I caught my first-ever oversized redfish on Pleasure Island on Sabine Lake as a junior in high school.
At the time, catching a limit of reds in Sabine was a status symbol, as populations had just rebounded well, but catching a 36-inch red in the “lake” was a big deal.
I kissed the big red on the head and slid it back into the water to fight another day. I had just become a CCA member through the STAR tournament and knew the story of the “redfish wars” and how having redfish grow to breeding size was a victory.
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of accompanying CCA STAR officials on a tagged redfish release in Sabine Lake.
Two of the reds were released about 100 yards from where I caught that first-ever big red.
It’s in a spot where families fish. I’m talking about working-class families who frequent this spot because they want to enjoy the great outdoors with the limited time they have available.
As I photographed the beautiful red slide into the water there, I couldn’t help but hope that whoever catches that fish is signed up for STAR.
All four release locations in the Sabine area that day were places just like that where people gather to have fun with their families and unwind by fishing.
The part that touched me was that CCA officials specifically targeted these locations so that not only people in boats but also landbound anglers and wade fishermen would have a chance to catch the Reds.
The fish can swim anywhere they please, but they are likely to be caught somewhere in those general areas.
When you hear figures like $1.9 million in prizes and scholarships, you can get the idea that this is all a big, corporate thing, and to some extent, it has to check off some of those boxes. But in reality, STAR is grassroots.
From the directors to the volunteers who help catch and transport fish, it’s all about forwarding CCA’s vision of conservation. It’s about using STAR to reach people for the cause of conservation and perhaps change some lives in the process.
What kid out there couldn’t use a scholarship during these challenging times?
What if one of those land-bound anglers wins a new boat?
The possibilities are endless.
It was nice to get a peek behind the curtain of STAR and see how intensely the passion that inspired the original (then) Gulf Coast Conservation Association founders to make a stand still burns in everyone involved with the organization and the tournament.
And no one has forgotten where they came from.
They made sure to put tagged reds where anyone could catch them.
How cool is that?
—Chester Moore