2026 Schoolie Wrap Up
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, but THREE fish landed over 40 inches (44", 42", and 41").
Records were broken in more ways than one this year. Not only were three fish over 40 inches landed, but the top six teams also beat the previous tournament record of 129.75 inches, set in 2024. Our winning team, Philly Special (Mac Wilson & Greg Wilson), posted an incredible 147.75 inches across four fish, beating the previous record by 18 inches. Mac and Greg took home a mountain of gear provided by our incredible Tournament Sponsors, along with the legendary Schoolie Blazers.
Just .75 inches behind our champions, second place went to team Don’t Feed Phil (Braden Brothers & Tom D'Amato) with 147 inches, while Two Docs (Nate Fritts & Kevin Osantowski) took third place with 142.25 inches. Both teams took home an outstanding haul of prizes from our sponsors.
In our “Brand Wars” division, made up of fishing industry professionals, the Rising Tide Brewery team of Alex Hernandez and Bennet Hight claimed victory with 110.5 inches.
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.
View the 2026 Schoolie Leaderboard.
A special thank you to all of our participants, sponsors, and our host, The West End.
We’ll see you next year!