MegaDock tourney will include Shootout

This week's HMY-Viking MegaDock Tournament, the fourth event in the 2007 South Carolina Governor's Billfishing Series, will have a bonus competition. The 2006 and '07 Carolinas Shootout between North and South Carolina also will be fished simultaneously with the MegaDock Tournament.

The Shootout is an annual competition pitting the top boats from each state's Governor's Cup Series from the previous year against each other. Last year's Shootout was not held. Both the Shootout and the MegaDock events will be fished Thursday-Saturday, with boats allowed to fish two out of three days, captain's choice. Daily weigh-ins will be held from 5-7:30 p.m.

Major Motion, owned by the Buck Morris family of Johns Island, captured last year's MegaDock title with two blue marlin releases. The crew earned a total of $66,367 for their efforts. The 74-boat fleet released 77 billfish during last year's MegaDock Tournament, nine blues, four whites and 64 sailfish.

Representing South Carolina in the Shootout will be Caramba, owned by Robert Faith; Bentley's best, owned by Steve Deese; Syked Out, owned by David Sykes; Home Run, owned by Steve Mungo; Houdini, owned by Jim Shannon; Artemis, owned by John Darby; Game On, owned by Victory Roof; and Dough Boy, owned by Ben and Cynthia Dantzler.

The North Carolina participants are Tuna Trappe III, owned by John Lancaster; Stream Weaver, owned by Rusty Carter; Sea Striker, owned by Adrian Holler; Hatt-A-Boy, owned by Mike Pearce; and Maggie, owned by Randy Bryant.

Scoring for Governor's Cup events is 600 for blue marlin releases, 300 for white marlin releases and 200 for sailfish releases. Blue marlin that are weighed receive one point per pound.

After three events in the South Carolina Governor's Cup, Roulette, owned by Richard Pingree of Beaufort, holds a 100-point margin over Cerveza, owned by Tom Russell of Reston, Va. Roulette, which won the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament, has 2,300 points.