2026 Southport Inshore Challenge
The 2026 Southport Inshore Challenge took place on August 15-16 out of Morningstar Marina. The event started slowly under a stubborn rising tide, but the late morning brought the best action of the day as the tide finally turned. By afternoon, a fast‑moving storm rolled through the Cape Fear region and sent boats to find temporary cover or make an early run to the scales.Â
Many teams, though, still managed to put quality fish on the Southport leaderboard, based on a boat’s single heaviest slot red drum, with several TWTs and bonus prizes also in play.
Kook Tacos took top honors with a 7.65 lb. red drum, earning 1st Place Red Drum, 1st Place Single Big Red Drum TWT, and 1st Place High Roller TWT. Their two‑fish total of 14.37 lbs. also secured 2nd Place in the Two Red Drum TWT.
The Kook Tacos, made up of Tim Disano, Jimmy McDeever, and Hunter Williams, took first place in the 2026 Southport Inshore Challenge with a 7.65 lb. red drum that hit a live mullet near some flooded grass.
Their morning started slow, but the break came right on the high outgoing tide change around 10:00 am. Fishing a flooded‑grass stretch, they pitched live mullet on light Carolina rigs, knocker rigs, and jig heads, catching three over-slots in a short span. The fourth bite, the one they initially assumed was another over, turned out to be the tournament winner.Â
The fish measured 26.5 inches across multiple checks and carried the weight they needed.
Their second keeper, the 6.72 lb. fish that secured their Two‑Red TWT finish came around 11:00-ish, the only bite they found between several docks.
Salt Air Fishing Charters earned 2nd Place Red Drum with a 7.44 lb. fish, a catch that also anchored their 1st Place Two‑Red TWT total of 14.76 lbs. Fishing with his dad Jeff Hairr and friend Blake Boyd, Christian Hairr stayed on a stretch of South Topsail shoreline that has now produced for them in back‑to‑back events.
Christian Hairr, Blake Boyd, and Jeff Hairr (not pictured), fishing as Salt Air Fishing Charters, earned a second place finish in the 2026 Southport Inshore Challenge with a 7.44 lb. red drum they pulled from oyster structure using mullet.
Their winning fish came after a slow start under a high incoming tide. The crew switched from topwater to live mullet and cut mullet and found their first keeper around 7:45 a.m. on a productive set of docks. Shortly after at around 9:30 a.m., they hooked the 7.44 lb. red that carried their day, pulling the fish from oyster structure that has become one of their most reliable tournament spots.
The team counted 25 reds by noon, breaking off several more before running back through the afternoon lightning storm toward Southport.
Mike Mitchell, fishing solo out of his 21’ Pair Custom, earned a 3rd Place Red Drum finish in his first ever tournament with a 6.75 lb. fish. Mitchell began his morning on the Yaupon Reef at 6:45 a.m., checking a spot that had produced drum the week before, but the reef on tournament morning did not hold fish. As the tide approached high, he shifted to the ICW.
His first bite came on a gold spoon. After seeing multiple swirls in the same pocket, he backed off, hit spot lock, and pitched live mullet into the hole. The move paid off. He caught eight drum from the creek mouth, including five over-slot and three upper-slot fish. He kept the one closest to 27 inches, the fish that earned him his top three finish.
Mike Mitchell, fishing solo, finished in third place in the 2026 Southport Inshore Challenge. He found his winning 6.75 lb. red drum in the ICW near a creek mouth.
The next (and final) event in the Inshore Challenge series is the Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge on September 11-12 out of Inlet Watch Marina. The tournament features a split leaderboard where anglers can compete for the single big flounder, single big red drum, or both, all for one entry fee.
For more information on the Carolina Beach Inshore Challenge, as well as a full leaderboard for the Southport Inshore Challenge, please visit www.FishermansPost.com.
