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Inshore Tournament Trail Welcome

 

WELCOME

Eight years after the first Spring Inshore Challenge (which started in Carolina Beach and then was moved to Wrightsville Beach) and with four NC Flatfish Championships in the books, Fisherman’s Post Newspaper is expanding our commitment to fun-filled, family-oriented (and full of cash and prizes) inshore tournaments with the 2012 Inshore Tournament Trail.

Three new events—in Morehead City, Topsail, and Southport—will be added to the two already established tournaments to create the trail. Each new event will follow the popular format of the 2011 Spring Inshore Challenge, featuring independent flounder and red drum leaderboards with ten payout spots each.

Participants will receive points corresponding to the weights of their fish in each event, competing for the highest total points for red drum and highest total points for flounder on our way to crowning a pair of annual Inshore Trail Champions.

Since we recognize that fishing all five tournaments may be challenging for some anglers, the Series Champions will be based on the top three fish (out of the five events), meaning anglers need only fish three of the five events to be competitive.

In fact, you’re not required to even fish three events. If you have two fish (from two tournaments) that are heavy enough to get you on the Inshore Trail leaderboard at the end of the year, then you’re a winner. And if you decide to fish all five, then you can cull three fish from your five to make the strongest run for the title.

Anglers will automatically be entered in the Inshore Trail competition by fishing any of the five events, so there’s no separate entry fee or registration, just more to win for the lucky anglers who finish on top at the end of the year.

In keeping with the conservation-minded tradition of the Inshore Challenge and NC Flatfish Championship, live weigh-in will be encouraged with bonus payouts for all fish making the leaderboard that are weighed in alive. Some of these fish are going to further aquaculture research at UNCW, and the remainder will be immediately released. However, as we recognize that not every boat has the capacity to keep a pair of trophy fish alive all day, no penalty will be incurred for weighing in a dead fish.

Fisherman’s Post’s commitment to the community will also be in evidence, with a local non-profit organization (such as the Cape Fear Community College Marine Technology Program) receiving proceeds from each event.

We at the newspaper pride ourselves on putting on an “event,” as opposed to just a tournament—so anglers can expect food, beverages, raffles, camaraderie, and more surrounding the Registration and Awards Ceremonies of each of the new tournaments. Heavy-hitting sponsors like Berkley and Budweiser have already signed on, and it’s their support that makes these “events” instead of simply fishing competitions.

Of course, the backbone of any tournament is the competition, and to that end, we’ll be offering over 25 ways to take home a check from the leaderboard of any of the events (we have Aggregate payouts as well as junior, lady, and senior angler prizes), and our popular TWTs (Tournament Within a Tournament) will be offered in order to further fatten those checks.

We’re very excited to be expanding our tournament umbrella here at Fisherman’s Post, and we hope you’re excited to fish some of these new events.

Stay tuned to the newspaper and to www.fishermanspost.com for more information on the 2012 Fish Post Inshore Tournament Trail, and we look forward to seeing new and old faces alike at the registration tables!

Max Gaspeny
(910) 409-0861
max@fishermanspost.com