LIVE UPDATES: HUK CHARLESTON BILLFISH CUP

Welcome to the Low Country! We’re getting started here for the two-day tournament, shortened due to weather. We’re getting started here on Friday, up before the sun meeting several of the clubs before pushing away from the dock. Six angling clubs in the Atlantic are competing, with South Florida sails being out this week. The Club will automatically finish with last place points.

FRIDAY, JUNE 6: DAY 1
*All times are EST

5:27AM - First Angling Club to push away from the dock is Lights Out New England, based out of Tolers Cove  Marina. The rule for this tournament is that no clubs can pass the Charleston Harbor sea buoy prior to 5:45AM to make the run offshore. The range is 100 miles, so everyone will be running for a couple of hours prior to lines in at 8:30AM.

5:30AM - The Atlantic leaders, New Jersey Sea Birds are on their way to the sea buoy. The Flock from exit 98 are calling Charleston City Marina their home for this tournament. Their nextdoor neighbors, North Carolina Flare Angling Club and their 63’ F&S are in hot pursuit.

5:31AM - The New York Granders are neighbors to Lights Out New England over at Tolers, and are following them out. The clubs are scattered throughout Charleston between four locations.

8:30AM - LINES IN

8:47AM - First off the dock, first on the board! Lights Out New England, coming off a second-place finish last week at the Walker’s Cay Open, take the early lead in Charleston with a sailfish release. Angler Rob West was on the rod and secured 75 points. 

Quick reminder on the scoring system for releases:
Blue Marlin - 450 Points 
White Marlin & Spearfish - 100 Points*
Sailfish - 75 Points
*any unidentified billfish will also be scored 

10:05AM - Your way-too early leaderboard update:
Lights Out New England - 75 Points
New Jersey Sea Birds - 0 Points
South Carolina Outcast - 0 Points
East Coast Remix - 0 Points
New York Granders - 0 Points
North Carolina Flare - 0 Points
South Florida Sails - DNP

10:40AM - East Coast Remix release the first blue marlin of the weekend! Angler Marcello Pares, a hired gun this weekend secures 450 points. Pares is a South Carolina resident and knows the Remix crew from his time years ago in South Florida. 

The shoe is on the other foot…we saw “hired guns” brought in by visiting Atlantic Clubs for the season-opening Fort Lauderdale Bilfish Open to help with sailfish knowledge and flying kites, but now we’re seeing the locals help out for the blue marlin action.

10:57AM - ANOTHER ONE! Remix are back on the board again after a second blue marlin release, again coming from angler Marcello Pares. That’s 900 points for the South Florida Squad, extending their lead. This is their first time leading an SFC tournament.

11:07AM - The Blues are biting, this time for North Carolina Flare! Angler Josh Ashton secures the catch & release and 450 points to take second place. That fish drops Lights Out New England to third overall.

11:22AM- A little over an hour later, here's another leaderboard update:
East Coast Remix - 900 Points
North Carolina Flare - 450 Points
Lights Out New England - 75 Points
New Jersey Sea Birds - 0 Points
South Carolina Outcast - 0 Points
New York Granders - 0 Points
South Florida Sails - DNP

12:32PM - Sea Birds bring in a blackfin tuna. Not for points, but there are some nice side prizes in the tournament. So far, New York Granders and the Sea Birds have tunas, Remix have three mahi mahi in addition to their two blue marlin.

1:27PM - The billfish seem to be taking a lunch break. We’ve seen this trend before, where the action takes place early in the morning, and then picks back up in the final couple of hours prior to lines in.

1:34PM - North Carolina Flare are HOOKED UP on a blue marlin!

2:13PM - This blue marlin is still tight and putting up a fight. The Flare have come close to the boat a few times, but it keeps taking line.

2:47PM - While North Carolina Flare continue to fight the marlin, East Coast Remix release a sailfish, extending their lead to 975 points.

2:59PM - The sailfish are active this afternoon! Lights Out New England add their second sail of the day, brought in by Ross Nasin. Lights Out have 150 points so far and sit in third place on the leaderboard.

3:10PM - New York Granders doubled up, but they’re both big mahi-mahi. Anglers Shelby Callison and Kodi Smith Austin bring them into the boat. Belated happy birthday to Kodi! Her birthday was yesterday.

3:18PM - Meanwhile…Josh Ashton is still fishing a blue marlin. This fight is fast approaching hour number two.

3:45PM - Lights Out New England get tight on a blue, but it gets away! They were getting into gear to try and double up on a second one, and it looked to break off when they got in gear.

4:00PM - LINES OUT! North Carolina Flare are allowed to continue fighting their blue marlin while the others come in for the day.

4:17PM - All Josh Ashton needed was a little incentive! North Carolina Flare get the blue marlin catch and release recorded, securing 900 points on day one, putting them in second place with only a sailfish separating them from the leaders. 

Here’s how the leaderboard looks heading into Championship Saturday:
1) East Coast Remix Angling Club - 975 Points
2) North Carolina Flare Angling Club - 900 Points
3) Lights Out New England Angling Club - 150 Points
T6) South Carolina Outcast Angling Club - 0 Points
T6) New Jersey Sea Birds Angling Club - 0 Points
T6) New York Granders Angling Club - 0 Points
7) South Florida Sails - DNP

 

CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY, JUNE 7:

5:30AM - Off go the angling clubs into Charleston Harbor, waiting for 5:45 to pass the sea buoy.

8:30AM - LINES IN! Let’s get this started. While the clubs are getting started, our crew on the ground caught up with Pamela Evette, the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina and also Wade Boals, the owner of Saltwater Cowboys on Shem Creek. 

9:05AM - One for the home team! South Carolina Outcast Angling Club are on the board with a sailfish, released by Steven Lackey. The 75 points with that release removes the donut from their score and gives them sole possession of fourth place.

9:11AM - HOOKED UP! Tucker Carmichael of Lights Out New England is on a blue marlin.

9:14AM - That was fast! Tucker Carmichael gets the release, and 450 points for Lights Out. They’re closing in on the leaders. 

Quick look at the leaderboard this morning
East Coast Remix Angling Club - 975 Points
North Carolina Flare Angling Club - 900 Points
Lights Out New England Angling Club - 600 Points
South Carolina Outcast Angling Club - 75 Points
New Jersey Sea Birds Angling Club - 0 Points
New York Granders Angling Club - 0 Points
South Florida Sails - DNP

9:19AM - The division leading New Jersey Sea Birds are struggling to find the marlin, but they boated a Jarrett Birch-sized mahi-mahi thanks to angler Dave McKendrick. There’s a calcutta, so it’s worth something more than lunch. That should lend good fortune, since the marlin where around the mahi yesterday. It would be unfortunate if their menu choice today shifted to tunas.

11:47AM - New Jersey Sea Birds hook onto a fish, but it’s a barracuda. Did it follow them from Walker’s Cay last week? There were a ton of them in the Bahamas.

1:28PM - Been a slow early afternoon after the morning’s action. Clubs are making moves and marking fish, but something tells me we will see the action begin to heat up in around 30 minutes.

1:31PM - HOOKED UP! New Jersey Sea Birds are on a blue marlin. Just saw it dance on the SFC+ broadcast. Stephen Melchiorre is the angler. So much for 30 minutes.

Should the Sea Birds get this fish, it will help them out tremendously when it comes to maintaining their lead in the Zane Grey Championship Playoff picture. Season points could see a big shakeup

Here's what the points picture looks like based on this Blue Marlin that the New Jersey Sea Birds currently have hooked.

IF SEA BIRDS GET THIS MARLIN W/ CURRENT FINISHING ORDER|
1) New Jersey Sea Birds - 9,100 Points
2) Lights Out New England - 8,400 Points
3) East Coast Remix - 8,300 Points
4) South Carolina Outcast - 7,900 Points
T5) South Florida Sails - 7,400 Points
T5) North Carolina Flare - 7,400 Points
7) New York Granders - 7,000 Points
*100 point difference between second and third for the final playoff spot

IF THE SEA BIRDS DO NOT GET THIS MARLIN W/FINISHING ORDER
1) New Jersey Sea Birds - 8,700 Points
2) Lights Out New England - 8,400 Points|
3) East Coast Remix - 8,300 Points
4) South Carolina Outcast - 8,100 Points
T5) South Florida Sails - 7,400 Points
T5) North Carolina Flare - 7,400 Points
7) New York Granders - 7,000 Points
*400 point difference between first and third

2:48PM - Sea Birds get on the board! Stephen Melchiorre finished the fight after a little over 80 minutes. Big points for them based on that release. Sea Birds now sit in fourth place, jumping the South Carolina Outcast.

3:20PM - South Carolina Outcast look to be hooked up. Stephen Lackey is reeling, and we’re checking the live feed for confirmation. 

3:22PM - Blackfin tuna for the Outcast. May help in the calcutta, but it’s not good for points.

3:48PM - Shelby Callison was hooked up, but unfortunately, it’s a skipjack. No billfish for the New York Granders.

3:55PM - 5 minutes left….things can get weird with only 75 points separating the leader from second and 300 points from third…a blue marlin for either North Carolina Flare or Lights Out would be absolute insanity

3:56PM - REMIX SEE A BLUE MARLIN! They’re trying to feed it and drop back.

3:58PM - Remix’s blue marlin moved to the left teaser and they’re looking to have the fish eat that bait.

3:59PM - REMIX IS HOOKED UP. Kenny Hernandez is the co-owner of East Coast Remix and is now the angler on the rod. 

4:01PM - Remix and Kenny had a sailfish! Quickly released for another 75 points and the Huk Charleston Billfish Cup title!

Final Leaderboard:

East Coast Remix Angling Club - 1050 Points
North Carolina Flare Angling Club - 900 Points
Lights Out New England Angling Club - 600 Points
New Jersey Sea Birds Angling Club - 450 Points
South Carolina Outcast Angling Club - 75 Points
New York Granders Angling Club - 0 Points
South Florida Sails Angling Club - DNP