Tournament Reports – Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge
The 2020 Fisherman’s Post Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge took place on September 25-27 and was accompanied by a warm sun overhead and light winds blowing out to sea. A record number of 94 anglers entered, compared to previous years that averaged 40-60 entries. This tournament paid out the top five winners in each of the four leaderboard categories (bluefish, flounder, sea mullet, and pompano), as well as an in-slot Red Drum TWT.
Kathy Walke, from Kill Devil Hills, weighed in the heaviest bluefish, topping the scales at 3.5 lbs. This was her first time fishing the tournament, and she was joined by her husband Orrin “Bubba” Walke. The pair usually fish for pompano and flounder, but they decided to focus on bluefish this time. Fishing near Access 38 with cut shrimp and finger mullet, she caught a bounty of smaller fish early on. Eventually, something larger took her bait. “I thought it was a skate the way it hit,” Walke recounts, as it bit her hook quickly and felt quite heavy. Her fish propelled her both to top honors in the Bluefish Division and the Lady Angler title.
Kathe Walke, from Kill Devil Hills, won the Bluefish Division of the Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge with a 3.5 lb. blue caught near Access 38 using cut bait.
In the pompano category, three fish were weighed in at 0.5 lbs. Larry Hart luckily got to the scales first at 8:26 a.m., just six minutes before K. Maynor, who placed second.
“This was the first tournament that wasn’t canceled this fall,” says Hart, who got to the beach early, excited to be fishing. Using sand fleas, he easily reeled in a variety of fish, which included four “decent” puppy drum and a couple of pompano.
Hart, too, had been fishing near Access 38, in close vicinity to other tournament anglers including Maynor, who caught his 0.5 lb. pompano at virtually the same place and same time. Hart says, “I didn’t even think to weigh in the pompano but some other guys said I might get some money out of it.” The fish put him first in the pompano category, and a puppy drum landed in the same area had him temporarily in first place in the Red Drum TWT, a lead he later lost.
“I got knocked out of the money on that one,” explains Hart. “I’ll definitely be back to fish it again. I had a lot of fun.”
Randy Marks, of Lobelia, NC, domineered the sea mullet category with his 1.4 lb. fish. L. Hart came in a close second with a 1.2 lb. sea mullet.
No flounder were weighed in this year.
The heaviest in-the-slot red drum was weighed in by Grady Edwards, topping the leaderboard at 6.9 lbs. Edwards, who recently moved to the area from Kill Devil Hills, fished alongside his dad, Gary Edwards, a long time area resident, and his dad’s cousin, Greg Parker.
Randy Marks, of Lobelia, NC, took the top spot in the Sea Mullet Division in the 2020 Hatteras Island Surf Fishing Challenge with a 1.4 lb. fish.
At Ramp 38, the trio had a slow morning with not much biting until around 10:00 a.m. Cut mullet and Carolina rigs were their accoutrements of choice. “Uncle Greg hooked the first one at 23 inches,” stated Grady Edwards. Less than an hour later, as they were sitting down to break for breakfast, his winning fish hit. “My uncle says to me, ‘Something’s fixin’ to happen right now on your rod.’ And so I turned to look,” described Grady.
His fight with the redfish took him 200 yards down the beach. Ducking under and around the rods of other perturbed anglers, he finally reeled it into the sand, with Gary and Greg at the water’s edge to welcome in the 25.5” drum.
“It was my first red I had ever caught in the surf. I knew it would place but wasn’t sure it would win,” said Grady, enjoying first place honors and a prize check for over $870.
Due to COVID-19, the final leaderboard review was held outside at Camp Hatteras’ Conference Center, and the Award’s Ceremony was conducted at Hatteras Jack. All fish weighed in are sold and the proceeds donated to Hatteras Island Meals.
For more information on this tournament, including a complete leaderboard and upcoming events, visit www.fishermanspost.com or follow the Fisherman’s Post Facebook page.
