by Steve “Tuna” Tornovish
Tammy King had a vision. She had just been appointed to the board of directors for the Nantucket Anglers Club. This gave Tammy an opportunity to set a plan in motion to make her dream a reality.
“I had this crazy idea to have a freshwater learn-to-fish experience that would be very hands-on. One that the community would have access to because fishing starts with the basics. My dream is to see families sharing the love for fishing.”
Tammy knew that her vision needed help in order to come to fruition. A lot of help. The event was scheduled for June 6. The plan was ambitious. Volunteers were needed, lots of volunteers. And the word had to get out to get the families to turn out to the event. Tammy turned to Homer Ray and Matt Roberts, two fellow Anglers Club board of directors members, to help her make the project happen. She used her sway in the fishing community to round up a large group of fishers to play a variety of roles. She had mothers and fathers from the scouting communities step up. Her Kids Indoor Fishing Fun Day was a go!
Matt Roberts told me, “When Tammy and I came to the board this fall, she had a vision for this kids event. Homer and I knew her event would be the perfect tie-in with our Cub Scouts program. The ages and skills she wanted to focus on lined up perfectly with our scouts who would be eligible for the “Catch the Big One” adventure award after completing the event. I knew that if it was half as good as Tammy was describing, our attendance with kids both in and out of the scouting programs wouldn’t be a problem. The Nantucket Anglers Club and the Cub Scouts have a history of working together for the kids fishing derby, but Tammy’s vision was next level. She had the connection with OutCast (lure company) and every diehard fisherman on the island. She brought everyone together to educate and share our love of fishing with these kids, to pass that passion on to the next generation! I’m so proud to have been even a small part of Tammy’s home run!”
I showed up early on that Saturday afternoon to help set up. I discovered that being 45 minutes early meant that I was an hour late. Tammy and her volunteer army had the entire building decorated and set up when I sauntered in. There were so many stations set up with so many people to help. It was exciting!
Lisa Sherburne was there. I was glad to see her as Lisa still holds the record as the fishing guest who caught the biggest beach false albacore on one of my trips (and she’s so very nice!). She told me, “I ran the photo booth and took pictures of the children in a frame that said, “Gone Fishing.” I thought it was a terrific event, and all the children seemed to have a great time as well as get introduced to the sport of fishing. Tammy did a great job!”
Dr. Sarah Treanor Bois had her spot staked out near the front door. We talked about her son Charlie (holy smokes, he’s 16 years old now!) and her awesome husband Carl (captain of the fishing charter boat Topspin). Sarah told me, “Tammy asked for help, and I happily agreed! I was assigned to the trivia board. We asked questions about fishing, fish species, and tools of the trade. Plus I made up a few extra questions for the little ones. I thought the event was a great success. I don’t know the total number, but it felt like there were so many kids and families throughout the time.”
My station was the safety station. I wondered if Tammy had put me there to be Mr. Bad Example, but I did my best. Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey had provided two Mustang personal floatation devices. I explained the importance of wearing PFDs when boating. I talked about wader safety. I got to hand out nifty flyers that went over the importance of wader belts and other important tips. And, most importantly, I stamped the activity cards for the kids who went to the various stations. It was an absolute blast!
My station was tucked in between Matt Roberts (basic fishing knots) and James Hatton (how to attach fishing bobbers) on my left and Jesse Boyd on my right. Jesse, accompanied by his son Chase, was demonstrating how to properly affix a worm and a minnow onto a bait hook. The worms used were candy gummy worms and the minnows were Swedish Fish. Jesse and I may have consumed a large school of the sugary minnows during our two-hour shift. And he may or may not have jabbed himself one good one with a fish hook along the way. These guys were great company, and I thoroughly enjoyed being with them.
Tammy had been worried sick about if enough kids would show up. Those concerns were soon cast aside – the Club was packed all afternoon with more than 100 kids.
Julia and Jameson Heise were there with their daughters Abby and Evelyn. Abby hit the jackpot, guessing exactly how many Swedish Fish were in a jar (230, exactly). Julia said, “You can tell that every detail was thoughtfully considered. The volunteers at the educational tables were exceptional, enthusiastically teaching kids about the various aspects of fishing. I even learned a thing or two myself!”
Hamid “Tak” Basbous was there with his almost 5-year-old daughter Ophelia. Hamid took my favorite picture of the day (cover photo), capturing Ophelia working on casting on the lower dock with Nick Whitbeck. It truly captured what this day was all about.
One of the coolest things happening at the event was seeing kids get to paint their own custom fishing lure, thanks to the great guys at OutCast Fishing Lures. Jeff Adams and Mike Pham helped about 30 kids create their own fishing lures and a lot of beautiful memories! Thank you OutCast crew!
There were all kinds of games for the kids. There were snacks (aside from the Swedish fish that Jesse and I were chowing on). The atmosphere was fun, and it was the kind of event that made me glad to be a part of the Nantucket fishing community.
Sarah Bois summed up the event when she said: “This event was for the next generation of fishing. This is the cultural heritage of our community. It’s awesome to get the kids excited about fishing and what the island has to offer. Tammy did a fantastic job putting it all together and rallying the volunteers. It was such an amazing event!”
Indeed it was. Thanks to Tammy, Matt, Homer and the Nantucket Anglers Club.
Steve “Tuna” Tornovish is a Nantucket native who has spent his life fishing from the beaches of his beloved island. He loves to introduce clients to the joy of fishing with his Nantucket Island Fishing Adventures: stevetuna.com
