Gonzales man sets hook

on a tagged red
By Al Rogers

As Alfred Ropier launched his 24-foot bay boat out of a Grand Isle, La. marina on Monday, he recalls briefly thinking about the 2008 CCA Louisiana/Mercury Outboards Statewide Tournament and Anglers’ Rodeo (S.T.A.R.). The 63 year-old Gonzales native, a lifelong angler and member of Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), usually fishes the S.T.A.R. tournament every year, and well, it’s that time again. 

Like most participants in this 101-day mega-tournament, Ropier has often dreamt of changing his life with a single cast. He has imagined his name atop the speckled trout divisional leader boards and taking home a veritable dream machine – a Champion 220 Bay Champ, a 175-hp Mercury OptiMax outboard motor, and all-aluminum trailer. This sleek and sexy package is the most valuable ever awarded in the history of S.T.A.R., now in its 14^th year in Louisiana.

Or perhaps he would catch one of the 50 coveted tagged redfish that would put him behind the wheel of a brand new Chevy Silverado pickup truck worth more than $30,000. The possibilities are endless and yes, he agrees that one would have to be crazy not to enter the S.T.A.R.. 

For Ropier and thousands of other old salts across the Bayou State, fishing the S.T.A.R. has become sort of a summer ritual. In fact, Ropier cannot recall a summer when he has not fished the event.

But while launching his boat on the morning of June 14 a subtle, eerie feeling crept over him while he ran down a mental checklist. He had fuel, ice, water, and sandwiches. Rods, reels … check. The live bait was in the well and tackle boxes stored in the console. But he had that feeling that he must have forgotten something. 

He realized later that morning that there was something he did not take care of. Several days he had received his annual registration form to enter the S.T.A.R. tourney. He vividly recalled reading it over, then placing it down in a stack of mail on his kitchen table. He had every intention of filling it out, and may have even mentioned it to his wife Regina. 

“I’ve been filling these out for years,” said Ropier, who is in the construction business. “But I’ve so incredibly busy in the last couple of years, I’ve been letting my wife do it. We talked about it last week.” 

The form remained in the stack. 

“You know how it is,” he said. “You get so busy and just forget.” Ropier was joined by his grandson, Korey Waguespack, 10; his sister Linda Torres, her husband “Put” Torres, and Regina. It was a near perfect morning when the family headed out of Grand Isle and toward the east. There is nothing that Ropier would rather be doing than fishing here, a region considered by many to be one of the most prolific estuaries in the country. As the sun broke the horizon there were signs everywhere that this trip would be special indeed. 

It was special. Here he was in paradise with his family. It’s the stuff that memories are made of. But the event that will etch the day in his mind forever came just a couple hours later. And chances are good that Ropier won’t ever – ever - forget to register for S.T.A.R. again.  

“Yea, I’ve been fishing Grand Isle for a long time,” he said. “I kind of knew where the trout would be, so we S.T.A.R.ted in the Coup Abel area and just worked our way up to the beaches.” 

The fishing over the next two hours was phenomenal. Slinging popping corks with live shrimp suspended underneath, the anglers were putting specks in the boat on nearly every cast. They continued to work their way toward the surf. With about 35 specks on ice they switched to tandem sparkle beetle rigs and managed to catch a few doubles. By 8:30 a.m. and 50 trout in the boat, Ropier suggested that they move back into the Coup Abel area to fish some of the flats and oyster reefs for some redfish. 

“We were hoping to catch a few reds,” he said. “So we pulled up on one of the reefs and got out of the boat.” With his grandson fishing at his side, Ropier cast out and popped his cork a couple of times. On the second twitch his cork disappeared and he knew immediately he was on a good fish. But he no idea just how good this fish was until he pulled it upon the reef where they stood. 

“My grandson grabbed the fish,” Ropier said. “It was beautiful.” 

But accentuating the beauty of the fish was a CCA tag, which marked the fish and reminded Ropier that this fish was worth more than $30,000. Or, it would have been if he had only registered to fish the S.T.A.R. tournament. 

“I knew what (that tag) was right away,” he said. “All I said was ‘… that’s a tagged redfish.’” 

It would have been the first tagged redfish caught in the 2008 S.T.A.R. Tournament. This was the fish that would have won the brand new Chevy Silverado pickup truck. 

“Sure I was disappointed, but I didn’t let it bother me very long,” he said. “We just went back to fishing and had a great day.” 

As strange as it sounds, this is not the first time something like this has happened, according to Sam Barbera III, S.T.A.R. Tournament Director. Actually, most tournaments see tagged redfish caught by someone who neglected to register for S.T.A.R.. 

“And it’s so easy to do,” Barbera said. “We now have a toll-free number where anglers can simply call in and get registered.” 

Simply by dialing 1-877-4CCAS.T.A.R. (1-877-422-2782), anyone can enter S.T.A.R., anytime from anywhere. Whether it happens on the way down to the coast, on the dock or days in advance of a fishing trip. Operators are standing by now to take S.T.A.R. entries. But all must enter before fishing, he said. 

“What am I going to do now? Ropier asked. “Well, I released the fish so I know there are still 50 tagged reds swimming around. I’m going to register for S.T.A.R. and go back and catch that fish.”