"Fish cannot be transported over land." That line comes from the 2026 rules of the Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Fishing Tournament. The sentence before it says every fish has to be brought to Chasin' Tails by the boat that caught it, under that boat's own power, and unloaded only at designated docks.
That rule decides where things happen in Atlantic Beach for most of October. From Saturday, Oct. 10, through Saturday, Oct. 31, a qualifying king mackerel or wahoo can be caught anywhere inside the tournament boundaries. It still has to end the day at one tackle shop at 709 Atlantic Beach Causeway, on the scale by 6 p.m., or by 3 p.m. on the final day. The whole month's schedule is built around that one deadline at that one dock.
The Rule That Puts the Scale on the Causeway
Most fishing tournaments on this coast are over in a weekend. This one gives each registered boat three weeks to land its fish and caps what it can bring in. Each boat can weigh only two king mackerel and one wahoo for the entire tournament. A captain can wait for the right weather and the right day instead of fishing whatever Saturday the calendar hands out.
There's a second effect. A weigh-in can happen any evening between Oct. 10 and Oct. 31, so there's no single big finish. Every fish has to be caught the same day it's weighed, and the captain or co-captain has to come to the weigh station with it. The cutoff is 6 p.m. every day except the last. On Oct. 31, fish must be off the boat by 3 p.m.
Chasin' Tails Outdoors already does this kind of work year-round. The shop describes itself as a North Carolina certified weigh station for official saltwater fishing citations. It has a public boat ramp behind the store and extra parking for when the ramp lot fills up.
There's real money behind each weigh-in. The base entry is $300 if paid by the Oct. 9 deadline and $400 after that. The heaviest king mackerel wins $15,000, fifty times the base entry. Second pays $6,000, third $2,500, fourth $1,500 and fifth $750, and sixth through tenth each pay $400. There are also separate $300 awards for senior and lady anglers, and $300, $200 and $100 for the top three junior anglers. Juniors are 15 and under and seniors are 55 and older, and to qualify they have to be aboard when the fish is caught and sign the weight ticket.
Last year's standings show how close it can get. In 2025, the tournament's ninth year, Alan Ferebee's boat Naturdayzzed won with a 50.47-pound king. Reed Lewis's Sweet Melissa finished second at 47.18 pounds, just over three pounds behind. The largest wahoo was a 97.05-pound fish weighed by Kevin Norris's Reel Blessed.
What the 6 p.m. Deadline Pays For
The money is the main reason this tournament belongs to the town and not just the boats. The tournament is owned by a nonprofit, Atlantic Beach King Mackerel Fishing Tournament, Inc. Its stated mission is to raise money for lifesaving equipment for the Atlantic Beach Fire Department, and volunteers help run it. The tournament's site says it has raised more than half a million dollars for the department over the past ten years.
WCTI's preview, published Sept. 25, said organizers describe the donations as paying for lifesaving tools and equipment the department might not otherwise have. Early coverage shows what that looks like in practice. In 2018, WITN reported that the previous year's proceeds had bought a side-by-side beach-rescue vehicle, and that the tournament was then raising money for an automated CPR system.
The fire department is also part of the event itself. Atlantic Beach firefighters cook the food at the opening sponsor party. The rules also ask anglers to donate their fish, including fish they don't weigh, and each donated fish earns the captain a raffle ticket.
The Causeway Calendar, Start to Finish
The tournament opens and closes with the town's two biggest gatherings, and both are on or near the bridge corridor.
- Friday, Oct. 9, 6 to 10 p.m. The captains' meeting and sponsor party is at the Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendell Street in Morehead City. There's food, a bar, a silent auction and live music. Pork is donated by Harriett Stocks and sides come from Moore's BBQ. The party is limited to sponsors and anglers.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, through Friday, Oct. 30. Tournament fishing days, with weigh-ins at Chasin' Tails by 6 p.m. each day.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 3 p.m. Final weigh-in deadline.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 5:30 p.m. The awards banquet is in the Crow's Nest parking lot, with food from Smithfield's. It's also limited to anglers and sponsors. The tournament's venue listing gives the Crow's Nest address as 407 Atlantic Beach Causeway.
So the tournament ends at 407 Atlantic Beach Causeway, a short distance down the same road from the scale at 709.
The Fort End Takes the Late-October Weekends
While the boats are working the ocean, the town's other October events move to the opposite end of the island, along Fort Macon Road.
The 39th Carolina Kite Festival is Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fort Macon State Park, 2303 E. Fort Macon Road. It's free, and Kites Unlimited & Bird Stuff presents it. The event listing promises stunt-kite demonstrations, large show kites, and room to fly your own. The kite weekend falls in the tournament's final full week, so a weigh-in on either day still has to reach Chasin' Tails by 6 p.m.
The following Thursday, Oct. 29, the town holds Halloween in the Park from 6 to 8 p.m. at Atlantic Beach Town Park, 915 W. Fort Macon Road. It's a free event for children. Two days later, the tournament's final weigh-in deadline and awards banquet both land on Halloween itself.
The fort has one more event after the anglers finish. The state lists a guided Bird Hike at Fort Macon on Monday, Nov. 2, from 9 to 10 a.m., meeting at the Visitor Center. The park's main events page showed no upcoming events when we checked, so confirm with the park before you go.
Dinner After a 6 p.m. Weigh-In
Several places near the weigh station post hours that run past the daily deadline.
- Atlantic Beach Seafood & Fresh Market, 415 Atlantic Beach Causeway. A seafood market with prepared seafood and catch-and-cook service. Its online storefront lists 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- Full Moon Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant, 505 Atlantic Beach Causeway. Posted hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
- Island Grille, 401 Money Island Drive. Just off the causeway and open all year. It opens at 4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and at 5 p.m. the rest of the week.
- Amos Mosquito's Restaurant & Bar, 703 E. Fort Macon Road. Its October 2026 calendar has it open from 4:45 p.m. most evenings and closed on Sundays, Oct. 11, 18 and 25. It's open on Oct. 31 from 4:45 to 8:30 p.m.
The town's dining directory also lists Venice Italian Kitchen at 407 Atlantic Beach Causeway, Bella Pizza & Subs at 311, El Zarape Mexican Restaurant at 204, and Scoopin' Yummies at 211. None of the four has posted fall hours we could confirm, so call ahead.
Where the Circle Stands This Month
The Circle is the oceanfront area at the center of town, and its upgrades are still in design. The Carteret County News-Times reported on Oct. 2 that the Town Council unanimously approved a design-and-permitting contract for the Circle's main bathhouse. It's the third and final phase of the town's improvements to that beach access. Cullipher Group of Morehead City won the work with a bid capped at $103,000. The plans would replace and move the restrooms, raise the count from eight to 12 or 16, and redesign the nearby boardwalk to make it accessible. The project still needs a state stormwater permit and a major Coastal Area Management Act permit, so construction hasn't started.
The council approved a design for a new beachfront event stage in the Circle at its August work session. As of Sept. 10, its cost and timeline were still undecided. The town's other recreation project is on the causeway. In March, the council approved buying 801 and 803 Atlantic Beach Causeway for $1.69 million as part of its bridge abutment project. That project's planned final phase is a 200-foot fishing pier, which at the time still needed an updated NCDOT lease and a major CAMA permit.
The council's next work session is Oct. 8 at 9 a.m., and its next regular meeting is Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. Both fall during tournament weeks. The Oct. 26 meeting starts on the same evening, just after that day's 6 p.m. weigh-in deadline.
At NC Coastal Team, we follow this calendar because it shows how the island works after Labor Day. If you're thinking about what your home near the causeway or the fort is worth, ask us for your home value and we'll walk you through the local details behind the number.
