Topsail Inshore Challenge Welcome

June 27 – 28, 2025, at East Coast Sports (Registration) and Sloop Point Marina (Weigh In & Awards)

WELCOME

Welcome to the Topsail Inshore Challenge, a fun and competitive event that is a great way for area anglers to try their luck at red drum tournament fishing.

Our big money red drum tournament looks different from other red drum tournaments. Fisherman’s Post prefers a more casual format, offering anglers (1) the option to use live, dead, or artificial bait; (2) no live weigh-in required; and (3) the choice to fish as many anglers on their boat as they prefer. Our hope is that these relaxed rules encourage more people to join in on the fun and excitement of red drum tournament fishing.

As in previous years, Surf City’s East Coast Sports will be the headquarters for our Friday Registration and Captains’ Meeting. East Coast Sports and the Medlin family are longtime supporters of bringing Fisherman’s Post events and their anglers to the island, and we thank them once again for making this event possible.

Another popular feature that remains the same is the location of weigh-in and awards—Sloop Point Marina (located at 579 Lewis Road beside the Wildlife boat ramp in Hampstead).

Sloop Point Marina is ready and excited once again to be the weigh-in and awards host, and they’ve graciously opened up their docks (located right behind the bait and tackle store now owned and operated by Intracoastal Angler) for tying up just to weigh-in or to stay through dinner and awards. We will be using the sheltered area in the back of the store for setting up scales and tables for weigh-in, and then we head to the open field beside the store for our awards dinner and ceremony.

New this year, the Topsail event will feature a one red drum leaderboard. With a leaderboard based on only your single heaviest red drum, we believe more anglers/teams can be competitive in a search for one (instead of two) upper-slot red drum.

For those anglers looking to enhance their winnings beyond the substantial cash on our main leaderboard, there are also Single Big Red Drum, Two Red Drum, and High Roller Single Big Red Drum TWTs offered, as well as a “Trash Fish” TWT. The “Trash Fish” TWT payouts will go to the boats that weigh in the heaviest oyster toad or lizardfish.

Fisherman’s Post continues its commitment to releasing as many fish alive as possible, so the bonus payouts remain a constant—get an extra $20 payout for each red drum weighed in alive and in releasable condition that makes the leaderboard.

We’re also continuing to encourage teams to bring the whole family out to fish by offering $50 bounties for the heaviest single red drum weighed in by crews with junior, lady, and/or senior anglers onboard.

More special prizes include an East Coast Sports gift certificate for the heaviest single red drum weighed in by a SeaTow member, the Mudpuppy Salt Stix Raffle (every boat that weighs in a fish is automatically entered for a chance at a custom rod), the Pigford Homes Big Cash Drawing (a potential $250 prize just for weighing in), and the Intracoastal Angler Special Weight prizes ($50 gift card, plus an additional $25 gift card if the fish is weighed in alive).

And just like all of our inshore events this year, we’ll be partnering with the Wilmington Elks for volunteer support and then donating proceeds from the event to aid their mission of helping children, enhancing communities, and honoring the service and sacrifices of our military veterans.

At Fisherman’s Post, we pride ourselves on hosting relaxed, family-friendly events that are competitive and offer exciting cash and prize payouts, so please come out to share in the camaraderie of Friday’s Registration and then Saturday’s fishing, weigh-in, and awards. We hope you decide to join us, and we look forward to seeing all the fish that our anglers bring to the scales.

Gary Hurley / Tournament Director
(910) 452-6378
trail@fishermanspost.com