CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two tagged red fish in the Annual CCA Texas Star Tournament were officially caught in Corpus Christi.
The lucky anglers get to take home several prizes including a brand new truck, boat and trailer.
It was a once in a lifetime catch for fisherman Luis DeLeon, but actually it was the second time that he's reeled in a tagged redfish.
July 1, 2018 was just a regular day of fishing for Luis DeLeon.
"We've come here since we were all little," Luis DeLeon said.
He said he went to his favorite spot in the upper Laguna Madre.
"I was into the fish so heavy," DeLeon said. "I had a limit of reds and I had a limit of trout."
Done for the day, DeLeon said he took his stringer home.
"I started filleting fish," DeLeon said. "When I got to the last red. I called my dad because my dad likes his red just gutted so he can put it on the pit."
But he said something caught his eye.
"I wiped the algae off and it said CCA 2018," DeLeon said.
Unfortunately, DeLeon wasn't registered in the CCA Texas Star Tournament in 2018.
"I went and told my wife and started to cry," he said.
He was heartbroken but his wife told him something.
"He was upset and I just told him it wasn't meant to be honey not this year," JoAnn DeLeon said.
DeLeon said he wasn't going to make that mistake again so he registered.
"This year was a little different," JoAnn said.
A year later, almost to the day and in the same spot, he did it again.
"I saw a little action to my right and right before I went over there I said a couple of prayers and told the good lord give me a red give me a red," DeLeon said.
Two casts later. Call it luck, but DeLeon called it God.
"And when I scratched off the tag it said CCA 2019 and I said I'm outta here I'm leaving," he said.
"Called me and told me he caught another red with a tag and he's like really.," JoAnn said.
DeLeon even had to take a lie detector test.
"He said congratulations you're a winner and the guy from CCA said Luis you're number too," he said.
Tournament officials said there are still more than 60 remaining tagged fish along the Texas coast, but only five people can win.
DeLeon gave this advice.
"Find the right pattern. The right color," he said.
At the end of the tournament on Labor Day, DeLeon will take home a brand new truck, boat and trailer.
"So it was meant to be," DeLeon said. "It was meant to be this year," JoAnn said.
"You can always say I'm a tagged red fish winner," he said.