30 White marlin releases highlight a hot billfish bite
A Charleston-based boat won the 44th annual Georgetown Landing Marina Blue Marlin Tournament last weekend, in an event that was highlighted with 45 billfish releases, including 30 white marlin.
Sportin’ Life, owned by Manly Eubank and his son, Graham, and captained by Mike Glaesner, took the event over a field of 33 boats, catching and releasing two blue marlin and two white marlin for 1,800 points.
The tournament, which saw six blue marlin, 30 white marlin and nine sailfish caught and released, was the second leg of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.
The Eubank family are veterans of many Governor’s Cup events, and they got a white marlin release from mate Trey McMillan on the first day of competition. But it was the third day when fishing broke loose, with McMillan catching and releasing two blue marlin and Graham Eubank catching and releasing a white marlin.
“Captain Mike Glaesner steered us through some choppy seas on the way to the fishing grounds on an otherwise sunny and nice day,” said Graham Eubank. “The first blue marlin (estimated at 300 pounds) hit a naked ballyhoo on a 30 reel and took about 45 minutes to reel in.
“The second blue marlin piled on a Moldcraft super chugger on the right shortrigger and came to the boat in 15 minutes,” said Eubank. “It was lit up and all over the teaser before inhaling that lure, and it did a lot of jumping, which helped to wear it down quicker.”
The second blue marlin was estimated to weigh 450 pounds but was five inches short of the Governor’s Cup size limit.
Daymaker finished second, catching and releasing four white marlin and a sailfish. The Miss Wy IV finished third with a blue marlin and two white marlin on the final day of competition.
In the non-billfish categories, Billy Monckton of Myrtle Beach won the dolphin division with his 38.4-pound mahi mahi that came on Saturday while fishing from the Mirage. The wahoo winner also came on Saturday, when Charlie Byars of Clemson reeled in a 12.6-pound wahoo fishing from Reel Patience. The top tuna came in on Thursday when Steve Godfrey of Spartanburg reeled in a 7.2-pound blackfin tuna.
The next event in the S.C. Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series is the Carolina Billfish Classic, June 22 – 25. Click the Tournaments forum for the latest updates.
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