Cheeky’s 7th annual Schoolie Tournament starts on May 19, in Cape Cod, MA. With more than 400 registered striper fiends, the catch-and-release event has evolved into one of the largest of its kind in the country. And as part of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association’s (AFFTA) sponsorship deal, the organization is donating $1 for every 5-inches of striper landed and let go (up to $1,500) to Stripers Forever. Cheeky plans to match the donation dollar-for dollar.
“We couldn’t be more excited to support this event, and further, to support Stripers Forever and the value of releasing a fish,” says Ben Bulis, president of AFFTA. “With all the growth in saltwater flyfishing, more people are realizing the importance of healthy marine fisheries. Tournaments like this lead by example.”
Stripers Forever is a non-profit that’s been doing good work for the species, pushing for its game-fish status “on the Atlantic Coast in order to significantly reduce striper mortality, to provide optimum and sustainable public fishing opportunities for anglers from Maine to North Carolina, and to secure the greatest socio-economic value possible from the fishery.”
Ted Upton, owner of Cheeky Fishing, says: “We’re proud to join AFFTA in support of an organization that’s doing so much to conserve and protect our hard-working schoolie stripers. Our donation, and SF’s dedication, will add new value to every fish caught and released at this year’s Schoolie Tourney, and for seasons to come.”
Click here for more info on this year’s sold-out tournament.
Tom Bie is the founder, editor, and publisher of The Drake. He started the magazine in 1998 as an annual newsprint publication based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He then moved it to Steamboat, Colorado (1999), Boulder, Colorado (2001), and San Clemente, California (2004), as he took jobs as managing editor at Paddler, Senior Editor at Skiing, and Editor-in-Chief at Powder, respectively. Tom and The Drake are now both based in Denver, Colorado, where The Drake is finally all grows up(Swingers, 1996) to a quarterly magazine.