April 15 at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach
Sport Fishing Championship (SFC), the governing body of saltwater tournament fishing, today announced a epic roster of brand partners for the The Catch Presented by Fritos®, perhaps the most diverse for any fishing program.
SFC’s made-for-TV competition pairs its top tournament anglers with superstars from the NFL. The event will be held April 15 at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach and will be broadcast live on CBS 1-3 p.m. ET.
The Presenting Sponsor of The Catch is Fritos. Partners to date (listed alphabetically) include: BIOLYTE, Coast Guard Foundation, Discover Puerto Rico, Dr. Squatch, Durabrite, Fathom Offshore, Miami-Dade CVB, Garmin, IceShaker, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Michelob Ultra, OneWater Marine Group, Denison Yachting, Lekker Boats, Invincible Boats, Pernod Ricard, PULPOLOCO Sangria, Salt Life, SORD Tools and Visit South Padre Island.
“Interest in The Catch has been unprecedented,” said Mark Neifeld, CEO and commissioner of SFC. “It is almost unheard of to see so many notable brands that typically don’t use offshore fishing as a platform to promote their brands, get behind an event like this. We are grateful to all of our partners and sponsors for helping us create a one of-a-kind experience for angling enthusiasts and those who will experience the sport for the first time. It’s going to be action-packed for participants and we’re confident that the format we’ve created is going to be exciting to watch.”
Using SFC’s billfish catch-and-release scoring system, The Catch features four teams in head-to-head competition. Participating NFL players include Justin Herbert, Tyreek Hill, A.J. Brown, Dalvin Cook, DeAndre Hopkins, Chris Jones, Matthew Judon, Patrick Surtain II and Quinnen Williams. They join SFC Billfish Championship anglers Captain Justin Drummond of Team Quantified, Jaselyn Berthelot of Team Rising Sons, Bill Davis Captain of Polarizer Sportfishing and Taylor Sanford of Team Gypsea. Drummond is the reigning 2022 SFC Champion, Berthelot the 2022 SFC fan voted Angler of the Year, and Sanford was the 2022 SFC Wahoo Champion.
The exhibition will showcase the Coast Guard Foundation – the premier non-profit organization that supports active U.S. Coast Guard members, veterans, and their families through investments that support families, booster unit morale and honor the Coast Guard’s national mission. Cheniere Energy, long-time support of the Foundation’s efforts, has committed the grand prize for the tournament, a $100,000 Foundation donation in the name of the winning team.
The Catch will be broadcast live from four boats, four chase boats, helicopters and more. It sets the stage for the 2023 SFC Billfish Championship which will have 88 hours of live tournament coverage across its 11 tournaments on CBS Sports Network, with the season kicking off at the CNSD White Marlin Tournament in Punta Cana, DR on April 27. The SFC’s 2023 highly anticipated season schedule is found at www.sportfishingchampionship.com.