The North Carolina Public Access Foundation (NCPAF), www.ncpafonline.com, has announced they will be hosting the Dog Days Surf Fishing Tournament as a fund raising event to assist the Town of Oak Island raise funds to purchase Yaupon Pier.
The tournament will be on August 23rd from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM and will be held at the farthest west beach access location on Oak Island.
In striving to purchase Yaupon Pier, the Town of Oak Island has taken a landmark step. Records show fishermen from across the eastern seaboard have fished from the planks of Yaupon Pier in recent years. A natural assumption is that with the currently elevated fuel prices that number would be higher than usual if the pier were currently open.
Fishermen hail Yaupon Pier and Oak Island as one of the most productive pier fishing areas on the eastern seaboard. Last year alone Yaupon Pier fishermen landed 244 King mackerel, the most in the state. Late last year the loan on the pier was foreclosed and the entrance was boarded up this spring. While waiting for someone to purchase it, no one has been allowed access to the pier this year.
The Town of Oak Island appears to be the only serious buyer for the pier, but it needs help to make this possible. One grant has been offered for $500,000 of the $1.8 million price. Allowing Oak Island to purchase the pier would be an important step for North Carolina coastal communities as it would give them the model to protect public access that made their localities special in the first place.
In the most recent decade, numerous N.C. piers have been lost to storms and not rebuilt or to the storm of coastal development. The NCFAP was formed to reverse the trend of lost public access for its natural resources, which has been moving at an alarming rate. This includes all the state’s natural resources and fishing piers in specific. That is why the NCPAF feels this event, to assist with the town’s purchase of Yaupon Pier, is so vital.
While the entry fee will be a mere $10, there will be many other ways to assist with the purchase of the pier during the tournament, including raffles, door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and more. This event is a “Must Attend” event for all pier and surf fishermen.
Prize categories will include Biggest Flounder, Biggest Pompano, NC Angler Bucket Award, Biggest Fish, Any Fish and more. The NCPAF promises it will be a fun event for all ages.
NCPAF has secured a 1/2 day fishing charter as the Grand Prize for the Dog Days Surf Fishing Tournament. The fishing trip was donated by Fugitive Charters and Capt. Ryan Jordan of Oak Island.
Captain Jordan feels that an operating Yaupon Pier is necessary for the local economy and to provide fishermen an additional avenue to pursue their passion. “We need it to keep bringing people to the island and having a place for them to fish,” Jordan said.
Other Oak Island business donating prizes to support the tournament include; Captain’s Cove Motel, Cheap Geek Computers, The Bar-B-Que House, CJ’s Corner Store, Cape Fear Printing, Captain Stanley’s Seafood, San Felipe Restaurant, Bella Cucina Italian Restaurant and Clem’s Seafood.
The Dog Day’s Surf Fishing Tournament will be held on August 23rd from 8:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at the farthest west ocean access on Oak Island. Entry fee is $10.00. For more information, contact Al Baird of NCPAF at 704-293-5524 or Roadkillal@aol.com or visit the tournament information website at www.ncfps.com/Save_Yaupon_Pier.html.
The North Carolina Public Access Foundation is a non-profit organization for preserving and protecting public access to North Carolina’s natural resources. For more information about the NCPAF, visit http://www.ncpafonline.com.
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