Anglers to chase $10,000 prize in Port Royal redfish tournament

Hayden Davis, The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) on Sep 9, 2026

Published in Outdoors

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HILTON HEAD, S.C. — Pro and amateur anglers will compete next weekend to see who can catch the heaviest Redfish from Port Royal’s waters.

The Southern Redfish Cup is coming to Port Royal on Saturday, Sep. 12 for the second stop in its 2026 tournament series. The annual tournament welcomes both professional and amateur anglers to compete for a piece of a $19,000 prize purse. The cup has come to the Beaufort-Port Royal area annually for more than 10 years.

This year’s tournament celebrates the life of Lowcountry local Bruce Draper. Draper was a longtime participant in the tournament and a winner of the cup. How does the tournament work?

Redfish, also called red drum or spottail bass, are one of South Carolina’s most famous game fish species. Redfish are identified by the distinctive dot or dots found on their tail fins and their coppery-bronze color.

Participating teams must use artificial lures and fish from a boat. Teams can have no more or less than two anglers, and they can fish anywhere accessible by boat from the starting point in Port Royal.

Anglers will try to catch the heaviest redfish within South Carolina’s length and harvest regulations. Redfish can only be kept if they are between 18 and 25 inches in length. Anglers call this the “slot.” Anglers can keep one redfish within the slot length per person, and no more than two per boat, according to state regulations. The tournament allows only two redfish to be weighed per team, according to its rules.

South Carolina’s redfish regulations have changed since the 2025 tournament. Previously anglers were allowed to keep three redfish, Tournament Operations Director Chris Condon said.

When the time is up, anglers bring their catch to the weigh-in to determine whose is the heaviest. The top three teams with the heaviest fish will win part of the $19,000 prize purse. First place could win around $10,000 depending on the number of teams.

The tournament encourages anglers to catch and release their redfish, Condon said. Anglers release their redfish after the weigh-in, and it’s rare for any redfish to die during the tournament, Condon said. When and where is the tournament?

Participants will meet with the tournament’s captain at Shellring Ale Works in Port Royal at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 11. The tournament itself begins with a blastoff at first light Saturday morning, approximately 6:15 a.m., at Port Royal boat landing.

The weigh-in begins at 2 p.m. at Shellring Ale Works. The public is encouraged to attend both the blastoff and weigh-in, and spectators can enter a raffle at the weigh-in with prizes totaling $5,000, Condon said. How to register

The Southern Redfish Cup is an opportunity for amateur anglers to take on professionals, and new participants are welcome, Condon said. Registration costs $450 per team, and teams must register before 6 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 11. Teams can register online through WeighBook here or in-person at the captain’s meeting on Friday.