Tournament Report: Topsail Inshore Challenge
The Fisherman’s Post Topsail Inshore Challenge, hosted over the weekend of June 23-24, is a two red drum leaderboard event, with a Single Big Red Drum TWT, Two Red Drum TWT, and Trash Fish TWT (oyster toad or lizardfish).
After Registration and a Captain’s Meeting at East Coast Sports on Friday, the 51 boats headed out on Saturday morning in the hopes of bringing some heavy, upper-slot redfish to the tournament weigh-in, staged at Sloop Point Marina in Hampstead. Sloop Point Marina was also the host of the Awards Dinner, a welcome spread of hot dogs, watermelon, chips, and cookies, as well as beverages provided by Anheuser Busch, for all tournament anglers after what was a dry (no heavy rain as was forecasted) but windy day of fishing.
Team Parker, comprised of brothers Sam and Mark Daughtry from Scotts Hill, NC, walked away from the weekend with the top honors for their two-fish total weight of 13.96 lbs.
The team started their morning off in high hopes, even without much prior scouting. Bait was plentiful, and good-sized menhaden were easy to find that morning as they pushed off towards their first stop, a local and shallow bay.
The action came quick, as Mark’s first cast saw a strike. They could see as the fish got to the boat that it was a great first fish, one with wide shoulders and looking to be right at the top of the slot (estimated at close to 7.5 lbs.). The excitement vanished quickly, though, after a head snap and the hook was pulled.
Team Parker tried their best not to spend time cursing their luck, and they set out more rods with Carolina-rigged pogies. On about the fourth bait change, Mark redeemed himself by putting a worthy keeper in the boat. The bite slowed down at their first stop, as well as at a couple of close-by spots in those morning hours, forcing the anglers to make a change and run south to a familiar mainland creek.
Sam (pictured) and Mark Daughtry, of Team Parker, with one of the two slot red drum that earned them top honors in the 2023 Topsail Inshore Challenge. Both of their fish came from Carolina-rigged pogies, and the team’s two-fish total was 13.96 lbs.
In the creek, a Carolina-rigged finger mullet netted the team the first, and largest, of their two final fish (at 7.09 lbs.). They fished another marsh-side bay that shortly produced the second fish (at 6.87 lbs.). With two solid, upper-slot fish, they decided to run back and weigh-in early to avoid any tie-breakers in what can at times be a tight race.
Team Kook Tacos, from Ocean Isle, NC, made up of Tripp Hooks, Tim Disano, Jimmy Dever, and Hunter Williams, took second place after weighing their heaviest two fish from Saturday’s effort. In a “photo finish,” Team Kook Tacos’ total weight for their two red drum was short of the top prize by a mere one hundredth of a pound, with a two-fish total weight of 13.95 lbs.
Tripp and Tim had scouted out some target areas in the week leading up to the event. The only problem was that these areas required a long run from their home waters to weigh in. Come Saturday morning, the long run was a risk and cost that they were willing to take to avoid the fishing pressure of targeting unknown areas.
Kook Tacos arrived at the Shallotte River early and started targeting some oyster beds in a shallow bay as the tide was starting to rise. They free-lined finger mullet over these oyster beds (with about one-foot of water) and had immediate success.
Team Kook Tacos, comprised of Jimmy Dever, Tripp Hooks, Tim Disano, and Hunter Williams, with the two red drum weighing a total of 13.95 lbs. that earned second place in the 2023 Topsail Inshore Challenge. Their fish came from drifting finger mullet over an oyster bed.
Tripp quickly put in the boat both of the team’s final fish, one weighing 7.05 lbs. and another weighing 6.90 lbs., and the team felt confident enough to start working north towards Topsail by 9:00 am.
After a couple pit stops in the Cape Fear River, finding only non-target flounder, they arrived to weigh-in shortly after Team Parker. Maybe it was the long run, or maybe it was Jimmy dropping the fish and kicking off a last bit of scales and spit that was the reason they lost by such a small margin.
Team Holmes, led by Hampstead angler Ron Holmes who was joined by Paul Daughtry (brother to Sam and Mark of Team Parker), earned third place with their two red drum weight of 13.46 lbs.
Team Holmes spent their morning fishing live baits around some random docks and grass lines as they awaited the tide to rise enough to get back into their target bay behind Lee Island. As soon as the water allowed (around mid-morning), they creeped in and quickly found success with their live menhaden.
Their plan worked out, as the pair quickly landed two keepers weighing 6.45 lbs. (Ron) and 7.01 lbs. (Paul). With two very solid fish in the boat, the team only put in a couple more hours before heading to weigh-in a couple of hours before scales closing.
In the ongoing Inshore Trail, a side competition happening in the background of the five Inshore Challenge events, the single heaviest fish was weighed in by Team Change Order. Change Order brought to scales a tournament-best 7.86 lb. red drum, and the Trail boat win automatically qualified the team for the Inshore Trail Championship.
The Topsail Inshore Challenge benefits the Wilmington Elks, who give back to our community through youth programs and honoring the service and sacrifice of our veterans.
To see the complete Topsail Inshore Challenge leaderboard, and to keep up to date on the Inshore Trail leaders and details on the upcoming Wrightsville Beach Inshore Challenge hosted July 21-22, visit FishermansPost.com or check out Fisherman’s Post on their Facebook page.
