by Steve “Tuna” Tornovish
Ah yes, the dog days of summer. The fishing has been, well, tough. My friend and boat charter captain Corey Gammon says that the fishing has been “opportunistic.” We spoke recently, and Corey told me, “Yesterday we did nothing at Great Point, and today it just went off. Fish everywhere!” Yes, Corey is right. I’ve had good days and bad days and going half-mad days, to borrow a lyric from the late, great Jimmy Buffett. My best day of the past week was when I had to cancel my charter clients due to extreme wind and rain. I went out and fished into that wind on an empty beach and caught some big, fat bluefish. You can’t catch ‘em from the couch, right?
So what would make a person of reasonably sound mind go out and cast in a 40 mph wind and rain storm, you ask? The August Blues – Nantucket Fishing Tournament, of course! This tournament is an absolute blast. Both the beach and boat division leaderboards are tighter than Mr. Krabs from Spongebob (is that reference too old?). The entire competition can turn around with a single cast. That was certainly my motivation for the day. I was fishing by myself, and it was oddly refreshing. I hooked seven fish and landed only three—did I mention the conditions were extreme? I submitted two of my fish. They measured 28 and 29 inches. I was sure I’d catch another one in the 30 inch range, but I did not. No moving to the top four of the leaderboard for me.
Some guy named Tedy Bruschi is leading the beach division with a total of 94.25 inches. Tom Small is right behind him at 94 inches. Both of these fishers are extremely dedicated and in the top tier of the Nantucket beach fishing community. This will be a battle right through the month of August!
The boat division is just as tight. Jonathan Foster has the lead right now, with a three fish total length of 105.75 inches. Caroline Collatos is nipping at his heels with her three fish bag measuring 105.25 inches. Yowza: both grand prizes are separated by a grand total of .75 inches!
Jennifer Wright is currently leading in the Snapper Bluefish category for the smallest bluefish caught. It isn’t her 17.5 inch bluefish that got the August Blues community buzzing, however. It was the beautiful striped bass that she landed. Jennifer had said on her Instagram, “I was fishing for bluefish for the August Blues Tournament but caught a 37.5 inch striper! My first ever from shore!” And what a beauty that fish was!
I asked Jennifer about her beach fishing experiences. She was so excited about fishing that it made me think maybe the front lawn could wait another day so I could get out and start casting! Jennifer said that she’d been looking forward to the tournament. “I couldn’t wait for August! I did the tournament last year. I caught a large bluefish in July but only caught one in August, and it was only 16 inches. I got my husband Dave signed up too! We’re aiming for the family prize. Our daughter Robin (who is 8 years old) caught one last year.”
I asked Jennifer about her monster striped bass. She said, “I was fishing for a blue and the striper hooked on pretty close to shore. It just ran! I didn’t know what I had. Robin was yelling, ‘Mom, I think it’s a shark!’ I had to tighten my drag. We were all shocked at how big the striper was! I had caught some big stripers on a boat a few years ago. This one was like that!”
“We pack up dinner and fish until sunset. Robin gets really excited when we hook up! I started fishing at a young age with my dad in Littleton, MA. Beach fishing has helped me meet people. I’ve taken a couple of classes with Tammy King. Last year it was pouring rain, and we were all out there. It was so much fun! It’s really fun to cheer everybody on. I just love it!”
Tammy King is a huge part of the August Blues Tournament. She is sponsoring a women’s beach fishing event on August 18. Ladies, don’t miss this! It will be held from 5 to 8 pm. Reach out to Tammy at fishgirlack@yahoo.com for details. All funds raised from this event will go to Parent’s Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), an organization dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Keep Saturday, August 22 on your calendar as well. That’s the August Blues Derby Day event. There will be a sign-up event at the Fairgrounds Restaurant and all kinds of fun on the beach. Details are at augustbluesnantucket.com.
My favorite catch of the week was little Gordie McEvoy’s bluefish. Gordie was out with his dad, Pat, and Gordie’s buddy Auggie Schaeffer. The joy on the faces of Gordie and Auggie really show why we all need to get kids out there fishing! Remember: junior anglers (age 17 and younger) can automatically be signed up by submitting a catch from the beach. Let’s get those kids out there!
Thanks to the motivation provided by Jennifer Wright, I talked my wife into a late drive to Great Point. We fished way down on the inside, trying to get out of the seaweed that had been stirred up by the big winds. And, as Corey Gammon had promised, my opportunistic fishing paid off! I added a 27-inch fish to my three fish total, giving me a score of 84 inches. That could put me into fourth place, provided no one else made a move! Fingers crossed!
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
