While Sport Fishing Championship’s regular season doesn’t officially begin until mid-April, the competitive fire was already burning bright in Quepos, Costa Rica. Nearly all of SFC’s female anglers from the 2025 season took on the famed Pescadora, one of the most celebrated women’s billfish tournaments in the world.
From the first lines-in Friday morning to the final call of lines out on Saturday afternoon, the action was relentless. Ultimately it was Jaselyn Berthelot, the 2025 SFC Female Angler of the Year, who topped the leaderboard among SFC competitors. We’ll be calling her SFC’s “Reina de la Pescadora” for the rest of the weekend, aka “Queen of the Prescadora.”
Day 1 wasted no time delivering fireworks. Shelby Callison of Tenacious/Surf Bum got on the board early, but it didn’t take long for her New York Granders teammate Dusty Adinolfe, SFC’s reigning Sportsman of the Year, to announce herself. Adinolfe stacked multiple early releases and quickly positioned herself near the top of the SFC tally.
Lights Out Boston AC’s Jackie Hayes also found her rhythm Friday morning, keeping pace with the Granders contingent, while Jaselyn Berthelot methodically added fish to her total throughout the afternoon. By the close of day one, the race was tightly contested:
Jaselyn Berthelot – 5 sailfish
Dusty Adinolfe – 4
Jackie Hayes – 4
Shelby Callison – 4
With several anglers within striking distance, Saturday promised a showdown. Where day one was competitive, day two was electric.
Jackie Hayes struck first Saturday morning, briefly taking the lead among her SFC colleagues. Adinolfe answered almost immediately. Shelby Callison joined the charge. Then came the surge from Berthelot.
Known more for her blue marlin prowess, Berthelot put on a sailfish clinic. She steadily climbed from six, to seven, to eight releases, and then delivered the decisive blows in the early afternoon stretch.
At 12:59PM CST, she released her eighth sailfish.
At 1:10PM CST, came number nine.
And at 2:23PM CST, with just over an hour remaining in the competition, sailfish number ten, reclaiming the lead for good.
Adinolfe pushed hard to stay within reach, finishing with nine releases. Hayes stayed in contention until the final hour, closing with eight. But the weekend belonged to Jaselyn.
Final SFC Release Totals
Jaselyn Berthelot – 10 sailfish
Dusty Adinolfe – 9
Jackie Hayes – 8
Shelby Callison – 7
Kelly Young – 6
Kodi Smith-Austin – 4
Sarah Melia-Cleare – 4
Courtney Hueston – 4
Casey Carmichael – 3
Katie Coeckelenbergh-Sawyer – 2
For Berthelot, the victory is more than just bragging rights. Coming off her 2025 Female Angler of the Year campaign, her performance in Costa Rica sends a clear message ahead of the SFC regular season: she’s not slowing down.
Lights Out Boston took home some money, with Jackie Hayes also adding heaviest Dorado (which you may know as Mahi-Mahi or Dolphin) which she caught on Friday.
Quepos once again delivered world-class fishing. And this year, it crowned a queen.
Reina de la Pescadora: Jaselyn Berthelot.
Third Coast Renegades return the favor and mount their own comeback win. Defending Champion Lone Stars knocked out of Zane Grey Championship Playoffs .
Lone Stars cash in the grand slam bonus, but two afternoon blue marlin have the Gulf Coast Cowboys on top heading into Championship Sunday
Renegades eye Gulf title, Lone Stars looking to rally tomorrow in ZGCP hunt.
Every fish matters this weekend in the hunt to the Zane Grey Championship Playoffs
Playoff scenarios and outlook for the regular season finale
Dino McDowell released the last fish of the tournament, which ultimately became a walk-off blue marlin.
