Topsail Spring Surf and Pier Challenge Welcome

May 2 – 4, 2025

WELCOME

Welcome to another year of the Topsail Spring Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge–a popular, early season event that includes Topsail’s many miles of ocean beachfront that are perfect for surf fishing, as well as the island’s three iconic fishing piers.

This year’s schedule of events will follow the model of previous year’s, with round-the-clock fishing from the piers and sand starting at 11:59 pm on Friday, and the fishing wrapping up at noon on Sunday.

Anglers in the two divisions—Surf and Pier—have separate leaderboards, so pier anglers will only be competing against other pier anglers and surf anglers will only be competing against other surf anglers.

The Surf and Pier divisions offer slightly different target species. The Surf Division pays out for the heaviest bluefish, trout, sea mullet, and black drum, and then the Pier Division pays out for the heaviest bluefish, spanish, sea mullet, and black drum. The Surf division is still paying out for the heaviest five fish in each of the four categories (totaling 20 payouts), and for Pier, the leaderboard pays out for the heaviest three fish in each of the four categories (totaling 12 payouts).

We pay out the same percentage of entry fee money for both the Surf and Pier divisions, but we pay out three places for Pier because there are typically less Pier entries than Surf and we want to make the payouts attractive for pier anglers who make the leaderboard.

In addition to separate leaderboards for primary payouts, there are also separate TWTs for surf and pier anglers. Surf anglers have the option of entering the voluntary Surf Red Drum TWT (red drum must be in the slot), and pier anglers are offered the voluntary Pier Trout TWT (both speckled and gray can be weighed in).

The Special Prizes, though, will be a combined competition, with surf and pier anglers all vying together to be the Junior, Lady, or Senior Angler champions.

Also returning is the popular Pier Cup, where the pier angler that weighs in the heaviest fish (not counting trout) gets his/her name and weight of fish engraved on the Pier Cup, along with the name of the pier where the fish was caught. The winning pier then gets possession of the Pier Cup until, as tradition goes, it is defended at the next Topsail event (both the spring and fall events feature the same Pier Cup competition).

East Coast Sports and the Medlin family continue to be the driving force in bringing our surf/pier events to the island, and we’re very excited to set up Tournament HQ once again at their Fishing Village. East Coast Sports offers not only a central location for our Registration and Awards, but it’s also the island’s most fully-stocked tackle shop for anglers needing to gear up on supplies leading into and during the competition.

All participants will receive complimentary tickets to the event’s Awards Dinner. This great meal (catered by the local Boy Scout troop) is on Sunday following the close of fishing, and it’s presented free to all tournament anglers thanks to East Coast Sports. In addition, all anglers at Registration will receive a free ticket for the big Prize Raffle (held immediately following the 2:00 pm Awards Ceremony).

In addition, the Topsail Spring Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge is the second qualifying event in the Surf Series Trail, a season-long points competition running in the background of the five surf fishing events we host every year. Individuals can enter the Surf Series Trail during Friday’s Registration, and then use Topsail Spring fish (if you’re entered in the Surf Division) towards the Surf Series Trail–click here for more info and the complete rules of the Surf Series Trail.

Also returning this year will be our beneficiary, First Fruit Ministries. First Fruit Ministries began in 1998 and has grown to serve over 20,000 hot meals, provide emergency groceries to over 5,000 households, and shelter over 24 homeless women and families annually, and they will receive the donation of all fish weighed in by all anglers over the course of the weekend.

The sponsors who support these events make everything we do possible, so please take time to support and thank the businesses who help us make the Topsail Spring Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge and the Surf Series Trail a reality.

And come see us under the tent at East Coast Sports for Friday’s Registration to get in on the fun.

Gary Hurley / Tournament Director
(910) 452-6378
surf@fishermanspost.com