Redfish tournaments are the most accessible competitive saltwater fishing in the United States. The boats are small, the water is shallow, the season is long, and two of the largest events on the calendar cost less than fifty dollars to enter. That combination is why the redfish tournament scene supports everything from million-dollar tagged-fish lotteries in Texas to $450-a-team professional circuits to kayak divisions where the entry includes the big-fish pot.
This page covers what is running now, what the entry actually costs, and the rules that separate a paid check from a disqualification. Figures below come from the organizers’ own published material.
Major Redfish Tournaments and Series
| Event / Series | Region | 2026 Window | Format | Entry | Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCA Texas STAR | Entire Texas coast | May 23 – Sept. 7, 2026 | Tagged fish + species divisions | $30 member / $70 non-member / $10 youth | $2M+ in prizes and scholarships |
| CCA Florida STAR | Florida, both coasts | Memorial Day – Sept. 7, 2026 | Catch-photo-release, tagged fish | $20 youth New Tide entry | $150,000+ in prizes and scholarships |
| Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship | Port Aransas, TX | Nov. 6–8, 2026 | Two-angler team, weigh-in | Qualification only | Not yet announced |
| The National Redfish Tour | Gulf Coast | Season-long | Two-angler team, artificials only | $450 qualifier + $90 membership | Top 50 Championship, $1,500 entry |
| Florida Redfish Series — boat | Florida | Season-long | Two-angler team | $500 team + $100 membership | Calcutta pays 50/30/20 |
| Florida Redfish Series — kayak | Florida | Season-long | Individual | $150 per angler + $100 membership | Big Red included in entry |
| Professional Redfish League | Texas | Season-long | Four divisions, artificials only | See division pages | Division payouts |
| International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo | Grand Isle, LA | July 23–25, 2026 | Redfish division within rodeo | See organizer | $10,000 grand prize overall |
CCA STAR: The Cheapest Shot at a Truck
The CCA Texas STAR Tournament is the largest inshore tournament in the country by prize value and the easiest to enter. The 2026 edition ran from 6:00 a.m. Saturday, May 23 through 6:00 p.m. Monday, September 7 — a 15-week window in which an entrant can fish any day, any Texas water, from any boat or from the bank.
Entry, per startournament.org, is $30 for existing CCA Texas members and $70 for non-members, which includes a year of standard membership. Youth ages 6 to 17 pay $10. Multi-year options run $90 for three years and $150 for five. The tournament advertises more than $2,000,000 in prizes and scholarships and awards $375,000 in scholarships annually.
The headline division is the Texas Ford Dealers Red Tag Division, in which CCA releases tagged redfish along the coast. Recovering a tagged red pays a truck-and-boat package — a 2026 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew Cab with a boat, motor and trailer — for up to ten winners. A separate Tags of Texas division uses seven sponsored tag colors. Alongside the tagged fish there are conventional heaviest-fish divisions paying five winners each in sheepshead, gafftop and black drum inshore, and kingfish, dorado, ling/cobia and red snapper offshore. Youth scholarship divisions for ages 6–10 and 11–17 award between $2,500 and $30,000.
The important structural point: STAR is a lottery as much as a contest. A tagged fish can be caught by anyone, anywhere on the coast, at any point in the 15-week window. That is why a $30 entry is a rational bet and why the field is enormous.
CCA Florida STAR
Florida runs a parallel program on a catch-photo-release basis, using an official STAR identifier that must appear in the photo with the fish. The 2026 tournament ran from Memorial Day weekend through September 7. Florida Sportsman reported more than $150,000 in prizes and scholarships for 2026, including $100,000 in college scholarships underwritten by the Guy Harvey Foundation, Realtree Fishing and Academy Sports + Outdoors, plus boat packages from Yamaha, Carolina Skiff, Custom Gheenoe, Minn Kota and Power-Pole, and a Native Watercraft kayak for the “Most Fish” winner. The youth New Tide entry was reported at $20, which includes CCA Florida membership.
Adult entry pricing for the Florida program was not confirmable from a current official source at this writing and is deliberately omitted here. Check ccaflstar.com before entering.
The Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship
B.A.S.S. runs the highest-profile invitational redfish event in the country. The 2026 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter returns to Port Aransas, Texas, November 6–8, 2026, hosted by Port Aransas Fisherman’s Wharf, with daily takeoff at 6:45 a.m. CT and weigh-ins from 2:45 p.m. CT. The field pairs specialist redfish teams with top Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series anglers.
As of August 2026, B.A.S.S. had not published the qualifying team list or the payout structure, stating only that both would be announced later. Anything else circulating about the purse should be treated as speculation.
Professional and Regional Circuits
The National Redfish Tour
The most rule-heavy of the open circuits, and the one worth studying if you have never fished a team weigh-in event. From the tour’s published rules:
- Two-angler teams, one designated captain. Points and awards go to the team.
- Two redfish per team per day at standard events; three fish up to nine pounds each at “Go-Live” events, with a 27-pound maximum including the weigh bag.
- Artificial lures only. No live bait.
- Boats must be at least 15 feet. No airboats, no mud motors.
- Measurement follows state regulation — mouth closed, tail pinched. Fish over 26 inches with altered tail fins are rejected.
- Dead-fish penalty of 8 ounces for one fish, 2 pounds for two.
- Weigh-in cutoff is 3:29:59 p.m. One second later is a disqualification.
2026 fees: $450 plus taxes for a qualifier, $600 for a divisional championship, $1,500 for the Top 50 Championship, $90 per angler per season for membership, $200 per team for the optional calcutta, and $20 per team for big fish.
Florida Redfish Series
FRS runs parallel boat and kayak divisions, which is unusual and makes it a good entry point for anglers without a flats skiff. Published pricing: boat division is a $100 annual membership plus $500 per two-angler team per event, with an optional $150 Bonus Bucks calcutta and a $50 PowerPux Big Red entry. Kayak division is the same $100 membership plus $150 per angler, with Big Red included and a $75 calcutta. Both calcuttas pay 50/30/20. The 2026 schedule included a Panama City stop on April 11 out of Panama City Marina.
Professional Redfish League
A Texas-centered league with four divisions — Texas South and Texas Southeast (two-angler teams, three two-day events, five-fish limit), Single-Man (three one-day events, three-fish limit) and Ladies (two-woman teams, three one-day events, two-fish limit). Every division is artificial-lures-only.
What Gets Teams Disqualified
Across redfish circuits the same handful of mistakes account for most lost checks:
- Late check-in. Redfish weigh-in cutoffs are absolute and enforced to the second.
- Oversized fish. Slot limits are state law, and tournament limits are frequently tighter than the state slot. Measure before you put a fish in the well.
- Altered tails. Trimming or squaring a tail to bring a fish under an upper slot is the oldest cheat in the sport and the reason tours reject fish over 26 inches with modified fins.
- Live bait in an artificial-only event. Most professional redfish circuits ban live bait outright. Having it aboard is generally enough.
- Dead fish. Penalties are ounces, but ounces decide redfish tournaments. Run a working aerator and cull carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest redfish tournament with a real payout?
CCA STAR. Texas entry is $30 for members and $70 for non-members including a year of membership, against a prize table the organization values at more than $2 million. There is no boat requirement and no travel requirement beyond fishing your home water.
Do redfish tournaments kill the fish?
Weigh-in circuits such as the National Redfish Tour and the Florida Redfish Series bring fish to the scales live and penalize dead fish. The CCA STAR programs and the kayak divisions are catch-photo-release, using a dated identifier in the photograph. Redfish handle live wells well compared with most inshore species, which is why the format persists.
Can you fish a redfish tournament from a kayak?
Yes. The Florida Redfish Series runs a dedicated kayak division at $150 per angler plus the $100 membership, with the big-fish pot included in the entry. CCA STAR has kayak categories as well.
Are live bait and chum allowed?
Usually not on the professional circuits. The National Redfish Tour and every Professional Redfish League division are artificial-lures-only. Charity and open events are more permissive. Read the rule sheet before you buy bait.
How do I qualify for the Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship?
It is an invitational. B.A.S.S. had not published the 2026 qualifying criteria or team list as of August 2026; the field historically combines redfish specialists with Bassmaster Elite Series anglers.
What size redfish wins these tournaments?
Almost every event is fished inside a state slot limit, so the winning strategy is not finding the biggest fish but finding the two or three heaviest legal fish. On the Texas and Louisiana coasts that generally means upper-slot fish in the 27- to 28-inch range; in Florida the slot is tighter and margins are thinner.
Related Reading
- How to Catch Redfish — tackle, lures, and reading a marsh or flat.
- How to Enter Fishing Tournaments — registration, calcuttas, and weigh-in procedure.
- Fishing Tournament Calendar — the full national schedule.
- Tarpon Tournaments — the Boca Grande and Keys season.
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