There’s never been a better chance to Catch, Photograph and Win a new boat, new gear, and new fishing adventures
The Coastal Conservation Association of California (CCA CAL) season-long STAR Tournament returns for 2026 with an amazing early registration incentive. Sign up by May 22, 2026, and you will receive a $25 AFTCO gift certificate. That’s like a $25 discount on the $40 registration for STAR for CCA CAL members.
But there’s more good news. This year, there are more ways to win a new Mako 17 Pro Skiff with a 60 hp outboard and trailer, as well as $50K in other prizes, including 15 weekly prizes and $15K in youth scholarships.
The STAR Tournament has expanded the number of eligible fish types, now including surf perch (Embiotocidae family) of which there are more than 10 species, with a minimum eligible size of just 9 inches. In addition, the minimum eligible size for spotted bay bass has been decreased to 15 inches. For these and other reasons, CCA CAL strongly encourages the use the 2026 STAR measuring device (free with entry) for this year’s tournament versus measuring devices from previous years.
Minimum sizes for the 2025 eligible fish are: 18 inches for barred sand bass and kelp bass; bass; 15 inches for spotted bay bass; 28 inches for California halibut; 36 inches for California yellowtail, white seabass, and tuna (Thunnus genus); 26 inches for chinook salmon; 22 inches for lingcod and striped bass; and 9 inches for surf perch.
In order to qualify, these fish must be caught in eligible ocean waters that include California’s state and US Pacific waters, as well as the Pacific side of Baja California down to Cabo San Lucas.
Using the Fishing Chaos app, anglers can submit up to two entries per category per day, and each registered catch earns a chance to win prizes in the 15 weekly drawings, as well as one of the ten grand prizes at the conclusion of the season-long tournament.
This year the STAR Tournament will kick off on May 23, 2026 (the start of Memorial Day Weekend), and run through Labor Day, September 7, 2026. To enter, anglers use the free Fishing Chaos app and the official 2026 measuring device to easily register a catch and facilitate live releases, if they choose.
“The CCA CAL STAR Tournament is not about catching the largest fish,” explains Dave Brown, chair of the CCA CAL STAR Committee for 2026. “All you have to do is catch, photograph and register a qualifying fish. Each one you enter using the Fish Chaos app, with your phone’s location services turned for the app, earns you a chance to win.
“With surfperch now included, just about any California angler or diver—be they shore based, in a kayak, aboard a private boat, or on the deck of a party boat—has a chance to catch, photograph and win!
“CCA CAL’s goal is for this to become the biggest California saltwater fishing event. That’s important, because angler participation in STAR supports CCA CAL’s advocacy work on conserving our marine resources and your access to them, including your right to fish.”
Any youth angler between the ages of 13 and 17 may also participate in the STAR Tournament Youth Division. Becoming a youth member of CCA for only $10 automatically comes with a FREE entry into the tournament. In 2026, CCA CAL, with the help of sponsors, will award three $5,000 scholarships to youth anglers fishing in the STAR Tournament. Qualifying works exactly the same as our adult division, with all entries counting the same.
Registration is just $40 for current CCA CAL adult members. Non-members can participate by joining CCA CAL, and then registering. All entries include the durable rollup vinyl measuring device, as each entry will be based on length, not weight.
There are other non-grand-prize-qualifying STAR categories, including the barred sand bass data collection division, which provides a pathway for anglers to contribute to “fishermen science,” and now it is paving the way to better data to help save California ocean fisheries from unwarranted regulation, one species at a time. That’s why this year’s measuring device for the first time has eighth-inch tick-marks, which are critical in obtaining the most accurate length-data for barred sand bass and white seabass.
Other STAR divisions for this year include mylar balloons, white seabass head collection, and spearfishing.
You can register online at CCACalifornia.org/STAR. Or you can visit one the many participating CCA CAL 2026 STAR tackle stores, landings and dive shops, which will also distribute the official STAR measuring device. The $25 AFTCO gift certificate early-bird incentive expires at midnight May 22, 2026, so sign up today.
To learn how you can Catch, Photograph and Win; check out the rules; or find a participating retail shop, visit CCACalifornia.org/STAR.
ABOUT CCA CAL: The non-profit Coastal Conservation Association of California was created in 2015 when recreational anglers and outdoor enthusiasts came together to work for the conservation and enhancement of our marine resources and coastal environments. Today, we are working to protect not only the health, habitat, and sustainability of our marine resources, as well as the interests of saltwater anglers. Our goal is to protect your access to the marine resources you cherish and enjoy every day. CCA CAL consists of members spread across local chapters in California and growing every day.
