by Steve “Tuna” Tornovish
“I don’t do a lot of beach fishing. I’m a boat fisherman. And I never fish at night. You guys do this all the time.” My brother Billy seemed a bit nervous as I drove him and Dale Gary to Pocomo Point to fish the incoming tide in mid-September of 2020. Night fishing does require a different skill set, no doubt. It’s important to fish by feel. Generally, the targeted species is striped bass, the most nocturnal of the fish hanging around Nantucket. And yes, Dale and I do fish a lot at night together. Quite a bit. Both of us could pretty much cast and retrieve while blindfolded.
“Don’t worry, Bill. We’ll be right there with you.” Billy didn’t look comforted.
We put Billy in between us as we walked out onto the Pocomo Point sandbar. The three of us moved cautiously as we waded out. No one wanted to step into an unseen hole as we walked through the knee-high water. Chest waders, belts and headlamps were the uniform of the night. The bar that we waded out on was quickly disappearing, covered by the incoming tide. We were casting up-harbor, due east, with the lights of Nantucket town at our backs. It was a dark night and the current was running strong. The three of us threw identical lures, the tandem hook Sluggo soft plastic lure in black. Sluggos are fished slowly, with plenty of pauses and subtle twitches of the rod tip to make the soft plastic bait dance in the water. Dale is a master at fishing the Sluggo. I’m pretty good at it as well. Billy would just have to figure it out. Everybody has to start somewhere, right?
Dale and I could understand Billy’s apprehension about fishing in the dark but we also figured that he would adapt in short order. And adapt he did. My brat little brother caught five—FIVE—striped bass that night, including a beautiful 35-inch fish that helped him significantly in the Inshore Classic beach fishing tournament. As for me and Dale, yeah, well, sometimes it’s just not your night, right?
Dale laid it on Billy hard the whole way home: “We’re never taking him again. Never! His new name is Bad Luck Billy!” Billy laughed, but I know that he secretly delighted in the butt whupping he had just administered to the beach fishing hotshots. “Five to zero to zero! Nope, you’re not coming with us anymore, Bad Luck Billy!”
“I still have that tore up black Sluggo hanging like a trophy in the basement!” Billy told me. “That night definitely got me back into beach fishing. I had not fished the beaches since high school.” Bad Luck Billy was back with a vengeance!
Dale still laughs about that infamous trip: “First night fishing with him. We figured he’s a rookie, we’ll show him what’s up. Nope. He showed us!” Yes he did, Dale. And I’m glad that it happened.
Brother Bill’s competitive flame went from a pilot light to a forest fire in very short order. He went at the Inshore Classic hard following that successful night. I loved it because Bill and I started fishing together. He would text me and we’d meet at one of the south shore beaches in the early morning darkness and fish until we’d have to break off for work. I loved being out there with my brother and rekindling a wonderful bond. We cheered each other on. We kept each other informed on what we were doing that was successful, and where we were catching. It was the best.
Bill learned quickly. He gravitated to guys who are beach fishing gurus such as John Colton. Greg Chotkowski and Rick Ramos showed him how to fish the bucktail lure. Billy spent hours in his little grey Jeep Wrangler moving up and down Great Point, Surfside, and Smith’s Point, figuring things out. Billy graduated from the role of newbie to that of a mainstay in very short order. I loved it because he and I would cross paths in the morning. I’d be taking a charter group out, and we’d meet up with Billy as he was leaving the beach, heading to work. Billy would spill vital information that saved more than a few trips for me, I’ll tell ya!
This doesn’t mean that Bad Luck Billy wouldn’t pay me a visit again. Let’s go back to August 31, 2023. That memorable day was the last day of the inaugural August Blues tournament. The wind was howling out of the northeast and the competition for the big prize—the longest three fish total—was completely up for grabs. Billy and I met up in the “south parking lot,” the cove on the inside portion of Great Point that faces back towards town. There were a lot of us out there that day, searching for the couple of fish that just might propel us to the top of the leaderboard.
Fish were being caught sporadically in the south lot. The casting certainly was easier as the strong northeast wind was at our backs. But the fish I saw being landed were pretty much average. And average fish weren’t going to cut it. I told Billy that I was going to try the outside edge, casting into the stiff breeze. I headed off, promising to let him know if I caught anything.
My idea paid immediate dividends. I put on my heaviest metal lure and fired it as far as I could. Soon I had a couple of much bigger blues to add to my score. I texted Billy: “Get over here!” Billy joined me moments later and we fished side by side, catching big blues one after the other. I did some quick math and told him, “I think I have the lead!” He congratulated me. And kept fishing. I went home to cook dinner. Billy stayed and kept catching big blues. Needless to say, the winner of the inaugural August Blues tournament was Bad Luck Billy! I was happy for him. He deserved it, but OUCH!
Billy wasn’t done winning. He teamed up with Greg Chotkowski and Rick Ramos and formed Team Go Bucktails. They dominated the 2024 Spring Sea Run Opener and finished second in this year’s tournament. I asked Billy’s partners what they thought of his 2024 performance. Rick replied, “As a teammate, he needs to fish more and babysit less!” Rick and Greg were having some fun with Billy, who certainly loves spending time with his grandchildren Edward, Kendall, and Evelyn born on June 5, 2025!
But those two knew that they had a fine teammate fishing with them. Greg told me, “Bill is the silent fisherman. He shows up, puts in his time and is often rewarded.” Rick added, “Bill has become a master of fishing a few key spots such as Fisherman’s Beach, Point O’ Breakers, or Great Point. He’ll sit on a spot through an entire tide and make 1,000 casts until he connects. He’s a great teammate!”
Soon my wife Beth and I started seeing Billy and his wife Debbie hanging out at Great Point on Sunday afternoons. We all enjoyed these impromptu meet-ups, even though fishing was not the primary focus. I asked Debbie what she thought about Billy’s newfound obsession with surfcasting. She told me, “He has met so many great people that have become friends. He really enjoys learning everyone’s stories. And he’s excited to share his fishing knowledge. He LOVES seeing the younger kids riding their bikes to fish! Billy knows that it’s something they will hold close to their hearts when they look back, just like he does.”
So true, Deb! Billy was the first to tell me about the Goonies, his name for a group of young Nantucket teens who would ride out to the nearest beach and fish for hours. I could tell that Billy recognized their passion for fishing and, more importantly, the bonds that they were building. I’m sure that it brought him back to our childhood when we’d get together with the neighborhood kids and hike out to Miacomet Pond. I know that those days were some of my favorite times ever. Fishing with my brother brings me right back to those days and I wouldn’t trade it for the world—even if it means dealing with a little bad luck from time to time.
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
