Inshore Tournament Trail Regular Season

Welcome to the 2025 Inshore Trail!

REGISTER ONLINE:

DOWNLOAD PRINT ENTRY FORM:

2024 Inshore Trail Print Entry Form

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE RULES:

2024 Inshore Trail Rules

INSHORE TRAIL QUICK FACTS

Inshore Trail Division: Red Drum (limited to 50 boats)

Inshore Trail Entry Fee: $400 per boat
Boats still must pay to enter each individual event, but boats will not have to pay an entry fee for the Inshore Trail Championship event.

Inshore Trail Points: Point system is based on weight of fish in hundredths (ex. 6.65 lb. fish equals 6.65 points). Top teams will be determined by heaviest point/weight total of three heaviest red drum over course of the Trail.

No Minimum Entry: Don’t have to fish all five events–fish as many events as you wish. Fishing more events, though, gives the boat the possibility of weighing in up to ten red drum (dropping seven). Your goal is three heavy red drum at the end of the Trail.

Red Drum Per Event: In all five Inshore Challenge events–Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, Topsail Inshore Challenge, Wrightsville Beach Inshore Challenge, Southport Inshore Challenge, and Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge–up to two red drum qualify for Inshore Trail standings.

Havana’s $500 Regular Season Prize: Havana’s Restaurant is offering a guaranteed $500 payout to the team that finishes the regular season in first place.

Inshore Trail Championship Qualifying: Top 10 boats through Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge (heaviest three-fish aggregate) qualify for invite-only Championship. The top Trail boat in each of the five individual Trail payout events also qualifies (maximum of 15 boats qualify for Championship).

Inshore Trail Championship: This invite-only event will be held Sunday, September 7, at Inlet Watch Marina.

Inshore Trail Payouts: $18,000 (based on 50 boats in each division), and Trail money is paid out through individual event payouts ($9,000) and Trail Championship ($9,000).

Inshore Trail Individual Event Payouts:

1st	2nd	3rd
$1000	$500	$300

(payouts will be awarded in all five Trail events: Ocean Isle, Topsail, WB, Southport, and CB)

Inshore Trail Championship Payouts:

1st	2nd	3rd
$5000	$2500	$1500

Family Friendly Rules: As many anglers on boat as you like, can use live or dead bait, and fish don’t have to be weighed in alive (check each individual tournament’s rules for a more complete listing).

INSHORE TRAIL QUALIFYING EVENTS

Event #1
Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge: May 16 – 17, 2025, at Ocean Isle Fishing Center
Red Drum Trail Payouts: 1st–$1000, 2nd–$500, 3rd–$300

Event #2
Topsail Inshore Challenge: June 27 – 28, 2025, at East Coast Sports & Sloop Point Marina
Red Drum Trail Payouts: 1st–$1000, 2nd–$500, 3rd–$300

Event #3
Wrightsville Beach Inshore Challenge: July 18 – 19, 2025, at Tex’s Tackle & Wrightsville Beach Marina
Red Drum Trail Payouts: 1st–$1000, 2nd–$500, 3rd–$300

Event #4
Southport Inshore Challenge: August 15 – 16, 2025, at Morningstar Marinas Southport
Red Drum Trail Payouts: 1st–$1000, 2nd–$500, 3rd–$300

Event #5
Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge: September 5 – 6, 2025, at Inlet Watch Marina
Red Drum Trail Payouts: 1st–$1000, 2nd–$500, 3rd–$300

INSHORE TRAIL CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT

Invite-only: Must be one of the top qualifying boats in the Inshore Trail to earn an invitation to fish this event.

One Fishing Day: September 7, 2025, at Inlet Watch Marina
Entry Fee: No separate entry fee–your entry fee is covered by your Inshore Trail entry fee
Havana’s $500 Big Fish Prize: Havana’s Restaurant is offering a guaranteed $500 payout to the team that weighs in the single heaviest red drum in the Championship.

Winners for Inshore Trail Championship based on boat’s heaviest weight of up to two red drum.

Inshore Trail Championship Payouts: 1st–$5000, 2nd–$2500, 3rd–$1500
(based on 50 boats entered in the Trail)

CONTACT

Please direct all questions to Fisherman’s Post at (910) 452-6378, or you can send an email to trail@fishermanspost.com.