2025 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge

The 2025 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, held over the weekend of May 16-17, marked the start of Fisherman’s Post red drum tournament trail, bringing together dedicated anglers and smart game plans. The Ocean Isle event, like all five of the red drum tournaments that Fisherman’s Post will host this year, has a main leaderboard based off of a boat’s single heaviest red drum, as well as numerous TWTs and other secondary prizes.

While the Ocean Isle tournament is a great standalone event offering numerous prizes and cash payouts, the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge is also the start of the Inshore Tournament Trail, a season-long competition that rewards those boats that perform well over the course of the five events. These five events begin with Ocean Isle in May and end with Carolina Beach in early September.

The winning team in this year’s Ocean Isle event was Team Fowler. They topped the leaderboard with an 8.02 lb. fish and followed it up with wins in the Single Big Red Drum TWT, Two Red Drum TWT, and High Roller Single Big Red Drum TWT. They also claimed the SeaTow Heaviest Red Drum award, and to cap it off, team member Tim Fowler earned the Senior Angler title.

Team Fowler, made up of Tim Fowler, Barry Fowler, and Xavier Broadbeck, took the top spot in the 2025 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge (and over $3000 in prize money) with an 8.02 lb. red drum caught in the lower Cape Fear River on a live finger mullet.

Team Fowler, made up of Barry Fowler, his brother Tim Fowler, and longtime friend Xavier “Xave” Broadbeck, all from the High Point/Winston-Salem area, kicked the weekend off by netting around 150 finger mullet the day before the tournament, chilling them overnight in ice cold water to keep them fresh and lively. 

With low tide limiting access to their usual spots in the lower Cape Fear River, they shifted focus to deeper holes about 4-5’ deep that featured submerged structure and oyster bars. Their thinking was straightforward: “If the bait’s there, the redfish are there.”

The team landed several fish in their starting location, beginning with a 5.12 lb. red drum right at 6:01 am that kicked off their morning. Just nine minutes later, they added a 7.53 lb. fish to the box, and by 6:40 am, they had their best catch of the day—an 8.02 lb. red drum that ultimately secured first place on the leaderboard. The combined weight of the 7.53 and 8.02 lb. fish also earned them the top spot in the Two Red Drum TWT. 

William Monroe (right), Casey Swope (not pictured), and Chad Barnette (left), on Team Backwater Bandits, finished in second place in the 2025 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge with a 7.59 lb. red drum. They found the fish in the Cape Fear River using a live finger mullet under a popping cork.

The Backwater Bandits, made up of William Monroe, Casey Swope, and Chad Barnette, gathered finger mullet late Friday evening, and their gameplan for Saturday was live finger mullet fished under popping corks in the Cape Fear River. 

While many teams found early success, the Bandits’ bite didn’t turn on until late in the day. Just before 3:00 pm, the team hooked their first solid fish—a 5.7 lb. red drum—followed immediately by another at 3:01 pm, weighing in at 6.51 lbs. With the clock ticking and doubts about making it to the scales in time, they released both fish and decided to keep fishing just for fun. However, everything changed at 3:05 pm, when Monroe hooked into a 7.59 lb. red drum.

With just under an hour left to reach Ocean Isle, they averaged 58 mph down the waterway and made it to the scales with 10 minutes to spare. The team’s single fish gave them second place both on the leaderboard and in the Single Red Drum TWT.

Team Axopar, made up of Pete Donat, Luke Donat, and John King (not pictured), finished in third place in the 2025 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge with a 7.17 lb. redfish that fell for a live pogie up north in the Cape Fear River.

Team Axopar, made up of Luke Donat, his brother Pete Donat, and longtime friend John King, went after fresh pogies the morning of the tournament and then headed up north in the Cape Fear River. They landed a 7.17 lb. redfish, their biggest of the day, and the fish earned third place on the leaderboard and in the Single Red Drum TWT, and their 6.56 lb. second fish brought them second place in the Two Red Drum TWT. 

For a more complete leaderboard for the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, as well as the current standings for the Inshore Tournament Trail, you can visit www.FishermansPost.com. The website also includes information on the next red drum tournament, the Topsail Inshore Challenge that has Registration at East Coast Sports on Friday, June 28, and a weigh-in at Sloop Point Marina on Saturday, June 29.

by Fish Poster