Aug 09

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Elite Fishing League 2025

Elite Fishing League Expands in 2025

The 2025 Elite Fishing League will expand in 2025 to include both an east and west division. This will offer anglers a chance to compete in what others have called the Major League Fishing of saltwater in either of 2 divisions. The newly added east coast division and the west division remaining intact as in 2020-21 and 2023-24. 

Without a big roll-out or promotion the field is 1/2 way to being full. Anglers like Tallahassee’s Reed Brown said, “this is exciting there’s no way I was missing this.”

The EFL has featured the catch, weigh and release format airing exciting episodes on the Discovery Channel’s world wide network since 2020.

In the Elite Fishing League’s catch-weigh-film-release format anglers can catch and weigh as many scorable redfish in a day as they can catch. There is no measuring of the fish because they are not possessed, each fish is weighed and then immediately released back to the water.  A tour referee is on each boat to verify every catch and joined by a tour cameraman to document the action. Referees do more than just weigh the fish and upload the results to our I Angler tournament app, they administer immediate penalties for violations. Penalties can range from a 2 or 3 minute minor infraction penalty during which time the angler cannot fish, work on equipment, re-tie line or lures or anything else. A more severe infraction can garner a 15-20 minute no fish major penalty and while it’s never happened on the EFL even a full disqualification from the round, event and possible season.
Each round of competition takes place without practice time in unknown boundaries not delivered to the anglers until the morning of their competition prior to leaving the hotel with referee and cameraman embedded with them in their truck. Back the boat in the water and launch at 7:00 AM take a 30 minute ride around time to scope out the area with lines in being called at 7:30 AM, that doesn’t leave a lot of time to “find em” and that’s the point. It’s a fast paced format that rewards anglers that can quickly sniff em out and get em in the boat. The anglers fish 2 periods 7:30-11:30 AM – break for 30 minute lunch, regroup and get ready for the afternoon round from 12:00-4:00 PM.
A scorable fish on the EFL is any redfish and we mean any redfish (regardless of condition or length, as once again there is no keeping of a redfish) that does not go over 12 pounds… 4, 5, 7, 11, they are all good, 12.01 and sorry, that one’s non scorable. The referee weighs and records the fish’s weight to the app and regular updates are given between referees to their pros as to who has what weight and how far ahead or behind their pro is at the time of the update. At the end of official fishing, the winner is the angler with the heaviest 5 fish limit for the day is crowned the round winner and advances all the way to the National Championship playoff round. While the other angler’s in the group of that round face Stage 2’s elimination rounds later in the year.
If you’d like to check out a few episodes visit the Elite YouTube EFL playlist page here. To read more visit here and discover the ins and outs of this exciting 24 pro max field (12 from the west division of Texas and Louisiana and 12 from the east division of Florida and South Carolina and how they will eventually whittle down to a head to head World Championship between the top angler from the west vs the top angler from the east.
We will hear and feature more from Jacksonville’s Eddie Marsh who will fish 2025 on the EFL for K&G Construction, Mercury Marine, Fish Bites, Shimano, G-Loomis and more great sponsors. Eddie recently made the Fab 5 cut on the frogg toggs Elite Solo Tour Jacksonville Open stop and battled head to head with the very best from the area finishing the 3 day event with a solid top 5 finish. Marsh managed a 4th place finish in the full field +2, 27 angler pro field.
Also joining the tour is one of Jacksonville’s best, Bill Pittman, a multi winner on the Elite Fishing Series. Bill fishes for Blazer Bay Boats, Mercury Marine, Power Pole, CSAND company and other terrific partners. Like Eddie and Reed, the Pitt-man had a strong 3 day outing and also made the Fab 5 cut on the frogg toggs Elite Solo Tour Jacksonville Open stop finishing in 2nd place just behind a red hot Steve Ivey. Stay tuned as more updates are on the way!

Permanent link to this article: https://eliteredfishseries.com/efl-2025-east-div/