Jacksonville, FL - Truck, yeah! The opening weekend of Coastal Conservation Association Florida STAR presented by Yamaha Outboards has the first Tagged Redfish win with Harold Castleberry taking home a brand new GMC Sierra from Conley Buick GMC! Harold still can't wipe that smile off his face! You would be smiling too if you just reeled in a brand new truck.
Harold Castleberry told CCA he caught the 25" STAR tagged redfish in St. John's County near the Guana River. He was fishing with his buddy, Donald Brickle who turned him on to saltwater fishing a year ago. We have a feeling he will be hooked for life. Harold told CCA he made his life changing catch on Sunday, May 29th. He called his catch into tournament officials and submitted his photo entry, then met up with STAR officials at Academy Sports + Outdoors in Jacksonville to verify the lucky tag. After the tag was verified he completed the final step in the verification process by taking a polygraph examination on Tuesday, May 31. This is the first CCA Florida STAR Tagged Redfish win of 2016 and the first ever on the East coast.
Don't worry though, the brand new Contender Boats Inc. 22' Sport & trailer powered by a 250HP Yamaha is up for grabs next! STAR still has 6 prize winning fish out there to be caught, four with boat, motor & trailer prize packages attached to their backs from Contender, Pathfinder, Hell's Bay Boatworks and Sea Hunt plus two with $25,000 youth scholarships.
CCA Florida has released from Pensacola to the southern boundary of The Everglades National Park and along the east coast of Florida from the upper Keys up to the Georgia border, over 150 specially tagged redfish, 4 per coastal county making them the STAR attraction in the CCA Florida STAR. A chance to win $500,000 in prizes & scholarships makes CCA Florida STAR the largest family friendly saltwater fishing competition in the state. STAR Florida, a Catch & Photo tournament, is designed to educate the general public about the importance of conservation of Florida's marine resources. CCA's state-of-the-art smart phone app eliminates the need for anglers to bring their entry to a weigh-in. To enter their catch, anglers simply enter a photo of their fish on the 2016 official measuring device via the app right from the boat, dock, or boat ramp. It will not be the biggest fish that wins. In the 13 additional divisions, winners will be determined by a drawing from the verified entries in each division except for tagged redfish, guides, conservation and the Lionfish division. This format offers anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to win. Leiza Fitzgerald, Tournament Director states "A format of this kind encourages sportsmen and sportswomen of all ages to participate in protecting and conserving Florida's fishery for future generations all while having an opportunity to win fabulous prizes."
CCA Florida STAR runs until Labor Day, September 5th, so there is still plenty of time to sign up online. Entry is only $35 for CCA members and $65 for non-members (includes 1 year membership in CCA), CCA New Tide members, ages 6-17, pay only $10 for their membership and entry in STAR is FREE. Visit www.CCAFLSTAR.com to register and for a complete list of divisions, verification locations, and rules.
