On a balmy evening in July of 2019, participants gathered under the tent at the Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament for the event’s awards reception. Trash Man, a 59-ft Weaver hailing from Savannah, Georgia, had won the tournament with three blue marlin releases in two days of fishing. When it came time for the team to accept their awards, the boat’s owner, Mr. Burke Wall, took to the microphone to proudly share his appreciation of his crew, the tournament, and the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.

While some prattled on in the background, most stood by in a hush, listening to Wall’s every word. He named each man standing beside him, offering little details of their character, and shared a brief history of his fishing experiences in South Carolina, a passion that began in the 1990s. Wall had worked hard over the years to establish a successful program, and his team had just delivered a well-earned tournament win.

After decades of offshore fishing, Wall hoped to add a Series title to the Trash Man name. It was a dream, one he planned to pursue in future years on his brand new 64-ft boat being built by Weaver Boatworks. As folks applauded Wall and his crew that evening, none knew the sadness ahead. It would be the last time many in the sport fishing industry would ever see him. Wall sadly passed away in 2021 due to complications from COVID-19.

While tending to the profound wound of losing their patriarch, the Trash Man team continued to build the new boat in his honor. Wall’s son Ben took the reigns as the boat’s owner and hired Capt. Geno Sauers to run the operation. “Geno and I have known each other a really long time,” says Wall. “I remember when he was just a 16-year-old kid taking his dad’s Venture out to the Gulf Stream.”

Already well into his career as a professional captain, Sauers took the helm of the Trash Man and immediately impressed his new boss. “Geno’s got great eyes and knows how to correct problems on the water,” explains Wall. “He’s really made a name for himself in the industry over his career, and he’s great with new technology. That proved to be really helpful with the build of the 64. He’s also really impressed me with his preparation before fishing days and his communication about tournament strategy.”

As Sauers took on the new build, the Trash Man’s longtime mate Kyle Clark stood by to assist as needed. In addition to his duties as a sportfishing mate, Clark is responsible for managing the Wall family’s 1,700-acre farm. “You can’t find a better person around than Kyle,” Wall says. “He’s truly devoted to this team, having worked with us for the last 12 years. Geno’s the captain of the boat and Kyle is the captain of the farm. They work really well together.”

By the summer of 2022, Wall would take delivery of the new Weaver, immediately jumping into South Carolina’s tournament season, a familiar dance for the Trash Man program. “South Carolina breeds some of the best fishermen in the country,” says Wall. “We’ve got some really great crews here, so it’s a fun place to compete every year.” With Clark and mate Joe Barrow, along with anglers Brian DeMille and Chris Cook in the cockpit, the Trash Man ultimately finished in third place in the Series that year with two blue marlin releases and 10 sailfish releases. It was an impressive and encouraging start for the new boat and captain. Even still, the best was yet to come.

The 2023 Series kicked off with the anticipated return of the Bohicket Marina Invitational Billfish Tournament, and Sauers wasted no time starting the season off right. He put the Trash Man on the fish immediately, leading them to a second-place finish in the tournament with three blue marlin releases and six sailfish releases.

Due to inclement weather, the team opted to skip the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament. A few weeks later, they would arrive at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina for the Carolina Billfish Classic, the third leg in the Series, again ready to put points on the board. Much like the Georgetown tournament, the Carolina Billfish Classic was plagued by poor weather conditions and reduced to just one eligible day of fishing.

As he and the rest of the crew prepared for what would be the only day of fishing for the tournament, Chris Cook joked that the Trash Man was known for being a “day two” team. He explained that the crew often struggled to get it done on their first day out, but would dial it in by their second day in time for a strong comeback. Fortunately, their day one curse would not rear its head during the Carolina Billfish Classic. They won the event with four blue marlin releases, also sliding into the top spot on the Series leaderboard. They would, however, contend with those day one jitters in the coming weeks.

As the final event of the 2023 Series, the Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament ushered in a wave of great excitement. Sitting in first place in the Gov Cup’s standings, the Trash Man held a spot their patriarch, Burke Wall, had dreamed of for his team, and yet they all knew the race was far from finished.

The first day of fishing was exceptional as the fleet of 38 boats released 74 sailfish and one blue marlin. The Trash Man unfortunately did not share in that triumph. The crew had experienced a slow and frustrating day on the water, another first day cursed. They still had the lead in the Series, but not by much. Both the Sportin’ Life, owned by Graham Eubank and captained by Mike Glaeser, and Sweet Spot, a boat owned by Sweet Spot Marine and captained by Chris Kubik, were close behind in Series points.

While Trash Man and Sportin’ Life elected to lay the next day, Sweet Spot again took to the Gulf Stream. By the end of the day, the Sweet Spot team had accumulated enough points to take over the Series lead. Trash Man had officially fallen behind. To capture their coveted Series win, they’d need to close the gap and make good on that day two comeback. There was time to get it doe, but Glaesner and Sportin’ Life sure wouldn’t make it easy for them.

“That last day in Edisto is definitely one of my favorite memories from the season,” Wall explains. “After our terrible first day and falling behind in points, we started off pretty good the morning of day two with an early release. Then we kept hearing over the radio that Sportin’ Life was catching fish too.”

Sportin’ Life overtook the Trash Man in Series points with a blue marlin release, and thus began a fish for fish contest between the two boats. “It was a real back and forth slug fest of two really great boats and crews that day,” says Wall. “Let me tell you, it was an incredibly frustrating, exciting, and anxiety ridden eight hours.”

But eventually, with an afternoon blue marlin and several extra sails to their name, Capt. Geno Sauers and the Trash Man clawed their way back to the top of the Series leaderboard to make a Wall family dream come true. Throughout the summer, they released a total of eight blue marlin and 11 sailfish to capture the Series title. “I hate that my dad’s not here,” says Wall. “He would be extremely proud of everybody. He strived for this for years, and I’m just thrilled and shocked and amazed that we got it done!”

For the crew aboard the Trash Man, this win is the culmination of decades of hard work, as well as great chemistry. “We have a brotherhood,” Wall explains. “We’re really blessed to care about each other so much. We’re all there for each other, even when stuff gets heavy.”

Sauers, Clark, Barrow, DeMille, Cook and others lucky enough to fish aboard the Trash Man are like kin to Wall. And as kin, they know how to have a good time together. “It’s not all about fishing,” says Wall. “Between me, Chris, and Les, our stew, we keep things lively. Geno’s a true professional and keeps our program professional too. But we still all have a good time together.”

As Wall looks ahead to next year, he hopes to get his kids more involved in sport fishing. He has three young boys and he’s ready to ease them into the game he and his father enjoyed together. “My boys are young, but I think they’re approaching the right age to get them out there,” Wall says. “I hope this year’s Series win wasn’t just a one-time thing for us. I’d love to do it all again with them!”

Ad so begins the next dream for the Trash Man, a tried and proven team.