The Capital City Four Wheelers’ 40th Annual Surf Fishing Tournament brought hundreds of anglers and families to Hatteras Island on Oct. 18 and 19 — and by the end of the weekend, the long-running event had raised $7,000 to support four local foster families through the St. John United Women in Faith Foster Family Committee
The funds came entirely from a raffle of four custom rod-and-reel combinations built and donated by noted craftsmen: Tommy Farmer of Carolina Cast Pro, Joe Moore of One More Cast, Ryan White of Hatteras Jack’s Bait and Tackle, and Michael Harris of Full Send Rod Company. Tournament chair Heather Vaughan said participation and generosity were both at a high point this year.
“This was hands down the best tournament,” Vaughan said. “We had all of our fish categories filled up, even the children’s tournament, which we take to five places now. Surf or Sound Realty gives us a big donation that helps fund that. And then our anglers showed up big time on the raffle this year. We had four different builders build rods for us, and it paid off.”
With 586 registered anglers and two clear fishing days following a storm earlier in the week, Vaughan said the turnout was one of the strongest in recent memory. “It was amazing,” she said. “People were just tired of the weather and wanted to get out and fish.”
And when it was announced that raffle proceeds would benefit local foster families, the crowd responded with enthusiasm. “People bought 20 tickets, or $300 worth of tickets,” said Vaughan. “All of the anglers wanted to help the local community.”
The St. John United Women in Faith Foster Family Committee was chosen as the recipient of the raffle funds after word spread about the group’s work with foster families on Hatteras Island. Committee member Teresa Hudgins Black said the need is ongoing and often unseen.
“We have four foster families, and [money] just doesn’t stretch far enough,” said Black. “Our greatest mission is to help women and children in need, and we just felt in our hearts that we really needed to do something.”
The Capital City Four Wheelers, a Richmond-based surf fishing club that has held its annual Hatteras tournament for four decades, has built a reputation for supporting local causes each year. Past donations have gone to a local firefighter whose home burned down, to a local woman who lost her car, to the Cape Hatteras Secondary School drama department, and regularly to the Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men’s food bank.
Vaughan said those choices often come through “word of mouth” — a simple network of island residents and longtime friends who help identify where the need is greatest. “All the dollars from our raffle donations stay right here,” she said. “Everything we make from the tournament — we donate it back. Some things go to Richmond, but most stay local: to the United Methodist Men for the food bank here, to the fire departments, and other things. We have a few eyes and ears on the island who tell us where the biggest need is each year, and that’s where we try to help.”
This year’s milestone 40th tournament also included more than 295 door prizes donated by local and Richmond-area businesses, a children’s tournament sponsored by Surf or Sound Realty, and seven fish categories — red drum, bluefish, trout, croaker, spot, sea mullet, and northern puffer — with first and second place awards in each. The group even kept up its annual “trash rod contest,” where participants earn a chance at a $100 rod-and-reel combo by collecting debris from the beach, a prize donated this year by Dillon’s Corner
For Vaughan and her team, the success of this year’s event wasn’t just about good weather or great catches — it was about the community spirit that continues to tie Hatteras Island and the Capital City Four Wheelers together after decades of fishing.
“It’s been 40 years, and we’ve never missed a tournament — even in 2020,” she said. “Every year, it’s the same reason we come back: good fishing, good people, and supporting a good cause.”
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