2025 STAR Tournament Kicks Off Memorial Weekend

The 2025 STAR Tournament kicks off on Saturday, May 24th, 6:00am and runs until Monday, September 1^st, 6:00 PM. The tournament spans the entire Texas Gulf Coast and offers current CCA Texas members the chance to win over $1,900,000 in prizes and scholarships. The STAR Tournament runs from the Saturday before Memorial Day through Labor Day.

SIGN UP TODAY AT https://www.startournament.org/

How and what are the divisions and your opportunities to win:

RED TAG DIVISION

The top five eligible winners will take home a 2025 Ford F-150 SuperCrew, NEW 23’ Haynie Amigo, 150 hp Mercury motor, and a Coastline Trailer package. The next Five eligible winners will take home a 23’ Haynie Amigo, 150 hp Mercury motor, and Coastline Trailer packages.

BLUE TAG DIVISION

The top three eligible winners will take home a 22’ SVT (CAT) Tran Sport Boat with a raised center console, 150 hp Mercury motor, and Coastline Trailer packages. Not to mention the Thousands of dollars in Academy Sports + Outdoors gift cards awarded to the next 7 eligible anglers.

INSHORE

 The Black Drum division is here to stay. With an intense battle all summer long for 1st place, we had more lead changes than ever before. You won’t want to miss out on this action. Gafftop and Sheepshead, the top three eligible winners in each of those three species, will take home a 19’ Shoalwater boat, 115HP Mercury motor, and McClain trailer package. The next four anglers will receive an Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card.

OFFSHORE

Those eligible offshore anglers who bring in the largest Ling, Dolphin, Kingfish, and Snapper will bring home a Hoffpauir Polaris Ranger Crew 570EFi Pursuit Camo UTV with a Big Tex Trailer. The next four anglers will receive an Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Each year, STAR awards $325,000 in scholarships to those young anglers who will be the future stewards of our precious resource. Nothing is more fun than watching the little ones with their first redfish on the line; then it’s over, and on to the next kid! Mom and Dad, what better way to get you more time on the water than by bringing the kids along? For $10 bucks each, they are in a drawing for a $25,000 scholarship, whether they catch something or not. All the studies show that time spent on the water with family and friends is the #1 reason people fish. In today’s times, we need that special bonding that families provide. Good for the soul!

Even better, the Tournament Committee “spread the wealth” across ALL five places in both the STAR kid (10 and under) and the STAR teen Divisions (11-17) so that the action could get more intense! And rewarding, but make sure you read Rule #9 before you get on the water. First place in each will now get a scholarship of $30,000, then $20,000, $15,000, $7500, $2500. No longer are these valid for just “college and universities” but also “accredited technical and trade schools, and vocational training programs.” Add to that the scholarship contracts for the winning kids will be paid directly to the chosen schools, so NO taxes to pay, Mom and Dad. Win, win, and win some more.

Check out the segment ABC 13 did on the 2024 STAR Scholarship award ceremony by scanning the QR code in this article.

GUIDES DIVISION

It is the hope of Texas STAR and CCA Texas to be able to reward Texas Fishing guides who support marine conservation and empower them to help recruit more anglers into the CCA mission through this division. The winner will bring home a Hoffpauir Polaris Ranger Crew 570EFi Pursuit Camo UTV with a Big Tex Trailer. For more details, go to https://www.startournament.org/about-star/guides-division. Sign up today!

CCA Texas Local Chapter Fundraising is in Full Swing

As this issue hits the newsstands, CCA Texas local chapters will be in the full swing of banquet season. If your local chapter hasn’t held its banquet yet, don’t miss out on an opportunity to help raise funds, membership and awareness in CCA Texas’s commitment to conserve the coastal resources in the great state of Texas. Check your local community calendars, watch your emails and social media and get tickets to your local banquet today. For a full list of events, check out the CCA Texas calendar at https://ccatexas.org/event-directory/.