BART Connects: Tommy takes BART fishing

"BART is the cornerstone of what makes my life in the Bay Area unique."

Read more BART Connects stories at bart.gov/bartconnects.

He stands on the platform watching trains come and go, the way sailors once watched the tides, and waits for the shining vessel that will deliver him to sea.

His voyage does not take place on open water, but the Red Line. In place of a skiff, he has a Clipper BayPass card and a seat near the door.

Tommy Jung takes BART fishing.

Crappies, jacksmelt, surfperch - Tommy's caught them 'all and taken them home on the train. If he doesn't eat them, Tommy uses the vertebrates for gyotaku, the traditional Japanese art of fish printing.

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The UC Berkeley law student wouldn't fish if it weren't for BART. He doesn't own a car, and he doesn't want to own one.

"BART is the cornerstone of what makes my life in the Bay Area unique," said Tommy, who takes the train to everything - internships, Valkyrie games, museums. He estimates he's ridden BART to see the San Francisco Symphony more than twenty times.

So if you spot a man with a yellow-lidded bait bucket on BART, ask him to open it up to show you the day's catch. Or follow him to Torpedo Wharf or the Embarcadero and watch him angle.

About BART Connects

Tens of millions of people ride BART every year -- to work, dates, practice, friends, and fun. BART Connects tells their stories.

In June, BART Communications launched the second edition of BART Connects, a storytelling series that features real BART riders who span generations, neighborhoods, and walks of life. You can read their stories below.

In the coming months, the stars of BART Connects will take us for a ride in a series of video featurettes that will be regularly posted on BART social media.

You will also see the faces of BART Connects riders in advertising spaces in the BART System and across the region.

BART Connects grew out of a call for rider stories BART Communications launched in 2023 to learn how our transit system impacts people's lives. The initial response made clear that BART means something to those who ride it.

Have a cool BART story to share? Submit a short summary at bart.gov/story. You may be the next BART Connects feature!