2026 Spanish Mackerel Open
The 2026 Spanish Mackerel Open, presented by Fisherman’s Post, was held out of Wrightsville Beach the weekend of June 12‑14 in a Captains’ Choice format that allowed teams to fish either Saturday or Sunday. The weigh‑in was hosted at Motts Channel Seafood, while registration and awards took place at Intracoastal Angler.
The main leaderboard was based on each team’s three‑fish spanish mackerel aggregate, and anglers could also enter up to four voluntary TWTs: Single Big Spanish, Three Spanish, Single Big Bluefish, and Single Big Lizardfish.
In addition, the event continued its family‑friendly format, with prizes awarded to the top Junior Angler (ages 0‑8), Pre‑Teen Angler (ages 9‑12), Teen Angler (ages 13‑17), Lady Angler, and Senior Angler.
This year’s Spanish Mackerel Open was won by Team Liquid Latitude, featuring Wesley Tyler, grandsons Rylan and Bentley Hall, and Harry Flint. They secured a three-fish total of 14.24 lbs., anchored by a 5.46 lb. spanish that also won the Single Big Spanish TWT and Junior Angler award. In addition, the team took first place in the Three Fish TWT, for a total purse of over $1700.
Fishing from a 256 Tidewater, the crew launched early and caught bait in Sneads Ferry, working through oversized menhaden until they filled the livewell with the right size. They slipped out to Diver’s Rock and slow‑trolled live menhaden in 50-feet of water on #2 solid wire and #4 gold trebles.
Wesley Tyler, Rylan Hall, Bentley Hall, and Harry Flint, of Team Liquid Lattitude, took top honors and over $1700 in the 2026 Spanish Mackerel Open with a three-spanish aggregate of 14.24 lb.s. They caught their fish in the Diver’s Rock area.
The morning started out slow, then a swirl at around 10:00 sliced a bait in half but missed the hooks. They flipped the bait back out and caught a shark, and about 10 minutes later, their first spanish finally came tight on a bait in the propwash.
The team’s second fish hit about an hour later trolling back and forth in the same area. Around12:00 noon, a long drag run had Tyler predicting the hooked fish was a king, but what surfaced was their final spanish.
With their three fish caught between mid‑morning and lunch, they ran back toward Wrightsville Beach and weighed a bag strong enough to hold the top spot.
Team Sea Born, led by solo angler Mike Foust, finished second in the Spanish Mackerel Division with a 3.95 lb. three‑fish aggregate, and he also earned second place in the Single Big Spanish TWT with a 2.31 lb. fish.
Mike Foust, fishing as Team Sea Born, earned second place in the 2026 Spanish Mackerel Open with a three-fish aggregate of 3.95 lbs. His fish came from trolling spoons at the Liberty Ship, Dallas Rocks, and Billy Murrell Reef.
Foust launched on Saturday and leaned on his autopilot to manage lines on his own. He started around 6:15 a.m. and ran straight to the Liberty Ship, avoiding the smaller spanish and heavy lizardfish reports coming from Masonboro Inlet and the beach.
After a few short strikes and small fish, he hooked his better spanish before pushing offshore to Dallas Rocks, where he added another keeper. From there he slid over to the Billy Murrell Reef, where he caught several more fish and culled his final three‑fish limit.
Foust fished exclusively with Drone spoons and Clarkspoons, choosing not to switch to live bait after past years of shark‑heavy results.
Team Choctaw Bingo, featuring Mark Walden of Burgaw and Chris Spidey of Topsail, won the Single Big Bluefish TWT with a 1.85 lb. bluefish.
Joe and Laura Quarino, of Team Mackerel Marauders out of Wilmington, won the Single Big Lizardfish TWT with a 0.8 lb. lizardfish.
To see the complete Spanish Mackerel Open leaderboard and find out more about this and other Fisherman’s Post events, visit FishermansPost.com or check out Fisherman’s Post on Facebook.
