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Gryphon Wins Big at Bohicket

Kickoff to the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Series sees the best fishing in a decade
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup gryphon first place team
The Gryphon team celebrates its win at Bohicket. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes

Red-hot blue marlin fishing highlighted the Bohicket Marina Invitational Billfish Tournament, an event celebrating its 27th anniversary and also kicking off the 2017 South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series. On the first day of the tournament, the participating fleet released 16 blue marlin and brought three qualifying blues to the scales at Bohicket Marina, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in over 10 years.

Gryphon, owned by Colby Griffin and captained by Chucky Moore, topped the fleet with three blue marlin releases. The Mister Pete team had a pair of blues and a sailfish for second place, and Salty Maintenance landed in third with two blue marlin releases.

2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup game on
Game On landed the largest blue marlin of the tournament. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes

But the arrival of three blue marlin to the docks really drew a crowd of spectators. Game On, captained by Trey “Cricket” McMillan, won the Outstanding Billfish award with a 500.2-pound blue caught by Game On owner Bubba Roof. Home Run earned second with a 438.4-pound blue marlin, and Rare Breed was third with a 412.8-pound blue.

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The Governor’s Cup series advocates conservation by facilitating data exchange between participants and scientists. Blue marlin must be at least 105 inches in length in order to be landed, well exceeding the federal legal limit of 99 inches. The fish that are brought in are iced and cleaned for consumption, while biologists from South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources collect otoliths, determine sex and maturity, record measurements, and investigate the fish’s stomach contents. They also interview each participating team for additional information about their fishing. The collected data is used to form a better understanding of the life history and biology of blue marlin off the South Carolina coast.

2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup friday night dock party
The Friday night dock party, celebrating a great day of fishing off South Carolina. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup electric bill blue marlin release
A blue marlin almost ready for release on Electric Bill. Courtesy Ashleigh Noelle Vickery
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup mister pete blue marlin release
The Mister Pete team releases a nice blue marlin. Courtesy Mister Pete
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup family tradition running
Family Tradition heads home. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup boats running
The tournament attracted some of the top boats in the state, just in time for a great blue marlin bite. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup voodoo child
An up-close look at Voodoo Child. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup frayed knot
Frayed Knot shows her unmistakable Carolina lines. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup
Capt. Alan Neiford from Mister Pete, the second-place release team. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup top youth angler
Chandler Griffin from Gryphon was the event’s top junior angler. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup salty maintenance third place team
The Salty Maintenance team celebrates their third-place win. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup dem boys
Dem Boys caught the largest mahimahi of the tournament. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup syked out david sykes
David Sykes (right) of Syked Out accepts the trophy for the largest wahoo of the tournament. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
2017 bohicket invitational south carolina governors cup sunset at marina
The sun sets over Bohicket Marina on the final afternoon of the tournament. Courtesy Cameron Rhodes
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