2026 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge
The 2026 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, held May 15‑16, marked the start of Fisherman’s Post red drum events. Like all five events on the Trail, the Ocean Isle tournament is scored on a boat’s single heaviest red drum, with numerous TWTs and secondary prizes rounding out the payouts.
The Ocean Isle event also marks the start of the season‑long competition that rewards boats for consistent performance across all five tournaments from May through early September.
Team Chasin Copper, made up of Ben Canady and his dad Sam Canady, won the 2026 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge with a 7.96 lb. red drum that also earned them first place in the Single Big Red Drum TWT, the Two Red Drum TWT with a 14.78 lb. combined weight, and the High Roller TWT. The father‑and‑son team fishes out of Ocean Isle Beach and has recently been spending more time working the Southport side of the river.
Ben and Sam pre‑fished Thursday and Friday from Ocean Isle up toward Southport. They caught fish both days, but nothing that suggested they had found the right class. Still, the scouting helped them eliminate water and narrow their plan for tournament morning. With about two hours of rising tide to start the day, they chose an area that had produced for them the previous year. They hadn’t checked it recently, but the tide lined up, and they decided to take the gamble.
Ben and Sam Canady, of Team Chasin Copper, won the 2026 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge with a 7.96 lb. red drum. They found the first place fish using a paddle tail near a creek mouth.
The decision paid off immediately. In the first 30 minutes, they caught an over‑slot fish, followed ten minutes later by another over‑slot. The quality told them they were in the right class.
Around 6:30 a.m., within the first hour of fishing, Ben put the winning 7.96 lb. red drum in the boat. After a few more fish that didn’t help, they ran toward the lower Cape Fear River.
Their second fish, a 6.83 lb. red drum that served as their kicker for the Two Red Drum TWT, came around 10:00 a.m. once the tide began to fall. This one came from farther up the river, in creek mouths and deeper pockets where they had caught fish earlier in the week.
Team Fowler, made up of brothers Barry and Tim Fowler and neighbor Xavier “Zave” Broadbeck, finished in second place with a 7.46 lb. red drum that also earned Barry the Senior Angler title. Their fish secured second on the main leaderboard, second in the High Roller TWT, and third in the Two Red Drum TWT with a 13.44 lb. combined weight.
Launching from Dutchman’s Creek, the team had gathered roughly 150 finger mullet the night before and chilled them in 52‑degree water to keep them lively. Barry had tracked the tide closely, expecting dead high around 8:30 a.m. where they planned to fish. Their first hour produced only one missed bite, with the recent king tide pushing fish deep into the grass.
Team Fowler’s Barry Fowler, Tim Fowler, and Zave Broadbeck finished in second place in the 2026 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge with a 7.46 lb. red drum that hit a finger mullet.
After rotating through several spots, they returned to their original area around 10:30 a.m. and hooked a 4 lb. fish and then a 6 lb. red drum they kept as their second fish.
Minutes after the 6 lb. red drum went into the livewell, Tim hooked their biggest fish of the day—the 7.46 lb. red drum that secured second place. With healthy fish in the livewell and a long run ahead from Dutchman’s Creek to Ocean Isle, they headed for the scales. Their 7.46 lb. fish held strong until the final minutes, when the eventual winners edged them out.
Team Salt Air Fishing, made up of Christian Hairr, his dad Jeff Hairr, and Blake Boyd, finished in third place with a 7.28 lb. red drum. Their fish earned third in the Single Big Red Drum TWT, second in the Two Red Drum TWT with a 14.36 lb. combined weight, and third in the High Roller TWT. Christian and Jeff are from Holly Ridge, and Blake is from Hampstead.
Launching from Sloop Point, the team fished the south Topsail area. Their first two planned spots didn’t produce, but on their third stop, around 8:30 to 8:45 a.m., they found a steady bite and boxed both tournament fish before 9:30 a.m. They fished open marsh country on the backside of south Topsail, targeting grass islands, natural oyster rocks, and early‑summer habitat that begins holding better‑quality red drum. They started with artificials but switched to live and cut mullet on Carolina rigs and knocker rigs once they located the right class of fish.
Team Salt Air Fishing, made up of Christian Hairr, Jeff Hairr, and Blake Boyd, took third place in the 2026 Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge with a 7.28 lb. red drum caught behind south Topsail island.
As the close of scales, a standout detail about this event was that 100% of the fish weighed in were released alive.
For a complete leaderboard for the Ocean Isle Inshore Challenge, as well as current standings for the Inshore Trail, visit www.FishermansPost.com. The website also includes information on the next red drum event, the Topsail Inshore Challenge, with registration at East Coast Sports on Friday, June 26, and weigh‑in at Sloop Point Marina on Saturday, June 27.
