Capt. Dan Woody and Syked Out owner David Sykes have been a potent combination on the South Carolina billfish scene for many years. They’re tough competitors who know how to put together a big win, which they did once again in the Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament. The fifth and final leg of the SC Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series, the Edisto event proved to be a good one for the Syked Out team, who released two blue marlin and six sailfish in two days to come out on top.
Rascal owners Norm Pulliam and Foster McKissick teamed up to put their team into second place. Capt. Mark Rogers led his anglers to one blue marlin and five sailfish released in the tournament, just coming up short of the mark set by Syked Out. Electric Bill was third with a pair of blue marlin and two sailfish released. Owner Chad Sanders and Capt. Phillip Fender had a great tournament and made a last-minute run at the lead in the series standings.
But it would be Sportin’ Life emerging as the Top Boat in the 2016 South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series. The team had a strong run this year to win the series with 3,875 points. Electric Bill finished in second, also scoring 3,875 points but falling short based on time, while Rascal was third with 3,675 points. Syked Out was fourth with 3,075 points and Game On rounded out the top five with 2,528 points.
For the five-tournament 2016 South Carolina Governor’s Cup Series, there were a total of 182 billfish released: 31 blue marlin, eight white marlin and 143 sailfish. There were two blue marlin weighed in, both during the Georgetown leg of the series.
