Team Half-A-Buc wins Salt Life Bluewater Tournament for third year in a row

by Sport Fishing Championship 16 May 2023 00:18 UTC

Sport Fishing Championship (SFC), the governing body of saltwater tournament fishing, announced the results for the Salt Life Bluewater Tournament. Team Half-a-Buc won the tournament, which was held out of Camachee Cove in St. Augustine, Florida.

SFC tournament points accrue based on a team's placement in the final tournament standings, with the first-place team earning 3,500 points, the second-place team 3,000 points, and so forth. Placements in the tournament standings are determined from tournament-only points based on species of fish caught and released, with the highest consideration given to blue marlin, then white marlin and spearfish, and finally sailfish and swordfish.

The final results and current standings, based on number of fish released and species of fish:

• Team Half-a-Buc released two blue marlin to earn 3,500 points
• Team Polarizer released the first blue marlin of the tournament to earn 3,000 points
• Team C Fan released one blue marlin to earn 2,800 points

Team Half-a-Buc, fresh off a back-to-back win streak at the Salt Life Bluewater Tournament, fished Thursday and Friday of this week and released a blue marlin each day. Angler Dominic Shaw hooked and released both blue marlin, marking his first time ever releasing a blue marlin.

"It feels good, it's always fun to win," said Shaw. "It was the first blue marlin I've ever reeled in and released, so it felt good. You're always nervous to get out there and you want to catch fish. All you can do is try your best. The team's really excited, the team did great and we're happy with our win."

In total, four billfish were caught and released in St. Augustine this year, making a total of 144 releases for the 2023 Billfish Championship season.

The next stop on the SFC tour kicks off on Thursday, May 25, from Orange Beach Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama for the Gulf Coast Masters.

The season's events thereafter include: the Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic in Biloxi, Mississippi, June 8-11; the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic in Sandestin, Florida, June 22-25; the South Jersey Yacht Sales Offshore Showdown in Cape May, New Jersey, July 6-8; the Oak Bluffs Bluewater Classic in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, July 12-15; the Tri-State Canyon Shootout in Block Island, Rhode Island, July 24-27; the Texas International Fishing Tournament in South Padre Island, Texas, August 4-6; and conclude with the San Juan International Billfish Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 23-25.

To learn more about the Sport Fishing Championship or view the full 2023 season schedule, visit sportfishingchampionship.com.