CCA Florida uses scholarships and boats to hook the next generation on fishing

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WINK) — For Charlotte High School senior Max Miller, summer means spending as much time as possible fishing the flats in the Charlotte Harbor.

“I fish every day, almost,” Miller said. “I fell in love with it here in Florida. It’s an awesome fishery. There’s tons of fish. I love coming out, looking for reds and snook.”

This summer, one of those catches could help pay for his education, or even put him behind the wheel of his own boat.

Miller is participating in the Coastal Conservation Association Florida’s STAR competition, a statewide summer fishing program for anglers ages 6 to 17. The competition runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and offers more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes.

Unlike traditional fishing tournaments, competitors do not need to land the largest fish.

Anglers can catch any saltwater species of any size, photograph it alongside the official STAR identifier and submit the entry online. Eligible catches are then entered into drawings for most of the competition’s major prizes.

“We do a random drawing for 12 different scholarships, two $25,000 scholarships and 10 $5,000 scholarships,” STAR Tournament Director Leiza Fitzgerald said. “Yeah, it’s a cool competition.”

Miller already knows the program can pay off; he won a scholarship through STAR in 2023.

His father, Bryan Miller, said the family discovered CCA and the STAR competition shortly after moving from Massachusetts to Florida in January 2020. When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, fishing became a way for Bryan and his three children to spend time together.

“Every day, me and the three kids would go out and fish like crazy,” Bryan Miller said. “It paid off in 2023, when Max finally won a $5,000 scholarship.”

Miller, who is entering his senior year at Charlotte High, said scholarship money would help as he considers college or trade school. Still, there is another prize he has his eye on.

“A boat would be awesome, but scholarship money’s great,” he said. “But I’d like to get a boat.”

Teenagers ages 13 to 17 can compete for boat packages, including a Carolina Skiff and a Custom Gheenoe equipped with Yamaha motors and other fishing equipment.

The competition also includes a trash division. Participants can photograph and submit each 5-gallon bucket of trash they collect and properly dispose of while on the water. Each eligible submission can earn prizes and 30 minutes of community service credit.

Miller said those incentives have given him another reason to fish while helping him become more conscious of the environment.

“It definitely got me out there more because there’s more of a reason to be out there, maybe win something,” Miller said. “It helps you become a better angler and a better person with the environment.”

Fitzgerald said the prizes are designed to introduce more children to recreational fishing and help keep them involved in the sport.

“We are recruiting new individuals to the sport,” Fitzgerald said. “But most importantly, it is spending time with family and friends, because when you are out on the water, and you’re fishing together, it’s not just about catching fish. It’s about spending time with family, friends and creating a bond that no other sport can create.”

Registration costs $20 and includes a CCA Florida New Tide membership. Young anglers can register throughout the competition at CCAFLSTAR.com and pick up a free official STAR identifier at participating West Marine stores and local tackle shops.

Entries can be submitted through Labor Day, Sept. 7.