Home Texas Fishing First certified winner of RED-tagged redfish in CCA STAR Tournament

First certified winner of RED-tagged redfish in CCA STAR Tournament

by Lili Keys

Story from CCA STAR

Marco Rocha of Austin is the FIRST CERTIFIED WINNER of the 2022 Texas Ford Dealer’s RED-Tagged Redfish Division. Mr. Rocha will be awarded a 2022 Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” XLT Super Cab connected to a Haynie 23′ Bigfoot with a Mercury 150HP L Pro XS Optimax and Coastline Trailer. 

On June 4, Rocha and his buddy set off down the Lydia Ann Channel in search for an inlet with sufficient bait and clear water. Their first stop of the morning would prove to be the most important decision they made that day.

Marco Rocha of Austin

Not long after starting their wade, the bite was on! With live shrimp in hand and plenty of bait working, Rocha hooked into a redfish which he soon realized was the fish of a lifetime.

With the drag burning and his pole bent, the redfish finally came into sight with the RED tag waving at him.

He shouted, “It has a RED tag!” Both the nearby boat and his buddy yelled “Get ’em! Get ’em!”

The redfish made one last run with the red tag vanishing into the depths, it must have felt like an eternity. Soon, he gained more and more of the line back.

Finally, the redfish came close enough to be netted and he finally landed the RED-tagged redfish! With cheers all around Rocha clipped the tag and released the redfish. With the Red tag in hand Rocha headed off to one of our official weigh stations, Roy’s Bait & Tackle Outfitters, to turn in the RED tag. 

REMEMBER: In order to be eligible for Tournament prizes, you must be registered for the CCA Texas STAR Tournament and have a CURRENT CCA membership (make sure your membership runs through the end of the 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 www.startournament.org

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