Hatteras Island Surf Challenge Welcome

September 27 – 29, 2024

WELCOME

Welcome to the Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge, an event that Fisherman’s Post is excited to once again bring to the OBX beachfront from Rodanthe down to Hatteras Village.

As everyone knows, Hatteras surf fishing is world class and legendary, and our hope is that this event adds to this dynamic surf fishing community by bringing something new to the island. Our popular tournament format is known for offering (1) individual competition and (2) big cash payouts.

Those that choose to fish with us in late September will stop by our Registration on Friday (Sept. 27) at the Camp Hatteras Conference Center (also the location of Sunday’s awards), check in and grab a wristband, and then go scout out spots on the sand anywhere from Rodanthe down to Hatteras Inlet.

Fishing takes place round-the-clock from 11:59 pm on Friday until noon on Sunday, and immediately following the close of fishing will be our Awards Dinner—a complimentary meal cooked and served by our good friends at Hatteras Island Meals.

Participants will be looking to weigh in the heaviest bluefish, black drum, sea mullet, and pompano over the course of the event. The five heaviest of each of the four species will earn spots on the leaderboard, as well as hefty prize checks.

We’ll also be offering a Slot Red Drum TWT that will reward anglers scaling the top three heaviest redfish (in North Carolina’s 18-27” slot) weighed in over the weekend.

However, if you catch and release a citation red drum during tournament hours, then we want to honor your catch, too. All citation anglers will have their name added to the Big Red Hall of Fame plaque that will be on display year-round at Hatteras Jack, and each year we hope to keep adding new names to the plaque.

Hatteras Jack will serve as one of the five weigh stations. Anglers fishing up and down the island will be pleased to hear that we’ll also have weigh stations in Avon (Frank and Fran’s), Buxton (Hatteras Style Custom Rods), Frisco (Frisco Rod & Gun), and Hatteras Village (Teach’s Lair), so there’s a weigh station convenient to anywhere you may choose to fish over the weekend.

To encourage participants to bring the whole family down to experience that camaraderie firsthand, we have Junior, Senior, and Lady angler prizes, and the heaviest of any of the four eligible species weighed in by those anglers will earn a guaranteed $50.

With a cash-based tournament, it’s important that participants believe in the integrity of the results, so to help make sure everyone plays fair, we will randomly select some of the top finishers to participate in a polygraph test on Sunday before we hand out any prize checks.

The checks and prizes that anglers will be walking away with on Sunday are only part of the story. The sense of community born out of these events is always a pleasure to see and feel for all involved. Participants, volunteers, and sponsors can also feel good knowing that all proceeds from the sale of all tournament fish (to Jeffrey’s Seafood) will be donated to Hatteras Island Meals.

In addition, the Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge is the third qualifying event in the Surf Series Trail, a season-long points competition running in the background of the five surf fishing events we host every year. Individuals can enter the Surf Series Trail during Friday’s Registration, and then use Hatteras fish towards the Surf Series Trail–click here for more info and the complete rules of the Surf Series Trail.

The sponsors who support this event make everything we do possible, so please take time to thank the businesses that help us make the Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge a success. And come see us at Camp Hatteras for Friday’s Registration to get in on the fun.

Gary Hurley / Tournament Director
(910) 452-6378
surf@fishermanspost.com