About Schoolie
The 15th Annual Cheeky Schoolie Tournament is a wrap! Nearly 400 anglers convened on Cape Cod for the world’s largest fly fishing tournament, all in support of striped bass conservation. Thank you to everyone who attended, participated and supported another incredible year. The Schoolie Tournament is unique not only for its size, but also for the incredible community and camaraderie it brings together. Watching anglers and conservationists from across the country unite to celebrate striped bass, the waters they inhabit, and the community built around them is what makes this event truly special.
Tournament day was tough for many and absolute insanity for others. With warm weather and high sun, the fishing turned on in a big way. This year, records were shattered. For the first time in tournament history, we saw not one, butTHREEfish landed over 40 inches (44", 42", and 41").
The event raised $18,642 for Stripers Forever, Keep Fish Wet, and the American Saltwater Guides Association, three unique organizations dedicated to striped bass conservation. We could not have done it without all of our incredible participants and sponsors. To date, the Schoolie Tournament has raised $198,435 in support of striped bass conservation efforts.
The Science
Our contribution to Catch and Release science was on display throughout the tournament as Dr. Andy Danychuk's lab led by Olivia Dinkelacker with UMass Amherst continued to utilize the event the event to collect data on how striped bass respond to catch and release. Although we saw large fish, the younger age classes were lacking. This is a systemic problem and one that we have figure out if we want to have this fish around at all in the future.