During the week of the Fourth of July, we watched from the sidelines as two talented teams went blow for blow in the race to not only claim the win in the HMY Lowcountry Cup, but to also secure the current lead in the Series. Buddy Rowe and Outlier have been hot all summer long, each racking up an impressive number of releases, points and cash prizes. After the three-day brawl, Buddy Rowe emerged as the tournament winner and, by just 200 points, the Series leader, a title the team will fight to maintain this week at the season’s final event, the Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament.

This year marked the HMY Lowcountry Cup’s first official season as a Series event. The team behind the tournament put on quite a show for participants, including a world-class party at the South Carolina Aquarium on Independence Day. As colorful fireworks exploded across the night sky, attendees enjoyed the aquarium’s many exhibits, a smorgasbord of heavy hors d’oeuvres, a wide-open bar and hours of live music. It was a great night on Charleston Harbor, one that ushered in another two days of exceptional fishing.

Getting the win at the HMY Lowcountry Cup was no easy feat as many boats stacked up multiple blue marlin and sailfish releases during the tournament. Riggers were heavily loaded with flags back at the dock at Toler’s Cove Marina. The July billfish bite was just outstanding, with the tournament’s fleet of 17 boats releasing a total of 27 blue marlin, one white marlin and a whopping 113 sailfish in three days of fishing.

The tournament allowed boats to fish all three days and select their best two to qualify for points, so fishing effort was admittedly higher than what we would ordinarily see in Series events. Even so, the catch totals were undoubtedly impressive. Capt. Cordes Lucas and Buddy Rowe released four blue marlin and 12 sailfish in their two selected days of fishing. Meanwhile, Outlier released two blue marlin and 15 sailfish. That’s some good fishing!

During the tournament, Buddy Rowe had many of their usual team members on board, including owners Matt Byrd and Todd Wigfield, as well as mates Chip Byrd, Evin Hamilton and Cordes Johnson. 20-year-old Johnson is the full-time mate aboard Buddy Rowe and has been working for Lucas for three years now. The two make for a quip-filled duo, often dryly teasing each other and anyone else who might walk by their busy cockpit. All the playful jokes aside, Johnson has considerable respect for the more seasoned Cordes on the boat. “He’s a great person,” Johnson says. “I would consider us close friends. Cordes has been a great captain and mentor to me over the years. He’s calm and doesn’t yell, and he always gets the work done. He really keeps our team motivated.”

A relatively young mate, Johnson is initially reserved, perhaps even shy, when first meeting him. He doesn’t like being in the spotlight, a fact that rightfully only makes him more photogenic. That said, he’s no stranger to programs that have been regularly splashed across the feeds of social media accounts and in the pages of news outlets. As a member of the Johnson family, the young mate started fishing at just six years old with his father, uncles and cousins aboard his family’s boats, Sea Fix and Petrel. Johnson credits the longtime captain aboard the Sea Fix, John Thomas, as well as Capt. Mike King and of course Lucas as being some of the most influential sportfishing mentors in his life. 

“Cordes has taught me so much over the last few years that it’s hard for me to narrow down individual lessons I’ve learned from him along the way,” Johnson says. “I think most importantly, he has taught me how to take my knowledge and skills and apply them to things like boat maintenance, entertaining guests, and my work in the cockpit. I’m continuing to learn new things from him all the time. Cordes is teaching me how to be a good mate rather than just a good fisherman.”

This season, Johnson has also enjoyed working alongside Byrd and Hamilton, two very experienced and talented mates. Good-humored and often smiling, the pair are known for being lightning fast in the cockpit. “Fishing with Chip and Evin has been awesome,” Johnson says. “They are both great people and mates. The first time all three of us fished together was in the Carolina Billfish Classic and we worked well as a team.”

They certainly did work well together then. Buddy Rowe dominated the tournament and would later go on to also win the Carolina Ladies Billfish Classic just days afterward. Now that the boat has snagged yet another win at the HMY Lowcountry Cup, there is no doubt that those three in the cockpit make for a formidable team.

Naturally, the Buddy Rowe program has always emphasized the importance of teamwork, so much so that folks quickly become family when fishing on the boat. Byrd and Wigfield are largely responsible for that welcoming environment. “Matt and Todd are incredibly nice people,” says Johnson. “They treat Cordes and I like we are family to them. They are both really competitive too, so they enjoy fishing the tournaments. We always have a good time together.”

Johnson and Buddy Rowe are hoping for another few days of great fishing for their eager team. They’ll likely face a tough battle ahead as they compete against a solid fleet of other hungry crews. As always, there’s a lot on the line during the last event of the season. Tensions will likely be high, but we expect that the unmatched beach town vibes at the Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament will help to balance the excitement and stress expected in these final days. 

Good luck to everyone competing this week. We can’t wait to see how everything shakes out!

The Teaser is a series dedicated to showcasing the stories of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series and its lively community. The Gov Cup was created several decades ago to encourage the conservation of ocean resources through the tagging and release of billfish. Learn more here.