From Cockpit to Chairwoman: How Jaselyn Berthelot Became the Louisiana Canyons' Biggest Weapon

Captain Toby Berthelot and his daughter Jaselyn have built one of the most compelling stories in competitive sportfishing. At SFC Media Days, Toby sat down with host Mark Farag to break down their journey — from a little girl watching anglers in the cockpit at age 11, to the woman who just bought into the sport and now signs Toby's checks.

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Watch the full conversation with Captain Toby Berthelot right here. The episode is also available on our podcast page, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

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From "That's Toby's Daughter" to "That's Jaselyn's Dad"

There's a moment in every athlete's career — in any field — when the people who knew you first start asking about them. For Toby Berthelot, that moment came quietly, and he welcomed it. "It's become, 'hey, that's Jaselyn's dad,'" he said. "As a father, it was the best thing you could wish for."

Jaselyn first fished with her father in 2013, at eleven years old. She wasn't strong enough to fight fish yet, so she did what sharp competitors do: she watched. She sat beside Toby on the bridge and studied every angler who cycled through the cockpit — good ones and bad ones. "One thing about women in anything they do," Toby said, "they listen, they pay attention, they look at the details. They think 'I need to learn what I'm doing so I don't look stupid when I do it.'" She caught her first marlin in 2016. That was the beginning.

The Bisbee's, Cabo, and a Fish That Meant Everything

The last marlin Jaselyn caught before this conversation was the one that mattered most: a blue marlin at the Bisbee's in Cabo. They finished second in the tournament but walked away as the top money winners — "when you're in sports, the biggest check is what matters."

That fish came on the heels of a 7-hour-40-minute bluefin fight, followed about a month later by another seven-hour world cup marlin. Two marathon fights in rapid succession. And yet Toby describes the Bisbee's fish with the calm of a man who had been there before. "I wasn't worried about time. I wasn't worried about fatigue. It was like, hey — let's just let it happen." He credits some of that to his background as a pilot. "The worst thing you can do in an emergency is panic. You're going to make bad decisions." He's spent years being that voice in the cockpit — reading when someone needs a distraction, a laugh, a change in subject — before they even realize they need it.

The Louisiana Canyons and the Ownership Move

The Berthelots started as a Louisiana team, partnered with Alvin Camara, before that arrangement didn't work out. They landed with the Mississippi Blues, gave it everything, fell just short of the playoffs, and then mutually parted ways. What came next surprised some people: Jaselyn used tournament winnings to buy into the sport herself. She is now the chairwoman of the Louisiana Canyons. Toby runs the boat. "She always jokes that I work for her now."

The dynamic shift of moving from cockpit to bridge concerns Toby less than you might expect. "She's probably going to be happy I'm in the bridge because I'm always in her ear," he laughed. But the deeper point is real: they have fished next to each other on so many fish that their thinking is already aligned. They don't need to debate the obvious. "We know each other well enough. I can see her trouble points right before she even sees them."

The Community That Builds Champions

Part of what makes this team tick is the network around them. At the Bisbee's, they fished alongside Garrett Frazier and the Third Coast Renegades crew — Drake, Sparky, and Tyson. The Cowboys, led by Dino and Jordan, are close competition and close friends. "We fish with those guys the most." When Toby was recently in Orange Beach getting the boat worked on, Blake from the Cowboys was there too, fitting a sonar unit.

That kind of proximity — competing fiercely, then helping each other find the fish — is the texture of the SFC community. Toby has been part of it since the league's first event. Now, as an owner on the competition committee, he's working to grow it. "We've always treated SFC as if we were an owner. We were always trying to advance the sport, advance the athletes, advance the fan base."

Key Takeaways

• Jaselyn Berthelot went from watching her first marlin at age 11 to becoming chairwoman of the Louisiana Canyons through tournament winnings and sheer competitive drive.
• The father-daughter dynamic works because they've fished so many fish together — their thinking is already aligned before a word is spoken.
• Toby's background as a pilot shapes his cockpit coaching style: stay calm, manage emotions, let training take over when it matters most.
• The Louisiana Canyons moved from the Mississippi Blues after a competitive but short-of-playoffs season, and are entering 2026 under Jaselyn's ownership with momentum.
• Relationships inside the SFC — with Garrett, the Cowboys, and others — are a feature of how these teams compete, not a contradiction of it.
• The goal for 2026 is to reach the championship in Cabo and make another run at the Bisbee's.

Watch the Full Episode

Captain Toby Berthelot goes deep on what it means to watch your daughter become your boss, how two marathon marlin fights built her mental toughness, and what the Louisiana Canyons are chasing in 2026. Watch on YouTube or visit our podcast page.