Louisiana Fisherman Catches Special Redfish and Wins Free Beer for a Year
ERATH, La. - Sometimes all it takes is one cast to turn an ordinary fishing trip into a story you'll be telling for years.
That's exactly what happened to South Louisiana's Wayne Toups who reeled in more than just a redfish during the 2026 CCA Louisiana STAR Tournament. His redfish came with a prize that plenty of Louisiana fishermen wouldn't mind claiming themselves...a full year of free beer.
Delcambre Fisherman Scores Big In Louisiana Fishing Tournament
Wayne Toups of Delcambre, not the musician that we all know and love, was fishing in Vermilion Bay when he caught a redfish that looked like any other redfish he had ever caught.
After taking a closer look, he realized the fish was carrying one of the tournament's special blue tags, making him an instant winner in the CCA Louisiana STAR Tournament.
The blue tag earned Toups a case of Michelob Ultra every week for an entire year!
He Almost Missed The Winning Tag
According to tournament officials, Toups initially thought the tag was one of the standard prize tags that usually awards a tournament T-shirt.
Thankfully, he looked again.
That's when he noticed the tag was blue instead of yellow, a color that signals one of the tournament's most popular prizes.
Tournament Director Micah Denesse said Toups and his wife were both thrilled when they learned the prize was free Michelob Ultra for a year.
While winning beer for a year is a pretty incredible prize, Toups says he's still hoping to catch one of the tournament's coveted red-tagged fish.
Those tags can be worth massive prizes, including brand-new boats, trucks, RVs and other high-value fishing gear depending on when and where they're caught.
What Is The CCA Louisiana STAR Tournament?
The CCA Louisiana STAR Tournament is one of the largest saltwater fishing tournaments in the country and spans nearly the entire Louisiana coastline.
Each year, tournament officials release specially tagged redfish into Louisiana waters. Fishermen who register have the chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes simply by catching one of those tagged fish.
The 2026 tournament features more than $750,000 in prizes, with awards ranging from fishing gear and gift cards to boats, trucks and RVs.
Tournament organizers say plenty of tagged redfish are still swimming Louisiana's coastal waters, meaning there are still major prizes waiting to be won before the tournament wraps up around Labor Day.
Find out more about the tournament over at ccalouisiana.com.
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Gallery Credit: Michael Dot Scott
