Nantucket fishing tournament
by Steve “Tuna” Tornovish
I recently received a phone call from Mark Bradley, one of my dearest college buddies. He was in Florida, enjoying the glorious sunshine, when he found himself trying to explain to his golfing friends about the importance of catching the first striped bass of the year on Nantucket. Needless to say, the subtle nuances of this event were lost on his fellow snowbirds. This led to Mark calling me to make sure that he had a working knowledge of this matter.
I had to think about this for a moment. Why, exactly, is this first fish such a big deal? An enlightened thought soon warmed up my low-wattage brain, saying this: it signifies the end of winter. Not false spring, like some loopy flower that decides to pop up way too early. No, that first fish is a clear sign that the dreary winter is gone and things are going to get better.
Rafael Osona had a similar thought ten years ago and decided to build a fishing tournament around the concept. Thus, the Spring Sea Run fishing tournament was born. Rafael and his fellow fishing buddy Lonell Rodgers took off running with a great idea.
“We wanted to get the guys out of their winter dens, stop hibernating and get out on the beach getting after the fish,” Rafael told me. The tournament website ( Springsearunopener.com ) elaborates on this thought:
“This tournament is all about getting back outside and enjoying the best of what Nantucket has to offer while raising money for a local nonprofit organization.”
Having an ambitious plan was one thing. Making it successful took a lot of effort. Raf and Lonell got busy. Rafael rounded up sponsors. Lonell designed the logo, a takeoff on Paul Revere announcing “The stripers are coming!” Both guys spread the word throughout the dormant fishing community.
“The first year for me was really exciting because you wanted to be the first to get a bass at any size! Just making sure they had the sea lice!!” Lonell told me.
Sea lice? What’s up with that? According to WebMD, sea lice are “…tiny marine creatures, specifically small crustaceans known as copepods, that are ectoparasites primarily affecting fish.” The importance of sea lice in the context of the tournament was that only migratory striped bass would have the sea lice present on them, thus signifying that they were not holdover fish that are sometimes caught in our local ponds.
The inaugural Spring Sea Run opener had about 30 fishers hitting the beach. Nick Gault got things started by catching the first striper on April 25. The buzz among the fishing community was significant. This first tournament was a smashing success.
So who won, you ask? Well, ultimately, it was the Nantucket community. Again, from the Sea Run website: “The inaugural season of the Spring Sea Run Opener found great success in raising money for charity with the generosity of our local sponsors and devoted volunteers. At the conclusion of the tournament Michael O’Neil was selected as the event winner and chose Boston MedFlight as the winning not-for-profit-organization. Boston MedFlight received $1,250, which was accumulated through registration fees, merchandise sales, and donations. This funding was enough to fuel their helicopter and purchase a pilot’s flight suit. It was truly a memorable inaugural season, and it gives us great hope for growth in the season to come!”
The winner was selected? Yes, as in Mike’s name was pulled out of a hat. This tournament doesn’t take itself too seriously, folks. Every angler who submits a fish is awarded a point. Catch a keeper-sized fish and you earn a second point. Every fisher who earns points is awarded an entry into the overall drawing. The angler whose name is selected has the honor of choosing the local charitable organization to receive the tournament proceeds. I would estimate that this humble tournament has awarded more than $35,000 to date to a wide variety of worthy charities. Last year, the group sent $3,000 to PASCON and the Marla Ceely Lamb fund, an organization that helps to cover the cost of travel for Nantucket residents traveling for cancer treatment. Amazing!
Make no mistake – this tournament is still competitive! A three-person team event was added several years ago, and that really heated things up. My team, the Irredeemable Irrelevants, has lived up to our name for six consecutive years. Womp, womp, womp…. The 2024 team champions were The Dream Team, made up of Tammy King, Cody Peterson, and James Hatton – yikes, what a lineup!
Rafael told me that the big push this year is to get more junior fishers on the board. “Juniors don’t have to sign up, just submit a fish – we’re going to extend the tournament deadline to get ten juniors submitting fish!” The junior award is named after the late Dan Kelliher, a Nantucket elementary school teacher who taught so many of us the basics of surf casting. Mr. Kelliher was the best, and I love that he is remembered in this fashion. Junior fishers (under age 18) don’t have to sign up in advance. Just get a picture of your striper on a fish measuring tape and submit it!
So how long does this tournament run? Until the first bluefish is caught, of course. An awards ceremony is held in the parking lot of one of the local beaches. It’s one of my favorite Nantucket events. The camaraderie is amazing, as is the good natured ribbing among contestants. “Put that crew in a room to talk politics, and they’d be at each other’s throats. Put them all in a room and talk about fishing, and it works.” Rafael is right on the money with that assessment.
It took a long time this year, but our first striper was finally caught on May 15, much later than usual. The first keeper-sized fish was caught three days later by Greg Chotkowski. The green flag has dropped, folks. Get out of your caves and onto the beaches! And please take a kid fishing – you’ll change their lives. Than k you Rafael, Lonell, and Star Rivard for this great event!
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
Nantucket fishing tournament
