Lights Out Boston AC Kicks off the 2026 Sport Fishing Championship Season with a Big Win in Key West Classic

KEY WEST, Fla., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lights Out Boston Anglers Club picked up its first victory of the 2026 Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) season in the Key West Classic. With five different anglers sharing in six sailfish catches over the three days, the team notched 450 points in the tournament, which hosted both the Atlantic and Gulf Divisions. As the league returns with a new tournament schedule and new teams in the mix, the Lights Out Boston crew spent the winter doing what any passionate and dedicated team of anglers would do: Fishing hard.

For team owner Drew Dolben, the momentum from last year never really stopped. “The SFC has raised the bar for competitive billfishing,” Dolben said. “If you want to stay at the front of the pack, you have to treat the offseason like part of the season. We spent the winter fishing some of the best waters in the Pacific, refining our approach and building experience together. The result is a team that is ready for action and coming into 2026 with confidence.”

An Off-Season to Write Home About

Lights Out Boston has been honing its skills on the fast-paced billfish fishery that lures world-class anglers to the Pacific Coast from Mexico to Costa Rica. Last season, the team closed out the 2025 Atlantic Division season with three tournament wins and a run to the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs. They shipped the Viking 62 Lights Out to Cabo San Lucas for the tournament, then made their way down the coast to Costa Rica and some over-the-top sailfishing. The plan is to to bring back the boat through the Panama Canal and up through the Caribbean to the season kickoff—The Key West Classic, April 17-19. Both the Atlantic and Gulf Divisions will compete at the event, and Lights Out Boston enters the new campaign energized by a productive offseason and welcoming the continued growth of the SFC league.

The trip began with the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs in Cabo San Lucas, where the four teams came down to the wire on a hot bite. Unlike the other three teams, Lights Out Boston had their own boat there, so they honed their program for the tournament, and then they continued to work on the program throughout the Pacific in the target-rich environment of Cabo and Magdalena Bay.

Lights Out traveled down to Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, Costa Rica, where classic Pacific sailfishing delivered the kind of nonstop action that forces a team to operate at tournament speed. Team leader and boat owner Rob Carmichael said the experience paid immediate dividends.

“Quepos is outstanding because you get a lot of sail bites, teaser bites, doubles, triples, quads,” Carmichael explained. “That kind of fishing really tightens up a crew. By the end of the trip, we were communicating better, reacting faster, and working fish more efficiently. It was exactly the preparation we wanted heading into the SFC season.” Making the most of doubles and triples proved to be a key factor down the stretch last season, so the team is building a base of fundamentals to help cash in on these opportunities.

Big Plans for Big Tournaments

The upcoming SFC campaign will unfold in a league environment that continues to evolve. The Sport Fishing Championship has seen expansion with the addition of the Rhode Island Breakers and the South Florida Sails under new ownership, growing fan engagement, and refinements to the competitive format that emphasize accurate scoring and greater transparency for fans following the action.

Dolben believes those changes have strengthened the circuit. “The league keeps getting better,” he said. “The competition is deeper every year, and the rules continue to evolve in ways that reward preparation, teamwork, and good fishing practices. That’s exactly the kind of environment we want to compete in.”

For Lights Out Boston, the 2026 season will once again center on the SFC Atlantic Division schedule, with stops at some of the most respected tournaments in the sport.

April 17–19 — The Key West Classic, Key West, Florida — First Place, Atlantic Division

May 15–17 — Walker’s Cay Open, Walker’s Cay, Bahamas

May 29–31 — SFC Carrier Cup sponsored by HUK, Charleston, South Carolina

July 17–19 — Cape Cod Bluewater Classic, Boston, Massachusetts

July 24–26 — Rhode Island Offshore Invitational, Newport, Rhode Island

Aug. 21–23 — The MidAtlantic (Atlantic Championship), Ocean City, Maryland

Oct. 17–19 — Zane Grey Championship Playoffs (Championship), Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

As the season continues, Carmichael says the team’s mindset is simple: build on what worked last year and keep improving.

“We learned a lot in 2025, especially down the stretch,” Carmichael said. “Now we’re coming into this season with a tighter program and an experienced crew that’s hungry to compete. The Atlantic Division is never easy, but we’re here for it.”

Lights Out Boston is planning a series of watch events throughout the season, giving fans and supporters opportunities to follow the action and cheer on Lights Out Boston as the SFC season unfolds.

For Dolben, the outlook is straightforward. “Last year proved what this team is capable of,” he said. “Now we’re looking forward to getting back on the tournament trail and seeing what 2026 brings.”

About Lights Out Boston Angling Club

Lights Out boat owners Captain Rob Carmichael and Jackie Hayes have worked as an entrepreneurial team since 1998 founding and building multiple successful businesses. Since 2020, Lights Out has established itself as a force in Sport Fishing Tournaments with tournament winnings from Zane Grey Cabo, CBC Carolina Billfish Classic (Charlston, SC), Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic, Tri-State Shootout, Big Game Battle (Nantucket, MA), Tri-State Canyon Shootout, and Bluefin Blast (Nantucket, MA). The history of Lights Out success is what attracted Team Owner, Drew Dolben to sign Lights Out to represent the Boston Angling Club competing in the Sport Fishing Championship League.

For more information, visit lightsoutbostonac.com or follow on Instagram (@lightsoutbostonac)

About Sport Fishing Championship

Founded in 2021, Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) is a competitive sportfishing league representing 16 regions competing internationally across North America. With a focus on growing the sport and engaging fans through innovation, SFC+ offers a direct-to-consumer OTT platform that delivers unparalleled access to live events, fishing content, and its celebrity-driven team format.

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SOURCE Lights Out Boston Angling Club

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