Spring Sea Run Fishing Tournament Completes Ninth Year

The 9th annual Spring Sea Run Fishing Tournament concluded last week, with awards being handed out at Ladies Beach on June 7.

The fishing tournament is a catch and release striped bass tournament with the motive of getting people back outside, enjoying the water and fishing, all while raising money for a local non profit organization.

Prizes are awarded to participants competing individually or as part of a team for a variety of different catch types such as the first landed sea run striper, first bluefish, smallest striper in length, first keeper bass 28" or larger and the largest striped bass of the tournament.

Two participants who caught a fish were randomly selected  to pick a charity to donate prizes of $1,000 and $2,000 respectively.

The first winner was Victor Boucher, who will be donating $2,000 to the Nantucket Hunting Association, a nonprofit corporation with the mission of preserving the traditions of ethical hunting and to maintain the balance of Nantucket's wildlife resources. It was founded in 1997 and has members residing in seven states while offering programs such as their safety education course taught on the island.

The second winner was Jake Johnson, who chose the Baxter Waldman Memorial Scholarship Fund as his charity of choice. The donation will be $1,000. This fund was created in honor of Baxter Waldman, the 16 year old Nantucket High School student who tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident in December of 2022.

Waldman's mother, Elise Norton, spoke with the Current about the creation of the fund last month. She said she wants the recipients of these scholarships to be kids who may not necessarily have the best grades but display a strong work ethic similar to what Waldman did while employed at the Nantucket Health Club.

Earlier this month, the first ever fundraiser was held for the fund in the form of the first annual Baxter Waldman Memorial Scholarship Fund Charity Motorcycle Ride, which you can read more about and view photos of by clicking here.

Below are some of the notable winners and best catches of the tournament, as well as some photos shared with the Current by the tournament's organizer Rafael Osona.

First Striper: Beth Tornovish on May 3rd

First Bluefish: Tammy King on May 23rd

First Keeper: Greg Chotkowski on May 6th

Shortest Striper: Chris Maroney 16.5''

Longest Striper: Greg Chotkowski 40.5''

The Weekly Winners were as followed:

Week 1: Kevin Johnson

Week 2: Victor Boucher

Week 3: Noah Karberg

Week 4: Greg Chotkowski

You can see a full list of results by clicking here.

Below are photos courtesy of Osona.