The first CCA Florida STAR Tournament begins May 23 and offers anglers a chance to win close to $500,000 in prizes and college scholarships. Hosted by Yamaha Motors, the tournament runs until Sept. 7. There are numerous ways for anglers to cash in during the event with only one small catch: participants must be registered for the tournament and be a member of CCA.

The main contest centers on the tagged redfish division. If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the first six tagged redfish, you could win a pick-up truck or a boat motor and trailer package powered by a Yamaha motor. Boats include a Contender 22 Sport, a Hell’s Bay Waterman or a Pathfinder 2200TRS. There will be a total of 80 tagged redfish released from Pensacola to the southern boundary of the Florida Everglades. Sarasota and Manatee waters will have a fair share of tagged redfish waiting to be caught by some fortunate angler or anglers.

Other species in the tournament include cobia, snook, trout and sheepshead. Additional divisions in the tournament include the Open, Ladies, Fly, Kayak, Youth, Guides and a Conservation, with a number of prizes including River Hawk & Carolina Skiff boats, Yamaha motors, Bad Boy Buggies Recoil 4x4,, Engel coolers, Costa sunglasses, Power Pole shallow water anchors, Shimano fishing tackle, Hummingbird electronics, MinnKota trolling motors and Raymarine electronics.

There also are Bass Pro Shop, Marathon fuel & Simms gift cards. Other prizes include Live Watersports paddle boards and much more, for a total of almost $500,000. New Tide (youth) anglers can fish for free and are eligible to win a share of $100,000 in scholarships prizes.

The tournament will feature a catch-and-photo format, which allows all fish to be released. Anglers are eligible for prizes by taking a photo of the fish on the official measuring device with a smart phone or a digital camera.

CCA Florida has teamed up with the Snook and Gamefish Foundation to create its own state-of-the-art smart phone app that will allow anglers to enter fish right from the boat. In a new tournament twist, prizes are not awarded based on the largest fish of each species.

Anglers can find the CCA Florida STAR tournament free App on the Apple App Store or Google Play. Registered anglers in the Manatee and Sarasota area can pick up the official STAR measuring device from CB's Outfitters on Siesta Key or Cannon’s Marine on Longboat Key. To see a complete list of verification locations on the west coast go to www.ccaflstar.com.

The STAR tournament is a nonprofit event focused on enticing people to Florida’s renowned saltwater resources. In addition, the event will attract families and help educate anglers on the importance of conserving and protecting coastal resources. CCA Florida hopes to reach thousands of new anglers every year through the STAR Tournament. The first 4,500 registered anglers will receive a discount gift card from STAR and Marathon Petroleum of .26 cents off per gallon on a 20-gallon fill up.

CCA Florida STAR will release tagged fish on the west coast of the state the first two years, providing an opportunity to catch a tagged redfish from Pensacola through the southern reaches of Everglades National Park. The CCA then plans to expand STAR tagged fish to the entire state.

Complete rules and other information on the tournament including entering the event can be found at www. CCAFLSTAR.com.