GULF

FINAL RECAP — Gulfport Mississippi Open: Gulf Coast Cowboys and Brian Kelley Win With Six Blue Marlin Releases

June 22, 2026

GulfSFC

Science of Fishing Editorial

Gulf Coast Cowboys angler Brian Kelley at the helm with a marlin jumping behind the boat during the 2026 Gulfport Mississippi Open SFC tournament — image via Whiskey Riff editorial coverage

This is the final recap from the 2026 Gulfport Mississippi Open, the second stop of the Sport Fishing Championship (SFC) Gulf Division season, fished June 12–14 out of Gulfport, Mississippi. The Gulf Coast Cowboys Angling Club — co-owned by country artist Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) and Dino McDowell, with Captain Blake Bridges in the chair — closed the tournament with six blue marlin and one white marlin released for their first SFC win of the 2026 season.

Inside the Win

The Gulfport Mississippi Open is fished out of the same Gulf Coast canyon water that produces the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic and the Orange Beach Billfish Classic, and the bite there in June rewards crews that can stay on a marlin pattern across the 3-day fishing window. The Cowboys built their card around blue marlin releases — six in three days is an exceptional release count for the Gulf — with the white marlin release adding the diversity bonus the SFC scoring system favors.

Co-owner Brian Kelley logged the first blue marlin release of his angling career during the event, a milestone the team called out on the boat ride home. Captain Blake Bridges has driven the Gulf Coast Cowboys program through a tough early run in 2026 (mechanical issues across the off-season carried into spring), so Gulfport flipped the season for the club.

Gulf Coast Cowboys angler Brian Kelley headset-up at the helm next to a marlin jumping behind the boat during the 2026 Gulfport Mississippi Open SFC tournament — image via Whiskey Riff editorial coverage of Sport Fishing Championship content — Brian Kelley and the Gulf Coast Cowboys on the way to a six-blue, one-white card at the 2026 Gulfport Mississippi Open. Image via Whiskey Riff editorial coverage of Sport Fishing Championship content.

What the SFC Format Rewards

The Sport Fishing Championship is structured like a points league across two divisions (Atlantic and Gulf), with each angling club fielding a roster of anglers and a single boat against the rest of the field. Every blue marlin and white marlin release scores; sailfish releases are scored on the Atlantic side and counted in the Gulf when they are landed in the scoring window. Tournament-level wins like Gulfport stack into the season standings, where the Atlantic and Gulf division leaders earn berths into the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs.

Gulfport was the Gulf Division's second stop, after the Hurricane Hole Louisiana Open earlier in the spring. The next Gulf swing on the calendar is the Bay Point Billfish Open. We covered the 2026 SFC Walker's Cay Open, SFC Key West Classic, and SFC Carrier Cup on the Atlantic side; the Gulf Coast Cowboys' Gulfport win is the Gulf-side counterpart in the same season arc.

The Team

Captain: Blake Bridges
Anglers / Cockpit: Brian Kelley (co-owner), Dino "Marlin Brother" McDowell (co-owner), Jordon Benefield (General Manager), Dalton Benefield
Catch card: 6 blue marlin releases, 1 white marlin release
Result: First SFC tournament win of the 2026 season for the Gulf Coast Cowboys

What's Next on the SFC Gulf Slate

The SFC Gulf Division now turns toward the back half of the regular season — Bay Point Billfish Open, MBGFC Labor Day Invitational, and the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs at year-end. Gulf-side season standings reset coverage will follow as the SFC publishes its halfway-through-the-season recap.