After releasing two blue marlin and five sailfish on the first day of the HMY Lowcountry Cup, Capt. Cordes Lucas and the Bull Pen team were leading the tournament. But with Viking 74 just a few hundred points behind them, the stage was set for a leaderboard battle. Just minutes before lines in on Day 2, as Lucas and his team we’re readying their dredges and preparing to set out lines, the boat’s generator stopped working. They suddenly lost several systems and all interior electricity.

The days leading up to the tournament had already been trying for the Bull Pen program. Their 62-foot Bayliss, the boat they had originally planned to fish on, had some warranty issues with the engines that needed to be addressed. Unable to get everything sorted out before the start of the tournament, they opted to make a substitution and compete on their other boat, a 57-foot Sunny Briggs called Buddy Rowe. 

The Buddy Rowe, which hadn’t left the dock in about six months, at least came with its own stellar tournament record. Lucas and his crew, including the boat’s owners, Todd Wigfield and Matt Byrd, won the Series and broke several local records last year aboard the classic build. The first day of fishing in this year’s HMY Lowcountry Cup just proved that the ole girl has still got it!

Lucas attempted to fix the boat’s generator while still on the water but ultimately made the decision to call in a lay day. As the boat made its way back to Toler’s Cove Marina, Viking 74 and others racked up several releases. By noon, Viking 74 had taken over the tournament lead. 

Frustrated but committed to staying in the game, Lucas pulled out his Garmin inReach and sent a text to Tony Godwin at Marine Diesel Inc. Godwin met the crew at the dock and quickly got to work to address the issue. In just two hours, he had the boat back in business.

Thanks to Godwin’s trusted hands, the Bull Pen team would have the opportunity to compete for the tournament title on the third and final day. They and 16 other boats left the dock that morning, but none put on a show quite like Lucas and his crew.

Although some crew members were only able to fish one of the two days, the Bull Pen team had considerable depth in the cockpit during the HMY Lowcountry Cup. The crew included Donnie Todd, Chip Byrd, Ryan Sullivan, Evin Hamilton, Hovey Aiken, Jamie Hood, Chris Byrd, Jay McMurphy, Trey Thomas, Grady Chandler, Todd Wigfield, and Matt Byrd.

“Everyone on this team shows up and works really hard,” Lucas says. “Ryan, our tower guy, sits up there all day and works extremely hard for us. Donnie is our full-time mate and always works hard preparing ahead of each tournament. He’s also hooked and released three blue ones for us this year so far. Chip always works his butt off while we’re fishing and helps coach all of our anglers. And our anglers really want to win!”

The Bull Pen program doesn’t hook and hand, so anyone who hooks a fish in the cockpit then plays it. It doesn’t matter whether or not they’re professional anglers. The same rules apply to owners Todd Wigfield and Matt Byrd.

“Todd and Matt are great bosses,” Lucas says. “They’ve grown a lot as anglers too. In just three years we went from not having a team to putting together a group of guys who are very competitive. They’ve done a really good job of listening to the guys in the cockpit. I’m really happy to see just how much they’ve progressed in such a short time.”

On the second day of fishing in the tournament, Bull Pen released another two blues and two sails, bringing their total tally to four blue marlin and seven sailfish. They catapulted back to the top of the leaderboard and claimed a check for over $250,000.

Capt. Sean Dooley and Pat Healey’s Viking 74 finished in second with three blue marlin and six sailfish, earning over $100,000. Fish On, a 48-foot Viking owned by Fish On Sportfishing LLC and captained by Andrew Dotterweich, finished in third and took home close to $20,000 for releasing three blue marlin and three sailfish.

A total of 33 boats fished this year’s HMY Lowcountry Cup hosted at Toler’s Cove Marina. The bite was hot during the tournament, with the fleet releasing 29 blue marlin, 90 sailfish and 1 white marlin. 

The tournament not only delivered an exceptional total purse of over half a million dollars, but it also offered great meals, auction items and parties at Mainland Container Co. Kitchen & Bar. “HMY does a really great job running this event,” Lucas says. “They’ve got cool trophies, good food and a 100 percent payout. They do all the stuff you want to see from a billfish tournament.”

The family-friendly tournament was fun for adults and kids alike, and the Release Marine Fighting Chair competition was a great spectacle for everyone at both the Captains Meeting and Awards Party. 

Like many others at the event, mate Donnie Todd brought his family to the tournament, including his young son. “It means the world to me to see my family after any day on the water,” he says, “But it’s especially exciting after big days like the one we had on Thursday during the HMY Lowcountry Cup. That day was my son’s first birthday, and we had a party for him later that evening. He’s already singling out all of his fishing toys, so I’m pretty sure we’re going to have another angler on our hands!”

The HMY Lowcountry Cup certainly helped bring all the family vibes to the surface, and the Bull Pen team got to fully enjoy their win while surrounded by their many loved ones. 

Congratulations to the Bull Pen and all of the other winners! Next, we head to the fourth leg of the 2025 Series, this week’s Carolina Billfish Classic at Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. We look forward to seeing everyone there as the tight race for the Series title continues!