Mark your calendars.
Time to get spooled up and ready for another great season of fishing fun.
Starting sunrise Saturday, May 25 through 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day), anglers can begin the summer-long challenge to try and win one of many fabulous prizes offered in the 2013 CCA Texas/STAR Tournament, including truck/boat packages, boat packages and scholarships. Don’t forget to take advantage of all the great Early Bird and Member incentives available to CCA Texas/STAR participants.
Sixty specially tagged redfish will be the STAR attraction in the 24th Annual 2013 CCA Texas State of Texas Anglers’ Rodeo. With the tournament only days away from kick-off, CCA Texas/STAR officials are preparing to release 60 redfish ranging from 20 ½ to 25 ½ inches in length. These tagged redfish will be released the week of May 20, 2013, throughout 600 miles of Texas coastal waters, from Sabine Lake to South Padre Island.
“Since redfish can grow up to one inch per month, we are releasing fish that meet all the state regulations,” said Bill Kinney, tournament director.
The STAR fishing tournament draws over 45,000 participants, making it one of the world’s largest saltwater fishing tournaments. This year’s event begins at sunrise on Saturday, May 25 and ends on Labor Day, September 2 at 5p.m.
Keeper-sized prizes can be claimed by STAR anglers who bring in the first 10 tagged redfish. The first five winners will drive home in a 2013 loaded Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” XLT SuperCab, pulling a brand new 23’ Haynie BigFoot boat rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax motor and Coastline trailer. The next five tagged redfish winners will each claim a 23’ Haynie BigFoot boat with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax motor and Coastline trailers
Last year six tagged redfish were caught, but only three anglers claimed prizes. The others, unfortunately, were not registered for the CCA Texas/STAR.
Other fish can net big rewards in the tournament. STAR contestants who catch the largest speckled trout in the north, central and southern regions of the Texas Coast will each take home the Shoalwater 22′ Legend, powered with a Mercury 150L OptiMax and McClain trailer. STAR blue water anglers who land the heaviest kingfish, dorado and ling (cobia) in the Offshore Division will each win the awesome Explorer by Dargel 216 Blue Water Series boat prize to cruise the big waters along with a Mercury 200XL OptiMax outboard and McClain trailer. In the Inshore Division the Blue Wave 180 V Bay boat rigged with a Mercury 115L OptiMax outboard and McClain trailer will also be given to the anglers for netting the biggest flounder, gafftop and sheepshead.
In hopes of luring more youth to the sport of fishing, the STAR Scholarship Divisions offer a total of ten college scholarships in $20,000 and $50,000 increments. STAR participants, ages 6-10, who catch the largest flounder, sheepshead or gafftop will each be awarded a $50,000 college scholarship. Participants, 11-17 years of age, who catch the largest flounder, sheepshead or gafftop, as well as, the largest speckled trout in each of the three Texas Coast regions (north, central and south) will each be awarded a $20,000 college scholarship. In addition to these nine scholarship offerings participants, ages 6-17 years old in 2013, are eligible for a bonus drawing that will net one lucky youth a $20,000 college scholarship even if the participant never wets a line or enters a single fish during the entire tournament!
As a reminder, anglers under 18 years are eligible to win the scholarships and all other prizes (truck/boat packages and boat packages) offered by CCA Texas/STAR tournament.
For more information, including a list of weigh-in stations, instant-entry registration locations in your area and weekly leader board updates, go to http://www.startournament.org.
