Playing High-Stakes Tag

CCA’s S.T.A.R. Tourney Pays Big for Tagged Redfish

TF&G Staff Report

THE 2022 CCA-TEXAS State of Texas Anglers Rodeo (STAR) runs May 28 to September 5.

This is the chief membership drive for CCA-Texas, and it spans the entire Texas Gulf Coast. It offers members the chance to win more than $1,000,000 in prizes and scholarships.

Fishing categories include two “Catch, Clip & Release” tagged redfish divisions in which winners receive complete boat and truck combos and boats.

It also includes an Offshore Division for dorado, ling, kingfish and red snappers that are weighed in to win a Hoffpauir Polaris UTV.

Tagged redfish are the most pursued prizes in the STAR tournament.
(Photo: CCA-Texas)

Tagged redfish are the most pursued prize. STAR Assistant Director Dylan Sassman said last year revealed some important lessons for the organization and anglers.

“We always give the advice of fishing popular spots, easy to access areas and places where they have been caught in the past,” Sassman said. “With this year‘s new tournament format, we were able to learn even more about catching these highly sought-after fish to share with Texas anglers.

STAR offers scholarships for kids and teens who catch big sheepshead and gafftops.
(Photo: CCA-Texas)

Offshore division has prizes for heaviest snapper, ling, kingfish and dorado.
(Photo: CCA-Texas)

The inshore division includes heaviest gafftop, sheepshead and black drum.
(Photo: CCA-Texas)

“Even though most tagged redfish are caught not far from where they’re released, we noticed a pattern among the majority of tagged redfish that were caught.”

He said no matter whether it was caught on the Louisiana border, mid-coast, or the Rio Grande valley, all but a few fish were caught on the windward side of the bay.

“The few that weren’t caught on windward shorelines were caught in bayous or drains with moving water,” Sassman added. “When the wind lays and the temperature starts to rise, fish will seek these areas out not only for feeding potential, but the presence of cooler water with more dissolved oxygen.”

He said perhaps the most important takeaway from the 2021 expanded tagged redfish catches is that you never know when that one fishing trip, or one more cast, is going to be the fish of a lifetime.

“Whether it was fishing while limping a broken boat motor back to the dock, breaking away for a couple hours to fish, or simply going out on the water just to relax and maybe catch a fish after work, you never know what that next cast may have in store.”

For more information on the STAR tournament, vist startournament.org.