Annual Youth Fishing Tournament reels in a crowd, and hundreds of catches… WITH SLIDESHOW
Photos by Don Bowers
While Day at the Docks was canceled in 2023 due to the arrival of Hurricane Lee, one of the festival’s most popular annual events with the younger crowd – the Youth Fishing Tournament – was independently held on Saturday, September 30, attracting an estimated 51 anglers.
Despite the dreary weather, the dozens of young anglers had a busy afternoon of fishing along the Hatteras waterfront in front of Oden’s Dock, with more than 100 weighed pinfish reeled in alone.
Other notable catches during the hour-long fishing session included a spot, pigfish, lizardfish, several flounders, hogfish, drum, a 26-inch rockfish, and a rare 9-inch gag grouper.
The 9-and-older group caught the largest and most varied fish, and was also the largest contingent in the three tiers of age groups with a total of 28 anglers.
After the fishing session, prizes were awarded in multiple age-related and overall categories, with donations of fishing gear, reels, and other prizes from local businesses all along the island.
The winners of the 2023 Annual Youth Fishing Tournament are as follows:
| Ages 5 and under – Heaviest Pinfish | ||||
| Place | Name | Age | City | Weight |
| 3rd | George Scott | 5 | Hatteras | 0.24 |
| 2nd | Kayson Balance | 5 | Hatteras | 0.24 |
| 1st | River Hagerich | 5 | Hatteras | 0.28 |
| Ages 6-8 – Heaviest Pinfish | ||||
| Place | Name | Age | City | Weight |
| 3rd | Grayson Barnett | 7 | Hatteras | 0.24 |
| 2nd | Lily Cannon | 8 | Hatteras | 0.26 |
| 1st | David Ertle | Frisco | 0.3 | |
| Ages 6-8 – Longest Fish | ||||
| Place | Name | Age | City | Length |
| 3rd | Amos Fulcher | 8 | Buxton | 5.5-inch hogfish |
| 2nd | Bodi Lloyd | 6 | Virginia | 10.5-inch drum |
| 1st | Isla Hagerich | 7 | Hatteras | 14-inch flounder |
| Ages 9 and over – Heaviest Pinfish | ||||
| Place | Name | Age | City | Weight |
| 3rd | Liam Vandriten | 14 | Buxton | 0.3 |
| 2nd | Quinn Vandriten | 9 | Buxton | 0.3 |
| 1st | Caleb Weaver | 9 | Pennsylvania | 0.32 |
| Ages 9 and over – Longest Fish | ||||
| Place | Name | Age | City | Length |
| 3rd | Hazel Scott | 14 | Hatteras | 13-inch lizardfish |
| 2nd | Lily Hagerich | 9 | Hatteras | 14.5-inch drum |
| 1st | Kaylee Mawyer | 9 | Virginia | 14.75-inch flounder |
| Youngest Angler |
| Addie Demsey – Age 3, from Hatteras, for her pinfish catch |
| Grand Prize Winner for heaviest pinfish | ||
| Eryn Ratiff – Age 15, from Buxton, for her .34 pinfish | ||
| Grand Prize Overall Winner |
| Charlotte Daniels – Age 12, from Hatteras, for her 26-inch rockfish |
