NEWSLETTER – JULY 2026
Summer at Contender doesn’t slow down. Some days it looks like forty miles offshore, dialing in the spread. Other days it looks like a conference room in Washington, making the case for the policies that keep that offshore run possible in the first place. This month brought a little of both, plus a Keys weekend nobody’s going to forget.
The Water Drives Us. That’s Why We Fight for It.
Healthy fisheries don’t happen by accident. They’re built by anglers, manufacturers, and conservationists who show up both in the water and in Washington, and that second part matters just as much as the first.
That’s the work of the Center for Sportfishing Policy, the nation’s leading advocate for saltwater recreational anglers. CSP organizes and engages stakeholders to shape federal marine fisheries management policy, and its fingerprints are on nearly every major fight that affects how, when, and where recreational anglers can access the water. CSP is in the room when those decisions get made, and Contender has stood behind that work for years because we’ve seen what it protects.
That work showed up in a big way earlier this summer. CSP members gathered in D.C. for the Red Snapper Fly-In, bringing recreational fishing leaders face to face with members of Congress and administration officials to push for fair, science-based access to one of the most contested fisheries in the Southern Atlantic. It’s the kind of advocacy that rarely makes headlines but shapes everything that follows.
That same coalition-driven approach has been front and center in the industry’s push this year to modernize outdated vessel-speed regulations along the East Coast, an effort built on the same idea CSP has championed all along: that recreational anglers and boaters can be full partners in conservation, not an afterthought to it.Â
The healthier the fishery, the better the day on the water. Learn more about the Center for Sportfishing Policy
When You’re Forty Miles Out, Every Detail Matters.
The new 35ST was built for how captains actually fish offshore, which means it was built around the moments where hesitation costs you a fish. Everything captains and tournament anglers have come to rely on has been sharpened where it counts.
Clean console, zero clutter. An acrylic electronics face with capacity for large-format displays, so you’re never squinting at a screen forty miles out.
Everything within reach. Molded-in dash trays keep the essentials exactly where you need them, no digging through a console mid-fight.
Fully integrated hardtop. Molded-in radio box, integrated speaker, and lighting pockets keep the boat clean without sacrificing function.
Comfort, handled. An ergonomic leaning post with a slide-out cooler means the small stuff is covered too.
None of it is there to look good at the dock. Every detail on the 35ST was made with one thing in mind: more time doing what you came out here to do. Explore the 35ST.
Our Favorite People Showed Up to Boats, Beats, & The Keys
When the Contender family throttles down in the Florida Keys, it looks like this: three exclusive days at Ocean Reef Club, filled with the kind of moments you had to be there for. A Thompson Square concert under the Keys sky.Â
Thank you to every guest who made the run with us this year. It was an honor to share the water with you. And a real thank you to everyone working behind the scenes who made the weekend possible, because a weekend like that doesn’t happen without a lot of people getting the details right long before the first boat leaves the dock.
Summer Looks Good on a Contender
Whether you’re running offshore or just soaking it in dockside, we want to see it! Tag your photos and videos with #ContenderBoats, and you might find yourself featured across our channels. Follow us on Instagram.
