Updates and Highlights from the 2023 HMY Lowcountry Cup Billfish Tournament
To all avid anglers and fishing enthusiasts, we are bringing you all the thrilling highlights and event recaps from the highly anticipated 2023 HMY Lowcountry Cup Fishing Tournament. Held in the breathtaking Lowcountry region, this annual event brought exhilarating competition, scenic beauty, and an unforgettable fishing experience. Learn more about the inaugural event as we delve into the details and uncover what made this year’s tournament an absolute success.
Uniting Anglers in the Lowcountry:
The HMY Lowcountry Cup Billfish Tournament serves as a platform to bring together anglers from all over the East Coast. This year, over 200 passionate fishermen and women gathered in the picturesque coastal towns of South Carolina to showcase their fishing operations, share experiences, and create lasting memories. The event fostered a sense of camaraderie, uniting individuals with a common passion for fishing. This tournament structure allows boats to fish out of anywhere in South Carolina with a central weigh-in location.
Venue: A Real Lowcountry Experiences
The tournament took place in the heart of the Lowcountry, renowned for its abundant waterways and diverse marine life. The venue was tucked away in lush marshes, that South Carolina has become so well known for. Participants enjoyed traditional South Carolina cuisine at the local venue, Mainland Container. HMY kicked off the Captain's Meeting with a good ole’ southern BBQ and concluded the tournament week with a Lowcountry boil at the awards banquet.
Thrilling Competition:
The HMY Lowcountry Cup Billfish Tournament structure gave competing teams the opportunity to fish a best of two days structure and select the better day of fishing to count for their tournament fishing. Boats were permitted to fish both days of the event and when turning in the day two affidavits the teams had to select one of the eligible fishing days to be withdrawn from the tournament. In other terms, HMY introduced the “mulligan” to the HMY Lowcountry Cup.
Tournament Results:
First Place Billfish Release: Sportin Life - 3
Blue Marlin Second Place Billfish Release: Sweet Spot- 2 Blue Marlin and 3 Sailfish
Third Place Billfish Release: Miss Maxine - 3 Blue Marlin
Tuna TWT: Mas Pescado
Wahoo: No Mercy
Wahoo TWT: Mas Pescado
Dolphin Jackpot & TWT: Thunderstruck - 43.7lbs
Top Lady Angler and Top Angler: Holly McAlhany 2 Blue Marlin and 2 Sailfish
First Place Blue Marlin Release: Sportin Life- 3 Blue Marlins
Second Place Blue Marlin Release: Miss Maxine - 3 Blues Marlins
First Place Youth Angler: Charlie Ann Roof - 2 Blue Marlins
Second Place Youth Angler: Emily Alex- Dolphin 16.4 lbs
Conservation and Sustainability:
The HMY Lowcountry Cup Billfish Tournament was a billfish release only tournament in 2023. The Billfish Foundation was onsite during the fishing tournament to assist with the tournament and promote practices to ensure the future of billfish and billfishing. The HMY Lowcountry Cup also raised money and made a donation to the South Carolina Memorial Reef. The South Carolina Memorial Reef is the only deep-water artificial reef on the US Atlantic coast with special management enforcement, making this reef the first of its kind. The Reef project, in conjunction with SCDNR’s Artificial Reef Program, is an effort largely supported by private donations for the building of the Charleston Deep Reef.
The 2023 HMY Lowcountry Cup Billfish Tournament was an exhilarating event for competing teams, with great fishing, classic southern hospitality in the Lowcountry, and camaraderie. Anglers from near and far converged in the captivating Lowcountry to compete, forge connections, and experience the thrill of landing fish and taking home checks. As we bid farewell to this year’s tournament, we eagerly await the next edition, where fishing enthusiasts will once again come together to create lasting memories in this fishing paradise.
HMY would also like to take a moment to say thank you to all of the participants, sponsors, and individuals that made the 2023 HMY Lowcountry Cup such a success. A special shout out to the HMY Charleston Office and their team members. If you're looking to get involved next year for the 2024 HMY Lowcountry Cup please contact our Tournament Director Tia Mazziotta at [email protected] or (843) 998-1637 or HMY Yacht Sales Professional Tim Gredick.
