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| Brian Cannon and his mahi mahi |
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| Michael Mattson on the gaff |
The day of offshore fishing on May 23 began at 4:30 a.m. as Mullins McLeod told his crew that the 50-foot Rybovich would shove off then. McLeod is
one of the boat owners in the Governor’s Cup fleet that also serves as the boat
Captain. His first mate is George Campsen, but he also had mates Michael Mattson
and Jordan Parker on hand to help run the cockpit during the tournament.
Friends Brian Cannon and Hunter Edwards rounded out the bluewater angling crew.
A
three-hour ride to the gulf stream proved rough, having to navigate through two
thunderstorms just off the coast. By 8 a.m. when fishing officially begins, the
storms had passed and the ocean layed down to make for a beautiful fishing day.
“This boat was made in 1981 by John Rybovich and I have enjoyed fishing it in
the Governor’s Cup for the last six years,” said McLeod. “Besides this
tournament I usually like to compete in the Edisto Governor’s Cup later in
July.” By 10 a.m. it was clear to McLeod that the dolphin bite was
going to be substantial. “I see a lot of bait stacked up in the water column
using my depth finder,” said McLeod. “We’ll stay right here and hunt blue marlin
for a while, but the dolphin may bother us.” Normally a day of fishing can be
defined as a big success when plenty of mahi mahi are put in the fish box, but
not during a billfish tournament. It was Day One of the 25th Anniversary of the Governor's Cup, and it also happened to be my birthday! Having an early-summer birthday provides the rare opportunity for offshore anglers to have a 'Happy Mahi-Day." No billfish were raised by Can't Complain this day, but it was Sportin’
Life that proved to have the luck on May 24 when they hooked and landed a blue marlin weighing 534.2-pounds, helping them to earn the top boat honors for the 2013 G'town Gov.Cup.
To view past blog entries about bluewater adventures click here.
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| George Campsen is the mate on Can't Complain |
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| Jordan Parker handles a skipjack tuna |
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