Eden Prairie brothers win national award for their lending libraries of fishing gear

Fishing off piers in their Eden Prairie neighborhood lakes, Vick and William Tan noticed an age gap between them and others casting lines.

“I thought to myself, why aren’t younger people immersing themselves in the outdoors? Is it because of all the stress from school? Is it because of other reasons?” Vick, 16, said. “That became our mission, which is to get as many people into fishing as possible.”

The brothers created Fish Hut, a nonprofit, with the goal of supporting the mental health of youths through fishing. Their principal program puts boxes of fishing supplies for people to borrow in libraries and YMCAs.

So far, William, 15, and Vick have created about 50 boxes that are located at various public places in Minnesota, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut (the two attend high school online and split their time between Minnesota and New York).

Last month, the pair received a $10,000 grant from the 2025 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The money will go towards their next goal: placing 1,000 Fish Hut boxes across the country.

Vick estimates each box contains about $150 worth of supplies, from telescopic rods that extend 16 inches, hooks and fishing line to instructions on how to fish, information on local regulations and lures that are targeted to the local fish.

A box at a YMCA Neighborhood Center in Little Canada has been a hit, said Sandra Walton, a senior program director at the YMCA. The positive reception inspired staff to take out groups of kids to fish.

“One family sent us pictures of their girls, who were 8 and 4 years old, and each of them had a fish dangling from their hooks,” Walton said. “The dad said they were surprised they caught so many fish.”

Besides the boxes, Fish Hut also puts on free fishing events aimed towards getting youth outside. Their ice fishing event this past winter on Lake Minnetonka had about 300 participants. In 2023, the Tans worked with New York City parks to offer a free fishing clinic in Central Park. Over the last two years, the Tan brothers have raised more than $35,000 for Fish Hut.

For the Tan brothers, fishing is an activity they hope to bond over for many years to come. Over the summer, they went on a fishing trip to Alaska, catching much bigger fish than they would in the Midwest.

They brought more than 100 pounds of halibut with them back to the lower 48.

But two people they still need to persuade to fish? Their parents.