Tournament Report: Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge
The Fisherman’s Post Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, held on the weekend of May 20-21 and hosted once again at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center, featured a main leaderboard based off of a boat’s single heaviest red drum. The tournament also offered several TWTs, including a Single Big Red Drum TWT, a Two Red Drum TWT, a Speckled Trout TWT, and a “Trash Fish” TWT.
The Ocean Isle event, like all of the Fisherman’s Post red drum tournaments, takes a more casual approach to tournament fishing by allowing as many anglers on your boat as you like, offering the option to fish with live bait, dead bait, or artificials, encouraging family participation through secondary payouts for juniors, ladies, and seniors, and by not requiring live weigh-in of fish by encouraging it through additional cash payouts for fish weighed in alive and in releasable condition.
Team Spot On, captained by Pete Donat, took home first place in the event with a 7.44 lb. red drum. Donat, of Wilmington, NC, fished the Challenge with John King. The two have fished the Trail events for three years straight now, but this weekend they were without their standard third partner for the tournament, Luke Donat, Pete’s brother and local fishing guide who helped with the team’s pre-fishing and planning.
Spot On started off the morning in good fashion, finding quality menhaden before making the run to a few docks where they sifted through some rat reds before making a move. With windy conditions and the tide not in their favor for an afternoon bite, the two headed to a different spot marked by muddy banks with some deeper holes.
In a short window, they caught over ten contending, upper-slot fish before heading to the weigh-in not long after the scales opened at 1:00.
Darrell Teeters, captain of Team Marsh Fiddler, earned second place with a 7.33 lb. redfish. Teeters, of Reidsville, NC, fished the Ocean Isle event with his in-laws, Scott Weaver and Jensen Weaver, along with his grandson, Aiden Frye.
Team Marsh Fiddler started the tournament battling the dead low tides that pushed most of the water out of the holes that they originally planned on fishing. Having to switch up tactics, Teeters and crew moved to targeting some grass beds when the tides began rising. The gusting winds of over 20+ mph did not help their fishing efforts, but they fought through the conditions and continued pitching mud minnows into some tall grass beds.
This tactic is what produced the second place 7.33 lb. red drum that was caught by Teeters’ grandson, Aiden Frye, who also took home the title of Junior Angler Champion.
When asked about the tournament, Teeters remarked, “I started fishing this tournament long ago with my daughter and now I’m fishing it with my grandson, and to be able to get out there and compete and have fun with my family, it’s just special.”
Team BoyznthaBay, captained by Jason Webb from Southport, finished third with their 6.97 lb. red drum. Backwater Bandits would take the top spot in the Trout TWT with a 4.29 lb. speck, and The Waterboys were the top boat in the “Trash Fish” TWT with a 0.78 lb. oyster toad.
The Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge benefits the Wilmington Elks who invest in their communities through programs that help children grow up healthy and drug-free, by undertaking projects that address unmet need, and by honoring the service and sacrifice of our veterans.
For a more complete leaderboard of results, please visit www.FishermansPost.com. You can also view a video recording of the weigh-in (and awards) at the Fisherman’s Post Facebook page.
The website and Facebook page also has information on the next event, the Topsail Inshore Challenge which features a two red drum leaderboard and will be held June 24-25, with Registration at East Coast Sports and the weigh-in at Sloop Point Boat Storage.
