There’s a common thread amongst competitors on the CCA STAR Tournament’s leaderboards.
The Texas Gulf Coast shoreline mileage? About 367 miles. The number of Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) State of Texas Angler’s Rodeo (STAR) Tournament official weigh-in stations serving anglers from Orange, Texas to Port Isabel? 17. In all that coastline, with some of the most exciting fishing in the continental United States, one pinpointed cove along the Freeport Jetties at Surfside Beach lives as a centered point of the summer tournament action:
Surfside Marina.
Every year, Texas anglers – and those from all over the country – roar out to their most strategic spots on the Gulf Coast and spend more than three months competing for almost $2 million in prizes in the CCA’s annual membership drive and a centerpiece of Texas tournament fishing: the CCA’s STAR Tournament.
In 2025, you can expect just the same if not more, during this year’s CCA STAR Tournament beginning Saturday, May 24th, at 6:00 a.m. and running through Monday, September 1st, at 6:00 p.m. Texas Gulf Coast anglers are encouraged to join the tournament any time this summer at one of 17 weigh/ticket stations on the Gulf Coast.
Last year, Surfside Marina consistently showed up on the CCA leaderboard represented by members across multiple categories. What the leaderboard doesn’t show you is that even the Surfside Marina participants who don’t hold a leaderboard position have an unforgettable experience.
Just ask Reginald Loftin, of Houston, TX. The seasoned angler believes the Surfside area is the ideal place for fishing and competing in the CCA STAR Tournament. He’ll even tell you the story about the day at Surfside when he caught a leaderboard-ranking black drum. Once weighed and registered at Surfside Marina (“The amenities are remarkable,” said Loftin), the group went right back out to try for more.
All of a sudden, there was another tug on the line! Loftin almost caught an even bigger black drum, “It showed me its face and then spit the bait and hook out of its mouth… seemingly right at me!”
It’s moments like these that attract registered CCA anglers to launch their first tournament morning in late May out of Surfside Marina and make it their home base the entire summer. Loftin is just one of many participants who searches for ample opportunities out of Surfside Marina – AKA “The Texas Home of Sportfishing” – to win the tournament trophy and prize, while supporting the massive Texas environmental conservation efforts of the CCA.
The best spot for fishing at Surfside Beach
When you look at the marina, it makes sense that Surfside Marina is the beacon attracting these anglers. They’re a state-of-the-art dry stack and wet slip boat storage marina. They carry an elite Gulf Coast boat service center in Surfside Beach, Texas. Whether for boat storage, fuel, bait, or to weigh a catch – it’s no coincidence that Surfside Marina had six anglers finish on the 2024 CCA Tournament leaderboard.
When Mark Hudman of Katy, Texas caught a 21-pound, eight-ounce red snapper in 2024, he and his friends (tenants at Surfside Marina) brought in the trophy fish to the certified weigh-in station to potentially command and hold the top spot in the Hoffpauir Offshore Division. The Offshore Division prizes included a $500 gift card for the first runner-up and a brand-new Polaris Ranger Crew camo UTV with a Big Tex Trailer and a STAR special edition trophy for the division winner.
Surfside Marina’s Mark Hudman took a division lead into mid-August, and finished as first-runner-up in the 2024 tournament with this 21-pound, eight-ounce red snapper.
Photo credit: CCA Texas
But Hudman wasn’t the only leaderboard representative from Surfside Marina. Jamal Marshall, of Freeport, Texas, followed right behind as fourth-runner-up with a red snapper catch weighing in at 20 pounds, 13 ounces at Surfside Marina.
Photo credit: CCA Texas
So what’s in the water at Surfside Marina, setting these anglers up for success? Well, besides plenty of redfish, speckled trout, and sheepshead in the water, the marina offers everything a fisherman might need to succeed in the competition.
Official weigh-in station, marine service center, and ship store
Surfside marina lives as a certified CCA weigh-in station, yes, but its convenient location and deepwater contours that drop off just eight miles from shore are worth its weight in bait. The marina is located near several previously successful tournament fishing spots like Bastrop Bay, Pirates Cove, and the Surfside Jetty County Park.
Photo credit: Brazoria County, Texas
The jetty is actually one of Loftin’s favorite spots for fishing and is just a quick cruise away from the marina.
But even those without a boat have an opportunity to catch fish like redfish and sheepshead. Because of the jetty’s more than half-mile flat surface walkway into the Gulf at an elevation of five feet above the water – even anglers without boats have a chance at a tournament prize.
Regardless if the competitor has a boat or not, the catch must be weighed at an official weigh-in station like Surfside Marina to qualify for the tournament. It’s at the marina that anglers can find additional support during their competition endeavors. Some might need to switch up bait tactics – soft plastics for live shrimp. Other anglers might have discovered a mechanical issue with their motor, and need a professional’s insight at the Surfside Marina Service Center. Some may have forgotten to eat before heading out, so they stop by for a snack at the Ship Store.
When asked what was the key to Mark Hudman’s top catch, he replied with two words:
“Good luck.”
But it’s more than that: these anglers have a true passion for fishing and habitat conservation, and are enabled by a supportive and trustworthy fishing community at Surfside Marina.
The CCA and its flagship tournament empower habitat conservation efforts in the Texas Gulf
The CCA STAR Tournament may traditionally end promptly at 6 p.m. on the last day of Labor Day weekend, but the organization’s efforts to “conserve, promote and enhance the present and future availability of these coastal resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public,” continue throughout the year.
In 2024, the tournament presented participants with the chance to win over $1,900,000 in prizes and scholarships. A total number like this brings in lots of attention to the organization’s conservation efforts of marine resources and anglers’ access to them.
Participants’ membership fees support the CCA Texas Habitat Today for Fish Tomorrow initiative which includes 49 Texas projects. The total number of funding for projects like the Galveston Bay Foundation Headquarters Living Shoreline Restoration, Oxen & Gang’s Bayou (Galveston) marsh restoration, and Cow Trap Lake shoreline stabilization is over $10 million and growing.
“A majority of the membership contribution goes into publishing and distributing (the bimonthly membership magazine) TIDE, maintaining a membership department, paying for our annual audit, and supporting our federal lobbyist in Washington, D.C.,” explained CCA co-founder Walter Fondren III. “The remaining money is returned to the state it came from, where it is supplemented by funds raised through dinners, auctions, and angling tournaments. The combined total then pays for that state’s lobbyist, local conservation projects, and operating expenses.”
This is why competitors like Loftin, Hudman, and Marshall, or any participating angler in the Surfside area, are so important. By offering service excellence with a nuanced knowledge of the Gulf Coast fishing arena, places like Surfside Marina can set up anglers and environmental conservation efforts for success.
Tournament success: To be efficient or lucky?
If you were to ask Loftin any of his tips for tournament success? “Stay out of my fishing hole,” he laughed. With kidding aside, Loftin would also tell you to cover as many spots in the area, with as many different pieces of bait. “It’s important to be efficient.”
That’s exactly what sets Surfside Marina apart from other weigh-in stations in the tournament: the efficiency it provides for its anglers. The combination of Surfside Marina’s strategic location near deep water and localized fishing knowledge proves to be a valuable and efficient resource for registered competitors aiming to win big. The CCA leaderboard reflected this.
When asked how fishing out of such a competitive but welcoming sportfishing haven like Surfside, Loftin said:
“It enhances my overall fishing experience by pushing me to refine my techniques and strategies, helping me to become a better fisherman.”
At the end of the day, in the 2025 competition, anglers could adopt Mark Hudman’s view that it’s about luck. They could adopt Loftin’s idea, that strategy is key. When a CCA Tournament competitor climbs on deck, whether they’re seven or 70, luck and strategy don’t play a part in feeling the cool ocean mist under a rising Texas sun.
It’s about a love for the open water, and the thrill of the chase.
For the 2025 CCA STAR Tournament rules and leaderboards, visit the CCA STAR Tournament website. Participants must be CCA or New Tide members and abide by all Texas fishing regulations.
If you have any questions regarding Surfside Marina or boat storage and service options, email or call 979-230-9400.
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