Tournament Report: Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge
The 2022 Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge was the only Fisherman’s Post boat event that took place during the keeper flounder season, and it featured a split leaderboard this year, offering anglers payouts for the top six flounder and the top six red drum. The competition was hosted September 9-10, and once again the Tournament HQ was at Inlet Watch Marina.
In addition to the split leaderboard, the event also offered several TWTs: Single Flounder TWT, High Roller Flounder TWT, Single Red Drum TWT, and High Roller Red Drum TWT.
With the Harvest Moon at full phase, it made for strong tides throughout the one day of fishing. The wind on Saturday was northeast and it was a rainy day, making it a less than ideal day to be out on the water. However, over 40 anglers still made the best of the unpreferable conditions.
The top boat in the Flounder Division at the close of scales on Saturday was Coastline Charters and Luke Moser. Luke Moser, fishing with Eddie Moser, weighed in a 7.98 lb. flatfish.
The Coastline Charters crew primarily fished docks throughout the day, targeting them with live menhaden. They had already landed four fish, including a 22” fish, when their big one hit around 8:15 am. The bite came near the top of the high tide.
They finished out the day landing about 30 flounder, with most in the 18-20” range and their second biggest at 22.5”.
Brian Milliken and Brandon Silva, of “Killin Time,” came in second place in the Flounder Division with a 5.99 lb. flattie. They found the nearly 6-pounder in the Carolina Beach area using a finger mullet on a Carolina rig.
In addition to the leaderboard flounder, “Killin Time” also weighed in a 6.34 lb. red drum, and their two-fish aggregate (one flounder and one red drum) of 12.33 lbs. earned “Killin Time” the Aggregate title.
Coming in first place in the Red Drum Division was Curt Powell and Team PPG Sea Pro. Powell fished with Scott Terry, Zach Rowe, and Powell’s cousin Jason Godwin. Godwin caught the winning 7.01 lb. red drum.
They started by fishing docks in the Holden Beach area, but they didn’t do too much and so headed to another location near Fort Caswell. At Fort Caswell, they hooked one red drum, and that one red drum would be the heaviest of the event. The fish hit a mullet minnow at the beginning of the outgoing tide.
Afterwards, PPG Sea Pro went in search of a flounder, but the biggest they found were all 18-19”.
Scott Teeters, with Marsh Fiddler, came in second place in the Red Drum Division, losing out by 1/100 of a pound with a 7.00 lb. red drum. Fishing with Teeters was Aiden Frye (who also won Junior Angler), April Case (who also won lady Angler), and Darren Case.
The team dodged storms most of the day and then found their heavy redfish about 1’ off of some grass. The red hit live bait on the bottom. The team only caught 5 fish all day: one that was over, one that they weighed, and three that were smaller.
They saw numerous more fish up in the flooded grass but just couldn’t get to them.
For more information on the Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge, including the complete leaderboard results, please visit www.FishermansPost.com.
