GULF

CANCELLED — Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic: Day 1 Called Off in Eight-to-Ten-Foot Seas

June 6, 2026

Gulf

Science of Fishing Editorial

BILOXI, Miss. — Saturday came and went without a weigh-in scale opening at Point Cadet. The 29th annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic arrived in Biloxi this week as one of the Gulf's marquee billfish events, but a stubborn offshore weather system pushed the fleet back before a single hook was set on a tournament fish.

Tournament organizers shifted the schedule earlier in the week after forecasts firmed up. Event Director Robbie Carter laid it out plainly: "There's 8 to 10-foot seas in some places. We're going to entertain them here until it's safe to go out." That call moves the first weigh-in from Saturday to Sunday afternoon — scales at Point Cadet Marina will now open at 3 p.m. CT on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with the awards ceremony pushed back to Tuesday evening.

MGCBC weigh-in scales at Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi — the scale stayed closed Saturday under 8-to-10-foot seas. Photo: MGCBC / mgcbc.com. — The **Point Cadet Marina** weigh-in scales — closed Saturday under 8-to-10-foot seas instead of opening to a Day 1 weigh-in. The scale now opens 3 p.m. CT Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday on the rescheduled tournament window. Photo: MGCBC official.

Boats do have the option of running Saturday on their own dime — Carter confirmed teams can elect either a Saturday or Sunday start date once seas allow — but with no scale open today and no leaderboard movement on CatchStat as of late afternoon, MGCBC 2026 effectively stays at zero on Day 1. Cumulative standings will reset to "first lines" when the fleet clears the breakwater Sunday morning.

MGCBC boat parade at Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi — pre-tournament dock scene. Photo: MGCBC / mgcbc.com. — Point Cadet Marina pre-tournament dock scene at the MGCBC — more than 70 boats from across the Gulf were tied up Saturday awaiting safe seas. Photo: MGCBC official.

The good news for fans: the deeper-water Gulf of America bite that built MGCBC's reputation — 100-plus billfish releases in 2.5 days during the 2020 event, a 793-pound winning blue marlin in 2021 — is still ahead. The forecast is expected to lay down by Sunday morning, and the fleet of more than 70 boats from across the Gulf will get the first crack at a $1M-plus purse with a compressed three-day window.

We'll be back with a Day 2 recap once Sunday's scales close.