Bluefish Are Key to Victory at Derby Awards Ceremony

Bluefish and first keys were the lucky combination at the Derby awards ceremony Sunday. Evan Hammond won a new boat, while Ed Amaral won the keys to a new truck.

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Final Day of Derby Brings Changes to Grand Leader Board

With less than two hours left in the 2016 derby, Dylan Kadison, 14, took the top spot in the boat albacore division. On Saturday morning, Kevin O’Farrell brought in a first place shore bass.

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Fish On: Derby Hits the Home Stretch

Every minute on the water counts as the last few days of the derby slip by. As the weather finally turns fair, those on the leader board will hope their fish will hold up until the weigh station door closes at 10 p.m. Saturday night.

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Saltwater Challenge: Heroes at Home, and on the Water
Heather Hamacek

Dawn broke pink over Menemsha harbor as the water rippled softly. Aboard the fishing boat Mary Sea, Captain Jonathan Boyd drove fisherman Brian Curry and veteran Tommy Elliot out to Quick’s Hole in search of bluefish.

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Poor Weather, Scarce Fish, But Derby Has Youthful Bright Spots

Talk of the Derby has been as gloom and doom as the weather, but excitement picked up in a hurry when nine-year-old Westley Wlodyka dragged a striper almost bigger than he was up to the scale.

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It's A Matter of Taste; Albies Give Derby a Shot of Adrenalin

False albacore. Barely sounds like a fish. Tastes like an oily shop rag. Not even included in the official Derby name. Yet an albie is a prized possession at Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby headquarters.

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Derby Days Bring Delight to the Kitchen and the Grill, Too
Heather Hamacek

Though fishing spots are a jealously guarded secret, fishermen are more than willing to divulge their recipes and, on occasion, share their fillets.

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Casting Lines at First Light at Annual Kids Fishing Derby
Vivian Ewing

Fishing poles bobbed like reeds and voices were hushed early Sunday as children waited to claim their spots at the Oak Bluffs Steamship wharf for the annual kids derby day. Hannah Gibb, 13, was the overall winner with a 19.75-inch shark.

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Derby Office Will Stay in Edgartown
Vineyard Gazette
The 41st Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby will be held in Edgartown again this year, according to a release issued by the derby committee this week. And for the second year, the derby will not award prizes for the catching of striped bass.
 
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Fifty Years of Big Fish and Good Fellowship
Mark Alan Lovewell
There are few possessions that last 50 years on the Vineyard waterfront. A wooden boat may last only 10 years unless the owner takes good care of it. A fishing reel will fail in a few years if exposed to hard use and poor care, and a fishing rod may last a little longer. Without routine maintenance an outboard motor can’t last.
 
The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby is now celebrating its 50th year, and on this waterfront that comes after an awful lot of care and attention.
 
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