderboard after an incredible weekend at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic. The team put up 11 total billfish, including eight white marlin and three sailfish earning them second place and 3000 points. If they continue at this pace this weekend Drummond will make his way to the top of the leaderboard giving Teams All In and Rebecca a run for their money.

Stop number five of SFC Series, the Gulf Coast Masters takes place in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, a regional hotbed of recreational and competitive fishing. Competition begins on June 15, with boats departing at 10 a.m. Boats will spend three days in the Gulf of Mexico fishing day and night returning Saturday afternoon. Awards for the tournament will be held at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 18.

SFC tournament points accrue based on a team's placement in the final tournament standings, with the first-place team earning 3,500 points, the second-place team 3,000 points, and so forth. Placements in the tournament standings are determined from tournament-only points based on species of fish caught and released, with the highest consideration given to blue marlin, then white marlin and spearfish, and finally sailfish and swordfish.

The season schedule next brings anglers to Sandestin, Florida, for the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic from June 22 to 25. Events thereafter include: the South Jersey Yacht Sales Offshore Showdown in Cape May, New Jersey, July 6-8; the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, July 12-15; the Tri-State Canyon Shootout in Block Island, Rhode Island, July 24-27; the Texas International Fishing Tournament in South Padre Island, Texas, August 4-6; and conclude with the San Juan International Billfish Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 23-25.

To learn more about the Sport Fishing Championship Season, visit sportfishingchampionship.com.