What a weekend it was. The 2025 Fall Grind Tournament held over the October 3-5 weekend delivered everything we could have hoped for and more—perfect conditions, incredible catches, unforgettable stories, and a competition so tight that we witnessed not one, but two dead-locked ties for the top spots. To every angler who spent the night on the beach chasing stripers under the stars, thank you. Your dedication, sportsmanship, and passion make this event what it is.
Conditions Almost Too Good to Be True
Photo taken the evening of October 4th by My Fishing Cape Cod member and Grind competitor Tom Bacis.
Mother Nature showed up in a big way this year. The weekend of October 3-5 blessed us with warm, summer-like conditions that felt almost surreal for a fall tournament. Flat calm waters, no wind to speak of, and star-lit skies that stretched endlessly overhead created an atmosphere that was nothing short of magical. Some might say the conditions were almost too perfect—perhaps making the fish a bit more challenging to entice—but that didn’t stop our competitors from rising to the occasion.
The Fishing: Beaches Come Alive
Grind competitor & MFCC member Nick Beltramini with a nice fish caught during the tournament. Photo by Matt Apera.
Despite the pleasant conditions that can sometimes make fish finicky, anglers found success across Cape Cod’s shoreline. The beaches of Sandwich, Barnstable, Brewster, and Chatham proved to be the hot zones, producing most of the tournament’s best catches. Fish were certainly caught elsewhere too, but these areas consistently delivered quality stripers throughout the weekend. It’s a testament to the skill and persistence of our competitors that they adapted to the conditions and found the fish when it mattered most.
Tournament Legends Are Made
Every Grind Tournament produces its share of memorable moments, and 2025 did not disappoint. @contractcasting embodied the true spirit of tournament fishing when he put a treble hook through his finger, made a trip to the emergency room, and then—incredibly—returned to the beach to continue fishing. His determination paid off as Team Ezickson Bros ultimately tied for 2nd place with 100.5 combined inches.
Then there’s Greg Flynn, who proved that some anglers just refuse to slow down. Greg managed to catch enough big bass to tie for 1st place, all while preparing to get married on Cape the very next morning. Talk about priorities—or maybe just exceptional time management and a very understanding bride!
The award for best recovery story goes to @jcotto44 and @StriperMadness of the Beach Boys, who suffered a flat tire on the beach. Most teams would have called it a night, but not these guys. They limped off the beach, replaced the tire, headed right back out, and landed a magnificent 37-incher. Their 98 combined inches proved that persistence pays dividends.
An Awards Meetup for the Books
Chapin Beach proved to be an excellent and beautiful venue for the awards meetup.
The awards ceremony at Chapin Beach was the perfect ending to an extraordinary weekend. With conditions so beautiful it felt like summer had returned for one last hurrah, spirits were high despite the collective sleep deprivation.
Hot, fresh coffee from @Nautilus of Plymouth Coffee Co. flowed freely, keeping everyone energized as we celebrated the weekend’s achievements. Winners walked away with terrific prizes, and we made sure that everyone who showed up got a shot at the free raffles—because at the Grind, participation itself deserves recognition.
Historic Results: A First-Time Double Tie
The winning teams of the 2025 Fall Edition of the Grind!
For the first time in Grind Tournament history, we had dead-locked ties for both 1st and 2nd place. The competition was that fierce.
1st Place Tie - 102 Combined Inches:
@handwoven & Robin Young (featuring our first woman competitor to place!)
Team InsureIt - Adam Kostecki & Greg Flynn
2nd Place Tie - 100.5 Combined Inches:
- Team Ezickson Bros - @nezickson & Josh Ezickson
Josh and Noah Ezickson.
Matt Apera & Nick Beltramini
Special recognition goes to Robin Young for being the first woman competitor to place in the tournament—may she be the first of many!
Robin Young is the first woman competitor to place in the tournament!
Thank You to Our Sponsors
None of this would be possible without the generous support of our sponsors who provided the prizes and kept us caffeinated throughout the night.
Your contribution to this event and to the striped bass fishing community on Cape Cod means everything. To every company that provided prizes and coffee, thank you for believing in this tournament and helping us celebrate what ended up being a very fun weekend.
Full Tournament Results
Top Finishers:
- 102 inches - Joshua Schiff & Robin Young
- 102 inches - InsureIt - Adam Kostecki & Greg Flynn
- 100.5 inches - Ezickson Bros - Noah & Josh Ezickson
- 100.5 inches - One More Cast - Nick Beltramini & Matt Aprea
- 98 inches - Beach Boys - Jeff Cotto & Mike Marcus
- 94 inches - Fishing Bulls - Mike Remlinger @Rem & Connor Swartz
- 91.5 inches - Tomex - @monomoy & Tom Simpson
- 87.5 inches - Night Herons - Carle Hildreth @NoSlack88 & Clinton Spaulding @spauldingc
- 86.5 inches - Piotr Szymanski @piotrszyman & Kyle Garces
- 81 inches - Garrett Wilson @goofygooner96 & Luke Pierce
- 67 inches - Anti-team - Timothy Butler @blitzwizard & Aidan Wood
- 59 inches - Rooster - Cody Clark @Hoista & Bob Rowean
- 56 inches - Striper Swipers - Tyler Austin & Ryan Gillis @striperswiper
- 29 inches - Chase Clarke @Crclarke21 & Kyle Lotti
- 26 inches - Mo Beach Maniacs - Mike O’Neil & Josh Gizmundo
Also competing: The Greeks - @gsvlahos1 & Matt Vlahos, Salt & Steel - Grant Stark @Stark134 & Owen Maloney @osmalones, Barrett Stutzman @barrett7502 & Doug Lanlois, Stags Leap - Matt Coolidge @coolidgem & Chris Siwik, Fish Camp - Tom Bacis @tombacis & Jeff Still, LFG - Garrett Espeso @garrett2025 & Tom Laundon, CT Spinners44 - William Hanavan @whanavav & Bill, Martin Puckett @martpuck & TBD, El Rey Pez - Eric Greenberg @EricGreenberg6 & Liam Sheehan, Mass Mustangs - Cooper Mark @capebrian & Than Hunt, Beach Boys #2 - Jim Kelly @Jimkelly & Dana Hana, Calvin Toran-Sandlin @Sandbar1 & Marshall Roy @marshallr, The Fish Slayahs - John Edwards @johnredwards05 & Mason Pimental, Mike Sadler @mcsadler & Dan Stoll, Eel Team 6 - Ian Lumsden @ianlumsden & Dante, The Beach Boyz - Mike Flynn @phoebeandmike & Dave “Eel Man” Lane @eelman, Fiske Lodge - Mads Christiansen @Mads & Lars, and James Curtin & Galvin Maxwell.
Here’s to the 2025 Grind Tournament—may the memories last until we do it all again next year.
2026 Grind dates:
Spring Edition - May 29-31
Fall Edition - October 2-4
Tight lines! 🎣
Awesome time grinding it out and great to catch up with folks at the meetup afterwards! Thanks Ryan.
Carle, it was great seeing you at Chapin Beach! Wish I was able to spend more time chatting with you!
Ryan, outstanding job and you encapsulated the event beautifully. With so much going on and with so many people the “36 hour grind” is a MFCC signature event.
Mike it was great having you and Jeff as a part of the tournament! The spring edition of the Grind will be back again before we know it.
I’d also like to get the long-distance casting competition going again for 2026. I’d just prefer to do the casting competition in a large field as opposed to the beach. I’ve been eyeing the field that’s used by the Sandwich Bazaar Flea Market as a potential location.