Sport Fishing Championship swings north to offshore showdown
by Sport Fishing Championship 6 Jul 2023 22:48 BST
From 6 July 2023
Sport Fishing Championship (SFC), the governing body of saltwater tournament fishing, announced today beginning of the seventh stop of the season, the South Jersey Yacht Sales Offshore Showdown, starting July 6. It will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The South Jersey Yacht Sales Offshore Showdown begins the SFC's northeast swing, taking place in Cape May, New Jersey. On the leaderboard, Team Polarizer sits at the top of the Atlantic division with their second-place finish and 3,000 points from the Salt Life Bluewater Tournament. SFC will be spending the rest of the summer in the northeast with four Atlantic tournaments in the next six weeks. The temperature, current and fish all seem to be aligned for some great fishing.
"The water is warmer, and the fish seem to be here," said Damon Sacco, SFC Atlantic Division Tournament Director. "We have had some rough conditions, but we have confirmed reports of white and blue marlin out there!"
With bigeye tuna being a common catch in northeast waters, anglers requested that the species be added to SFC's Championship Fish Division. It is now included as one of SFC's four competing fish dvisions, alongside mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna and wahoo, each worth $50,000 this season.
Competition began on Thursday, July 6, with boats heading out from Club Canyon Marina starting at 4 a.m. July 7 will be a lay day, with the final day of competition being held on July 8. Teams will celebrate and awards will be handed out at a dinner at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
Angling fans can catch all the action on CBS Sports Network from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday and 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Viewers can also tune into the into the SFC YouTube Digital Show at 3 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. All times in EDT.
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 Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, for the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic from July 12 to July 15. Events thereafter include: 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; the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland, August 7-11; 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.