Ten teams will compete for their share of a $100,000 purse when the 2023 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter Boats travels to Winyah Bay Oct. 27-29.
Georgetown County has hosted a range of Bassmaster events since 2015, including the Elite Series and the College National Championship, but never the Redfish Cup.
“We’re excited to bring the Redfish Cup to Georgetown for the first time,” said Tournament Director Hank Weldon. “This is always such a compelling fishery for bass competition, and we expect nothing less for this event. Over the past two years, it’s been fun to see a mix of inshore and bass tactics being used, and the competitors, sportfishing fans and viewers have all really embraced this format.”
Unlike other Bassmaster tournaments hosted in Georgetown County, this one is focused on a television audience more so than a live spectacle. It has been a hit with fishing fans, who streamed a whopping 22.5 million minutes of Redfish Cup coverage in 2022 and can once more look forward to live coverage on both Bassmaster.com and FS1.
This makes it a prime opportunity for Georgetown County to showcase itself as a destination to a huge audience likely to appreciate its five rivers and other natural features.
“Since Georgetown County hosted its first Bassmaster event in
2015, we have continued to enjoy
working with B.A.S.S. and welcome all levels of bass fishing events to our unique coastal fishery,” said Beth Goodale, Georgetown County’s director of Parks and Recreation. “This year, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome this relatively new version of the Bassmaster Redfish Cup to Georgetown County.”
Redfish World Series champions Sean O’Connell and Edward Adams took the title last year in Texas, edging out the 2021 Redfish Cup winning team of Bassmaster Elite Series veteran Chris Zaldain and IFA Redfish Tour standout Ryan Rickard.
“The stage that we were fishing and the platform that B.A.S.S. created is unparalleled by anything I’ve ever fished in redfishing,” O’Connell said of the 2022 Redfish Cup event. “We’ve never been able to fish live and have the BassTrakk live standings. People now get to see what we do. This brought redfishing to a new stage, and I can’t thank B.A.S.S. enough.”
In a twist to the format for 2023, each angler can weigh in up to two fish in the 17- to 23-inch slot per day for a total of four fish per team.
Once more the contest will feature a mix of championship-caliber professional redfish teams along with four all-star teams featuring Bassmaster Elite Series pro anglers paired with redfish pros:
• Forrest Wood Cup and St. Croix Bassmaster Opens champion Justin Atkins and 2023 Redfish World Series qualifier Rickard, who finished third in the Power-Pole Pro Redfish Tour Team of the Year standings and has two Top 2 finishes in the Bassmaster Redfish Cup.
• 2019 Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year Scott Canterbury and veteran redfish angler and charter captain Krista Miller, known in many circles as “Krista Redfish.”
• Two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Ray Hanselman and former FLW Redfish Championship winner Dwayne Eschete, who is making his second appearance on a Bassmaster Redfish Cup all-star team.
• 2020 TNT B.A.S.S. Nation Champion Pat Schlapper and Charleston-native and popular charter captain, Ben Powers.
These all-star teams will not only be joined by the returning champions O’Connell and Adams, but five additional redfish teams representing the Professional Redfish League, Elite Redfish Series and Power-Pole Pro Redfish Tour will compete as well. Aaron Salazar and Ben Human edged out the team of Ken and Jeff Mullett by five points to win the Power-Pole Pro Redfish Team of the Year title. The remaining teams will be announced at a later date.
Fans can catch Bassmaster Redfish LIVE coverage all three days of the tournament on Bassmaster.com. FS1 will broadcast live Oct. 28-29 beginning at 8 a.m.