CCA STAR Tournament: Second Tagged Redfish Winner Confirmed

On Saturday Morning, May 30, 2015, Hemphill resident Michael Gibbs was hanging out at a beach house he and his wife rented for the weekend on the West side of Galveston. Gibbs was waiting for his cousin to pick him up in his boat to go fishing. While he waited on the cousin who was sleeping in recovering from the long drive down the night before, Gibbs decided to do a little casting off the pier behind the beach house. To his delight, he managed to pick up two nice flounder right off the pier. A few casts later, he hooked into another fish. After a good fight, Gibbs flipped the fish onto the pier. He gained control of the fish flopping along the dock, and low and behold, he noticed it was redfish with a tag in it. Being over forty, Gibbs couldn’t quite make out the fine print so he carried the redfish up to the beach house to see if his wife could read the tag for him. Gibbs first told his wife not to get excited just yet because he had caught fish before with tags that were for research. Gibbs’ wife responded, “Whatever” and proceeded to examine the tag. After close inspection all Gibbs’ wife could say was “STAR”!!! Still a bit skeptical, Gibbs told his wife, “Don’t mess with me.” His wife said, “Mike, I promise!” “OMG!” said Gibbs, “If I had only known this fish was worth a truck and boat package, I think I might have used a net!” The excited couple called Gibbs’ cousin to tell him, “Forget the boat, we are headed to West End Marina to weigh in my tagged redfish!”

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SECOND TAGGED REDFISH WINNER! Fortunately for Michael Gibbs, he was registered and is now the second lucky winner of a 2015 loaded Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” XLT SuperCab, pulling a brand new 23’ Haynie Big Foot boat rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax motor and Coastline trailer prize package, which will be awarded to him at the STAR Awards Ceremony in October.

So far four tagged redfish have been caught, but only two are confirmed as winners at this time. That means there are fifty-six tagged redfish still out there swimming and three truck/boat prize packages still available to win! Trophy-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 2015 Ford F-150 “Texas Edition” XLT SuperCab, 23’ Haynie Big Foot boat rigged with a Mercury 150L Pro XSOpti Max motor and Coastline trailer The next five tagged redfish winners will each claim a 23’ Haynie Big Foot boat with a Mercury 150L Pro XS OptiMax motor and Coastline trailers. For young anglers not of legal driving age who reel in the famous tagged red, he or she will receive the boat package plus a $20,000 college scholarship, in lieu of the truck.

Last year thirteen tagged redfish were caught, but only four 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 21′ Cat, powered with a Mercury 150L Pro XS 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 Polaris Ranger Crew 570 EPS UVs in Polaris Pursuit Camo each with a Big Tex 35sa Trailer. In the Inshore Division the Blue Wave’s 180 SV Southern Skiff boat, Mercury 115 OptiMax motor 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 2015, 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.

Major sponsors for the 26^th Annual CCA Texas STAR Tournament include Texas Ford Dealers, Tilson Home Corporation, Capital Farm Credit, , Academy Sports + Outdoors, Whataburger, Ozarka, Rio Ammunition, Hoffpauir Polaris, Mercury Marine, KTRK-abc13, Houston Community Newspapers, Fox Sports Southwest, Haynie Boats, Shoalwater Boats, Dargel Boats, Blue Wave Boats, Texas Fish & Game Magazine, Texas Oilman’s Charity Fishing Tournament, Coastline Trailers, McClain Trailers, Chris’s Marine and Mt. Houston Marine.

Visit www.ccamembership.org to get signed up today. 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.

The CCA State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo (CCA Texas STAR) Tournament is the annual membership recruitment drive for CCA Texas, a nonprofit organization of sportfishing enthusiasts and conservationist working to save the natural resources of Texas coastal waters. This year’s event began at sunrise on Saturday, May 23 and will end on Labor Day, September 7 at 5p.m. CCA Texas’ Web page can be found at http://www.ccatexas.org.