Topsail Fall Surf and Pier Challenge Rules

November 7 – 9, 2025

2025 TOPSAIL FALL SURF & PIER CHALLENGE RULES AND REGULATIONS

Click here for a printable version of the rules: 2024 Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge Rules

This tournament has two divisions: the Surf Division and the Pier Division. Participants may only fish in one division—a participant may not fish in both divisions.
Each division—Surf and Pier—has separate leaderboards with separate payouts.
The tournament’s entry fee (for the Surf Division or for the Pier Division) places you in all four categories. For Surf, the leaderboard categories are bluefish, trout (speckled and gray), black drum, and sea mullet. For Pier, the leaderboard categories are bluefish, red drum, black drum, and sea mullet.
The entry fee for either division does not place you in either TWT, and the Surf and Pier divisions have separate TWTs—Surf Red Drum TWT and Pier Trout TWT.
All participants must be registered by 11:00 pm on Friday, November 7. Registration is on Friday, November 7, from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm. You may pre-register by mailing in the entry form in our tournament booklet or on our website at www.FishermansPost.com (click on “Tournaments” and then “Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge”), or you may pre-register in person at East Coast Sports, Seaview Pier, or Surf City Pier (you may only pre-register at these locations up until Thursday, November 6; afterwards, you must register in person on Friday, November 7, at Tournament HQ).
The tournament fishing time starts 11:59 pm on Friday, November 7, and lasts around the clock until 12:00 noon on Sunday, November 9.
There are four weigh stations: (1) Seaview Pier; (2) East Coast Sports; (3) Surf City Pier; and (4) Jolly Roger Pier.
The four weigh stations will announce the hours they will be open by the start of Registration at 4:00 pm on Friday, November 7. All fish must be in a weigh station line by 12:00 noon on Sunday, November 9.
All participants in the Surf Division must fish from the Topsail Island surf. No boats. No sound or pier fishing. No fishing permitted within 100 yards of any fishing pier. The North End boundary is the “Stop. No Vehicles Beyond This Point” sign. The South End boundary is a direct line drawn through two channel markers in New Topsail Inlet (see boundary map in tournament booklet or on tournament website).
All participants in the Pier Division must fish from one of the three Topsail Island piers and must weigh in at the pier where they are fishing.
All fish weighed must have been caught by the individual bringing them to a weigh station. All fish must be caught on hook and line.
Each participant may not fish more than two rods at a time.
No pin-rigging (no anchor rods). No kites, balloon rigs, paddling out baits, bait cannons, or drones. No chumming or chum pots. No gaffing fish. No netting fish from the surf (cast nets are allowed for the purpose of catching bait only). Pier anglers are allowed to use drop nets.
The tournament will fish rain or shine—no makeup dates are scheduled.
Each participant must physically stop by Registration on Friday, November 7, between 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm to receive the tournament wristband—no exceptions. All participants must then display the tournament wristband while fishing. No fish can be weighed in by an angler not displaying the tournament wristband.
All fish must adhere to North Carolina state size regulations.
No cut or mutilated fish will be accepted.
Any fish weighed in may become the property of the Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge.
The Surf Red Drum TWT and the Pier Trout TWT are voluntary for tournament anglers. Both are offered as another way for participants to win money.
All red drum weighed in, whether for Surf TWT or Pier leaderboard, must be in the slot, and red drum will be measured with belly facing the weigh master and a uniform pinch of the tail.
Both speckled trout and gray trout can be weighed in for the Surf leaderboard or the Pier TWT.
Prizes are awarded solely based on fish weight. In the event of identical weights, the first fish weighed shall be declared the winner. In the event of identical weights and times, any prize money for one or both places on the leaderboard will be divided equally between the two participants.
A participant may not place more than once in any one category, but a participant may place in multiple categories (for example, a participant can’t place twice in the Bluefish category, but a participant can place once in Bluefish, once in Sea Mullet, etc.). A surf participant may only place once in the Surf Red Drum TWT, and a pier participant may only place once in the Pier Trout TWT.
TWT fish (Surf red drum and Pier trout) do not count towards the Junior Angler, Lady Angler, and Senior Angler prizes.
The Junior Angler must be 14-years-old or younger (as of November 7, 2025). This prize is awarded to either the Surf or Pier junior angler that weighs in the heaviest leaderboard fish.
The Lady Angler must be female and 15-years-old or older (as of November 7, 2025). This prize is awarded to either the Surf or Pier lady angler that weighs in the heaviest leaderboard fish.
The Senior Angler must be male and 60-years-old or older (as of November 7, 2025). This prize is awarded to either the Surf or Pier senior angler that weighs in the heaviest leaderboard fish.
By signing the entry form, the participant consents that the Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge may use without payment or restrictions any photographs in which he or she appears for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to resale, advertising, commercial, or promotional material.
Anglers that appear to be in first or second place on Sunday morning in any category (including the TWTs) must make it to Tournament HQ (the location of Awards) by 12:30 pm to be available for a polygraph test. Showing up late or not showing up at all may postpone and/or cancel the reception of any tournament winnings.
Any angler, if directed by the tournament committee, must submit to a polygraph test within 72 hours after the last fish has been weighed. This decision is at the sole discretion of the tournament committee. Should the test be failed or if the angler fails to participate in the polygraph test within the 72 hours, the tournament committee reserves the right to forfeit all winnings awarded to the winner in question.
All protests made to the tournament committee shall be accompanied by a $350 cash deposit. All protests shall be made no later than one hour after the last fish has been weighed. The $350 cash deposit will be returned if the tournament committee upholds the protest. The $350 cash deposit will become the property of the Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge if the protest is not upheld. All decisions of the tournament committee shall be final.
The tournament committee has the right to refuse entry from any applicant. If an entry is refused, then 100% of the applicant’s entry fee will be returned.
All participants are responsible for reading and following all rules and regulations set forth by the Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge.

Questions? Contact Fisherman’s Post at (910) 452-6378 or surf@fishermanspost.com