Tournament Report: Seaview Pier Dogfish Tournament
The Seaview Pier, in North Topsail Beach, is now in its sixth year of hosting their annual Seaview Pier Dogfish Tournament. There were over 80 anglers that fished this year on February 19, and collectively they weighed in a total of 34 dogfish.
Joseph Melendez (10.1 lbs.), Josh Sloop (9.6 lbs.), and Jesse Fesmire (9.1 lbs.) were the top three anglers in the 2022 Seaview Pier Dogfish Tournament.
Finishing in first place was Joseph Melendez, from Culpepper, VA. Melendez weighed in a 10.1 lb. dogfish a little after dark. He was fishing squid on a drum rig off the north corner of the pier. This was Melendez’s first time fishing the Seaview Pier Dogfish Tournament, and his top finish paid out a little over $500.
Second place went to Josh Sloop, from Surf City, and his 9.6 lb. dogfish. Sloop landed his dogfish around 12:15 pm on a piece of bluefin tuna belly while fishing from the end of the pier. His dogfish stayed in first place until Melendez’s fish was caught around 6:30 pm.
This was Sloop’s fifth year in a row placing in the top three, but he has yet to take the top spot.
Finishing in third place with a 9.1 lb. dogfish was Jesse Fesmire.
Another positive element of the Seaview event is their emphasis on junior anglers. In previous years there weren’t any junior angler prizes, but recently it has, and this year there were 12 or so kids, ranging in age from 9-14, that participated.
During the event, the pier held a 50/50 raffle as a fundraiser for Capt. Daniel Powell. Powell, who used to work at the pier restaurant, was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Seaview Pier’s Facebook page notes that it was Daniel Powell who came up with the idea of starting a dogfish tournament back in 2015.
Fisher, Shawn, and Oakley finished atop the growing field of junior anglers in the Seaview Pier Dogfish Tournament, an event in early February that raised funds this year for Daniel Powell.
More information on the event can be found at www.facebook.com/SeaViewFishingPier.
