Cast Off Fishing Tournament at Mount Pleasant Pier

The Cast Off Fishing Tournament Series at Mount Pleasant Pier runs four tournament days in 2026: May 9, June 6, September 19, and October 17, each from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The pier, at 71 Harry Hallman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is managed by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission and was built on pilings salvaged from the original Silas N. Pearman Bridge, which stood adjacent to the current Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge for decades before its demolition. The tournament is presented by Charleston Cotton Exchange. No preregistration is required: simply arrive and register on-site by 6:00 a.m. on each tournament morning.

Registration fees run $12 for ages 13 and up, $9 for military personnel and seniors 60 and older, $9 for youth ages 3 to 12, and $5 for Fishing Pass Members. Prize categories cover Biggest 3 Fish by Weight, Biggest Youth Catch for anglers 12 and under, and Best 5 Fish Total Weight. An adult chaperone is required for participants 15 and under. Tournaments run rain or shine. Mount Pleasant Pier’s position in Charleston Harbor gives it a fishing character quite different from the Atlantic-facing Folly Beach Pier: the harbor system produces red drum, spotted sea trout, flounder, and sheepshead against a backdrop that is one of the most visually distinctive in the South Carolina fishing calendar. The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, with its 1,546-foot main span and cable-stayed towers visible from the pier’s full length, frames every cast.

Mount Pleasant and the Charleston Harbor Waterfront

Mount Pleasant’s waterfront at Memorial Waterfront Park, adjacent to the pier at 99 Harry Hallman Boulevard, has a large playground, a covered pier area, and a permanent exhibition about the Charleston Harbor’s role in the Civil War. The U.S.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, a five-minute walk from the tournament pier, is one of the more substantial museum experiences in the Southeast for families with children interested in naval or aviation history. The Yorktown has been open to visitors since 1975 and houses more than two dozen aircraft on its flight deck and hangar bay, with docent-led tours operating daily through the season.

Quick Tips
Parking is free and limited at the Mount Pleasant Pier. Arriving at 5:30 a.m. on tournament mornings gives you the best chance at a space close to the pier entrance. Both the Pier and Patriots Point are accessible from US-17 with clear signage from the main Mount Pleasant corridor. The pier’s on-site staff provide equipment rentals, tackle, and frozen bait for first-time participants.

Where to Stay

Mount Pleasant’s lodging runs from large chain hotels along the US-17 corridor to short-term rentals in the town’s residential neighborhoods. For visitors building a full Charleston waterfront itinerary around multiple tournament dates, look on Lake.com for properties in the broader Charleston area that keep the harbor and pier accessible across the season’s four events.