Mike Tubbs helps Oakman students find teamwork, confidence, and opportunity through competitive fishing.

Words by Anna Duncan Owens | Images by Justin Hunter

Mike Tubbs may not be the official coach of Oakman’s fishing teams, but there is no question about how much of his heart is in the program. Oakman’s middle school team is coached by Michael Windham, and the high school team by Katie Smith Blackwell. Mike works alongside them in a hands-on role, helping guide students and keep the program moving.

The Oakman fishing program began when Mike’s son was going into ninth grade. He was physically unable to play other sports, but he liked to fish. Mike asked then-principal, Mr. Cann, about starting a fishing team, and Oakman gave it a chance. That was nearly 16 years ago.

At first, Mike thought his time with the team would end when his son graduated. Then Grant Nichols, who served as the school’s fishing coach for 10 years, asked him to stay on one more year. Almost 11 years later, Mike is still involved in both the high school and middle school fishing programs.

In 2025, Oakman Middle School won the state championship on Lake Martin. The team had been so strong all season that by the time they arrived at the classic, they were far enough ahead in points that no other team could catch them once Oakman received its participation points. Still, they won first place in that tournament, too.

Competitive fishing may look simple from the outside, but Mike is quick to explain that it is anything but easy. A typical tournament weekend begins before most people are awake. The team may leave town at 4:30 on a Friday morning, travel to a lake, pre-fish all day, spend the night, and then wake up around 3:30 the next morning to be on the water by 5:00. It does not stop for rain, cold, heat, or exhaustion.

“We’ve fished in all of it,” Mike says.

The sport also comes with real expense. This past year, Mike estimated the middle school program incurred around $20,000 in expenses. Students pay annual membership fees, and the team raises money through jersey sponsorships and fundraisers, including a Labor Day weekend Boston butt sale. There are entry fees, hotel rooms, food, travel, and the effort to keep costs from becoming too heavy for families.

The community around the team helps make it possible. Parents, relatives, volunteers, and sponsors show up in big ways. Mike said weigh-ins often feel like a tailgate, with schools setting up tents, families gathering, food being prepared, and every child who catches a fish getting to cross the stage and have their picture made.

For a small school like Oakman, competing against larger schools and bringing home trophies means something. Mike said one group of eighth graders moving into high school had fished 19 middle school tournaments. Their worst finish was seventh

place, and they earned trophies in 18 of those tournaments. His boat of the year for the last three years has been two girls.

“They put a whooping on the boys all three years,” he says.

But the real story is not just the trophies. When Mike talks about why he keeps doing this, his answer is simple.

“Seeing how the kids progress and seeing the difference it makes in some of their lives is what it’s all about,” he says.

He has seen students grow through the program, return as boat captains, find jobs, and stay connected. One former student now works for him full time. Another earned a major college fishing scholarship. He has also seen fishing give students a reason to work harder. One student who struggled academically was told he might not be able to stay on the team. The student got his grades up and, according to Mike, did not have another failing grade before graduation.

Mike knows fishing is hard. “It is cold, hot, wet, expensive, and demanding. It asks a lot from the students, the families, the sponsors, and the people willing to keep showing up before daylight,” he says.

But that is also part of what makes it matter.

With Oakman’s state championship middle school team members moving into high school, Mike hopes the next few years will bring a state championship to Oakman High School, too. Until then, he will keep helping kids, making crankbaits, thanking sponsors, and doing the work that keeps the program going.

In many ways, that is what Oakman fishing has always been about. It started because one boy needed another way to be part of a team. Nearly 16 years later, it is still giving students that same chance. 78