OBX Offshore Fishing Tournament – Battle-Scarred Outdoors

3rd Annual Heroes Benefit Fishing Tournament

*Welcome to the home page for our Outer Banks Heroes Benefit Fishing Tournament. This will be updated with more information, as it arises. Please check back often for updates.

**This tournament is open to everyone. The proceeds from this tournament will fund our largest event in Hatteras. Our goal for 2026 is to get 60 Heroes offshore fishing. Remaining proceeds will be used to help fund and assist other hunting and fishing opportunities.

Click here to sign up!

Venue for Everything Except Weigh In:

Frisco Woods Campground- pavilion located in the back of Campground.

53124 North Carolina Hwy 12

Frisco, NC 27936

Official Weigh Stations:

Hatteras Harbor Marina- Hatteras, NC

Schedule of Events:

Registration: May 29 3pm-8pm

Dinner: 5pm- 8pm

Captains Meeting: 8pm

Lines in the Water: 8am May 30th

Lines Out of the Water 3pm

Weigh Stations Open from 3-7pm

Dinner 6pm to 9pm

Lines in the Water: 8am May 31st

Lines Out of the Water 3pm

Weigh Stations Open from 3-7pm

Dinner 6pm to 9pm

Awards Banquet 9pm

Rules for the Tournament:

Registration and venue events:
a. Preregistration will be from July 1, 2025 to May 15, 2026. If you miss preregistration, please contact Tim Bates- Tournament Director at 2529240006 or tbates.bso@gmail.com To preregister, you need to fill out the form at “Register Here”. New for the 3rd Annual Tournament, preregistration grants you a $300 flat discount. Registration goes from $800 to $500.
Registration in person will be May 29, 2026 from 3-8PM at Frisco Woods Campground. You will need to send atleast 1 person from your team to come check in. All of the team meal tickets and roster for the billfish release will be in your registration packets.
c. Captains Meeting will be held at 8:00 PM on May 29, 2026 at Frisco Woods Campground. While this meeting isn’t required, it is encourage. This is where we will go over the final set of rules for the tournament and discuss any issues that may arise. We will also have giveaways for all captains in attendance. We do plan to stream the Captains Meeting for those that do not wish to stay. We may start this if everyone is in attendance and we are ready to start earlier.
Tournament Outline:
a. Tournament Monitoring will be on VHF Channel 74. We will have somebody at Hatteras Harbor Marina monitoring the radio. This will be the channel you will use if you have any questions while out to sea and for reporting the billfish release. We plan to have somebody on the radio from 5AM to 7PM.
b. Lines in the water at 8AM. Teasers are not allowed til 8AM as well. All lines must be out of the water by 3PM. If you are still hooked up at 3PM, you must radio in.
c. Main Entry $800: The main tournament is the combination of the 3 largest fish brought to the scales. This can be any species of fish that can be legally harvested per NC and Federal Regulations. All Billfish, Sharks, and Rays brought to the scales to be weighed will be exempt from tournament weigh ins, as this is a meat fish tournament.
2 day fishing tournament with a 1 day lay day. Each team has the opportunity to choose which day to fish. While this is a 2 day tournament, teams are limited to 1 weigh in. This must be reported before lines in on Day 1. You can report this at the time of registration or via radio on Day 1. The same Team cannot weigh in both days. However, the same boat/ Captain/ Mate can fish both days and weigh both days. If the same team wishes to fish/ weigh both days, they must register as a 2nd Team/ Team Name. For picture purposes and personal bragging rights, if you choose to fish your non-registered day, you can still weigh in. But the “lay day” weigh in will not be counted.

e Teams:

Teams are outlined by team name. If no team name is given, the registered Team Captain/ Primary Contact will be designated the team name. Teams are not designated by boat name by default.

Calcutta: The following Calcuttas are offered for this tournament; Single Largest overall fish, Largest Tuna, Largest Mahi, Largest Wahoo, Outboard Division and Billfish Release. You must enter the main entry, to be eligible for any of the calcuttas.
For the Largest Overall fish, Largest Tuna, Largest Mahi, Largest Wahoo, and Outboard Division- This is for the largest singular fish you weigh, in those respective Calcutta.
Billfish release: Blue Marlin release is 200 points. All other Billfish will be valued at 100 points. To be considered a release; the Captain, Mate, or team member must safely touch the leader or the leader must touch the rod tip with photo evidence of designated item in the picture. The Captains will be responsible for documenting their releases as well as radioing in the release to tournament staff. In the event you can not reach a tournament tracker at the marina, you need to announce the release over the channel to the fleet. If a billfish is kept for any reason; mate pool, to eat, etc; you will still receive the release point and not be penalized. Please give us a heads up on your way in that you are brining in a billfish to the docks. There is no restrictions on how many anglers can handle the rod or crank the fish in.
This tournament is open to all anglers that choose to fish from a boat, pier, or beach. You must be within 75 Nautical Miles of Hatteras Inlet at time of hookup.
All legal methods of fishing are allowed, except netting.
Fish must be harvested the day of the tournament.
Misc rules and information. For any part of the tournament, there is no limit on how many time you can pass the rod between anglers to safely harvest or release a fish. You can fight a fish from a waist strap, rail rod holder, or fighting chair.

Tiebreakers:
a. Main entry- The tiebreaker will be the combined total of the fork length of the 3 fish weighed. In the event that a third tiebreaker is needed, the winner will go to whoever weighed in first.
b. Calcutta Tiebreaker: The Calcutta Tiebreaker will be the same as the Main Tiebreaker, but for the 1 fish.
c. Billfish Tiebreaker: The Tiebreaker will go to who caught the tying fish first.
Payouts/ Prizes:
a. Main Entry Payout- 50% Payout to the 1st place team. Plaques will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams.
b. Largest Overall Fish, Largest Tuna, Largest Mahi, Largest Wahoo, and Outboard division. – 75% payout and plaque.
Largest Billfish- 75% Pay out and plaque
d. My goal is to post the Winning Payout by 12PM on May31.
e. Our goal is to have the checks mailed out within 15 days of the completion of the Tournament Banquet.
Calcuttas that are not won, will roll over to the next tournament.

Weigh Stations:
a. Locations: Hatteras Harbor Marina.
b. Weigh Stations will be open from 3PM til 7PM. For those fishing out of Oregon Inlet, feel free to call ahead if you may be running a few minutes late with current weights, to see if its worth traveling with fish. Some flexibility on weigh station times, if anglers are coming from OI to weigh in.
c. Any fish that have been punctured by anything other than a gaff will be disqualified. This includes knives, shark teeth, harpoon, propellers, etc as disqualified punctures to the skin.
6. General Tournament information
a. Preregistration Discount- $300. Main Entry is reduced from $800 to $500. You must sign up during Preregistration by May 15, 2026 in order to receive the discount. No discounts applied on or after May 16, 2026.
b. Our plan is to live stream the weigh In.
c. Plan B: In the event that the tournament is canceled due to weather, we do not have a make up date. If you pay for your registration prior to May 16, 2025, you will get a 75% refund.
d. Final Rules will be discussed at the Captain Meeting.
e. All decisions made by the Judges and Tournament Board are final

Daily Cornhole Tournament:

We will be doing a daily cornhole tournament all 3 days. There is no need to preregister for this. You just need to sign up before 12PM on the day you wish to participate. Registration will be $50 per team, per day you participate. Payout will be 50% of that days registration fees. Should you win all 3 days, there’s an added $100 bonus. The cornhole Tournament will be held around the Pavilion at Frisco Woods Campground.

Youth Fishing Tournament:

$5 registration

youth under the age of 16, prior to May 31, 2026.

Payout will be 75% of daily registration

Fish days will be Saturday and Sunday. Registration by 12PM the day of, and weigh in throughout the day at the campground til 4PM.

While fishing is strongly encourage to be done at the campground, it is limited to within 25 miles of Frisco Woods Campground, and limited to bank/ pier fishing. Adults can assist the kids as much as needed to bait, reel, and harvest the fish.

winner will be based on the largest singular fish, similar to Calcuttas of the main tournament.

award presentation for youth anglers and prizes will be awarded nightly, around 8pm at the pavilion.

No restriction in regards to live or artificial bait. No net fishing allowed. Must be with a hook and nonelectric reel.

*Our goal is to give each kid a prize package each night. Kids can fish both days, if they register both days.

Tournament Board

Tim Bates- Battle Scarred Outdoors Secretary/ Tournament Director

Kerry Earnhardt- Assistant Tournament Director

Brad Gallop- Board Member

Adam Trail- Board Member

David “Ty” Friend- Board Member

Huge Thanks to our Sponsors:

Frisco Woods Campground- if you sign up for our tournament and book with them, you save 10% on your stay the weekend of the tournament. Contact Tim Bates for details