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The 13^th Annual North Carolina Beach Buggy Association (NCBBA) Red Drum Tournament will be here soon. Registration is open and check-in starts Wednesday, Oct. 19 in the morning.

Tournament fishing runs from Oct. 20 at 12:01 a.m. to Oct. 22 at noon.

The tournament is open to anyone who wishes to register and is not an invitational. This tournament features more than $12,000 in prizes with a wide variety of categories, including seniors, women, youth and team. Register now at NCBBA.org.

Anglers will have 60 hours of wide-open fishing from Ramp 23 in Rodanthe to Ramp 43 in Buxton on Hatteras Island, no assigned stations, fish where you please and around the clock if you desire. Judges will measure your fish and assure that all anglers are apprised of and follow the rules.

Pick up entry packages and goodies, including shirt and hat, worth 50% of the registration cost, on Wednesday, Oct. 19, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the drive through check in at the Klub Koru parking lot in Avon or at Frank & Fran’s from 6 to 10 p.m.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, Tommy Farmer will be giving a casting seminar at Ramp 34. Tommy will be followed by Ryan White who will demonstrate alternative techniques for catching the fish you targeted for awards.

The tournament banquet, with a well-deserved meal being served during the angler awards ceremony, begins at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Oct. 22, at the Klub Koru in Avon. Throughout the course of the banquet, several tournament sponsors will be available for any surf fishing needs. A wide variety of raffles and door prizes will be given away at this time.

The team category consists of teams numbering from three to six anglers and has become a favorite of families as well as established club teams and pick up teams. Team members are eligible for all individual categories and may choose to fish together or separately as they wish. New for 2022 is a $500 cash prize for the judge who judges two sessions and catches the largest drum. As usual, judges working two sessions will be reimbursed their entire entry fee and those judging one session will be reimbursed $50.

Interested anglers can sign up or obtain more information at NCBBA.org. All individuals and teams of three to six are welcome and are encouraged to sign up early to assure shirt size is available. Make housing plans as soon as possible as this week in October has become very busy in recent years.

For those loving tournament fishing, three tournaments are available: Capital City on Saturday Oct. 15, Frank and Fran’s Red, White and Blue on Oct. 17 and 18, followed by the Red Drum Tournament. “Enjoy tournamenttopia! Three tournaments, three different formats, prizes, fun, friends and festivities for eight solid days!” invite organizers.

All proceeds from this annual red drum tournament go to the NCBBA scholarship programs and special organizational needs in the Dare and Hyde county communities.

The co-chairman, head judge or NCBBA Board of Directors may cancel the complete tournament or any portion of the tournament if circumstances such as bad weather arise. If the complete tournament is canceled before it begins, a full refund of the entry fee will be made.

As always, volunteers are needed and are much appreciated during the event. For questions regarding this tournament or those interested in judging, contact Chris Worthington at chris.worthington@ncbba.org or 910-676-2565.

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