U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament Returns to Southport

For king mackerel fishermen in the Carolinas, there are tournaments and then there is the U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament.

One of the biggest events of the fall fishing season returns to the Southport and Oak Island area October 1 through October 3, bringing hundreds of boats and some of the best king mackerel fishermen in the region back to southeastern North Carolina.

Known as the “Granddaddy of King Mackerel Tournaments,” the U.S. Open began 47 years ago when a small group of local community leaders wanted to create an event showcasing the outstanding fall fishing available around Southport and Oak Island.

Those organizers believed in the idea enough to personally guarantee the expenses and prize money through a promissory note at a local bank.

I’d say their idea worked.

Today, the tournament attracts more than 400 boats annually and has become one of the largest and most recognized king mackerel tournaments on the East Coast. Tournament headquarters for 2026 will be at Dutchman Creek Park near Southport.

Competition begins at 7:00 a.m. Friday, October 2, and continues until 5:00 p.m. Fishing resumes Saturday at 7:00 a.m., with competition ending at 4:00 p.m.

And there will be plenty on the line.

The 2026 tournament features a guaranteed $25,000 first-place prize, regardless of the number of boats entered. Second place pays $10,000, third pays $5,000, and the primary prize structure pays through 55th place.

There are also numerous secondary prizes and Tournament Within a Tournament opportunities that can dramatically increase a team’s winnings.

Last year demonstrated just how valuable one big king can become.

Captain Kenneth Howard II and his crew aboard Fishing Condition won the 2025 U.S. Open with a 45.40-pound king mackerel. When all of their eligible winnings were combined, that one fish produced $46,653 in tournament winnings.

That’s king mackerel tournament fishing.

Hours of preparation, catching bait before daylight, studying water temperatures, watching the weather and making the decision about where to run can ultimately come down to one screaming reel.

There is even an additional $10,000 prize waiting if someone breaks North Carolina’s king mackerel state record during the tournament. The existing record stands at 82 pounds, 4 ounces.

But the U.S. Open has always been about more than the biggest boats and most experienced tournament teams.

Junior anglers 14 and younger can participate and receive tournament medals, and a special Junior Angler prize puts $1,000 on the line. There are additional competitions for lady anglers, senior anglers and single-engine boats, giving fishermen throughout the field something extra to chase.

Spectators are also a major part of the U.S. Open experience.

The scales open at Dutchman Creek Park at 11:00 a.m. on both fishing days, and the afternoon weigh-ins can become almost as exciting as the fishing itself. Boats arrive carrying kings that may completely change the leaderboard, and nobody knows whether the next fish out of a boat will be the one that wins it all.

I’ve watched king mackerel fishing along the Carolina coast for a lot of years, and fall is when things can get very interesting. Big kings, cooling water and schools of bait moving along our coast create exactly the conditions fishermen wait for all year.

On October 2, hundreds of boats will leave the Southport and Oak Island area looking for one fish.

Somewhere out there could be the 2026 U.S. Open champion.