We are always looking for ways to get families together to share in the fruits of our labors. You can bet that if we don’t get these kids hooked all right, we’ll all be fishing dead water 20 years from now. More members, young and old, add more clout to our impact on all our advocacy issues; hence, we needed a recruitment tool.
So the CCA State of Texas Anglers Rodeo (STAR) was born in 1990. Like the spirit that drove this outdoor brotherhood together, plans were ambitious and Texas-sized. Build a fun, wholesome event for the entire family and offer magnum prizes to build awareness and attract folks to join us in what we really do. To this day, STAR operates on a zero-budget meaning whatever is raised is spent on prizes and scholarships, and media pointing to what CCA is all about. We did not realize it would become “the largest, richest, longest saltwater tournament anywhere”, so some say. Those who want a shot at many driveway-sized prizes must first become a CCA member, that’s the hook. Pun intended.
You can’t offer prizes of this magnitude (well over $1,000,000, including $325,000 in scholarships) without damn fine partners. We cannot overstate our appreciation and the need for corporate sponsors who care about the future vitality of Texas’ 600 miles of shoreline. There are many who invest to see our work succeed, both those who have a direct vested interest and those who benefit indirectly from this estimated $3 billion dollar industry in saltwater alone. More fish = more fishing = more sales of more rods, reels, boats, trucks, condos, etc. The healing power of the coastal environment testifies to why some estimates say over half of the Texas population lives within 50 miles of the water.
Yes, this is big business for so many Texans, and those who contribute to making it happen should be rewarded for their altruism; otherwise, we ALL lose and the caretaking needed to ensure our bays and estuaries are vibrant with life will be for naught. CCA will not let that happen, with your help.
Fishing is still the #1 recreational sport in the country. It will remain so if the fish are there. And they are. Join CCA Texas. Enter the STAR Tournament. If you have a vacation window, book a condo for the fam on the coast. Grab some rods, and even Uncle Ned if he wants to go. Get out there and get in it. See why we feel the mystique of what our spectacular God-given coastlines can offer. Good Luck.