Image: Winner_2

Realtree awarded a $25,000 scholarship the winner of the CCA STAR Tournament, 13-year-old Will Spletzer. (Photo by Joe Balog)

History was made this year as Realtree awarded another $25,000 scholarship to a deserving winner as part of the CCA STAR Tournament. As in years past, the recipient was a fish-focused youngster, obsessed with spending time outdoors. Most impressively, he pulled it off without a boat.

The CCA STAR has become one of the Southeast’s most popular fishing events. Adult and youth anglers compete in separate divisions for hefty prizes. There are boats and gear to be won for adults, while the kids contend for scholarships and gift cards.

Rules of the contest are simple: Participants have 100 days to fish, and youngsters can enter one catch per day. The more fish they enter, the better their chances of winning become.

Numerous fish species are eligible, from snook and redfish to ladyfish and jacks. The objective is to get kids fishing — away from today’s technology and open to the wonders of the outdoors. For several years, Realtree has provided one of two grand prizes, determined through a drawing.

Don’t Miss: How to Effectively Fish Boat Marinas

This year’s winner, 13-year-old Will Spletzer, was born into a fishing family. His brothers, John and Oliver, share his passion for the sport.

“Will immediately took to fishing,” his father, John, Sr., mentioned. “He’s very detailed about it, and he doesn’t give up. He fishes until the sun is down and the bugs are all over him. It’s the bitter end, every time.”

The Spletzers moved to Osprey in 2022, a response to pandemic-induced work changes and a prolonged desire to leave the Pennsylvania cold. They purchased a home on the water, where the boys could spend summer vacations pursuing their angling passion. What the Spletzers don’t have, however, is a boat.

“All of Will’s catches have come from the beach, the bank, or our dock,” John Sr. confirmed.

Possibly for the first time in history, a young angler has taken the top prize in the CCA STAR without ever being “on the water,” confirming that anyone can compete in this magnificent event.

And Will’s success is no anomaly. Brother John, who’s 14 years old, won a $5,000 scholarship for the second year in a row, while Oliver, 13, earned an honorable mention and a $500 gift card to West Marine. For the Spletzers, 2025 was a STAR clean sweep!

The boys hit it hard when school’s out.

Don’t Miss: The Best 5 States for Bass Fishing

“I tell them it’s the most productive thing they do all summer,” John, Sr. laughed. “Really, though, I insist they have three jobs every day of vacation. Thirty minutes of online learning, exercise and fishing.”

Those activities, John Sr. insists, create focus and a drive to succeed. Currently, the Spletzers are working on rebuilding their dock together. “It teaches them tool use, planning and life skills,” John Sr. explained.

The goal is completion by Thanksgiving. As a reward for a job well done, the Spletzers plan to buy a used boat to get the family out on the water. Boat or not, the boys will be found fishing. Their dock is widely known as their second home; the CCA Star event is always on top of their minds.

“We’re so appreciative of CCA and companies like Realtree that support this tournament,” John Sr. confirmed. “It gets the kids off of their phones, and they feel like celebrities at the banquets.

“Fishing has a luck component. And I always tell these boys, the harder you work, the luckier you get. Nothing proves that more than the CCA STAR,” he concluded.