The weekend weather quite handily demonstrated a tried and true maxim for competitors in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby: east is least, west is best. Fishing was pretty good on Saturday, with muggy weather and just a hint of a southwesterly breeze. But early Sunday morning, a cold front moved through, leaving a gusty northeasterly wind.
Plenty of fish were weighed in at derby headquarters in Edgartown Saturday, but there was a serious drop off on Sunday and Monday.
“None of the boats were out, too windy,” said derby weigh master Roy Langley. On Monday morning he was loitering outside the weigh station, with little to do, other than listen to stories about why people weren’t catching fish. “If the wind is in your face, you might as well stay home.”
Paul Porter and Ryan Keely were in their 19-foot boat Sunday, trolling for bluefish near the “hooter,” a navigation buoy southwest of Chappaquiddick.
“You could see it,” said Mr. Porter. “It made a complete 180 and then it picked up 10 to 15 knots, got really nasty. This wind is killing us.”
More than a week into the derby, the leaderboard has seen several shake-ups. As usual, bluefish is the most common species being landed, 380 of them through Monday’s morning weigh in.
Karen A. Altieri joined the grand leader board Saturday night, bringing in a 15.65-pound shore bluefish just before weigh-in ended. Ms. Altieri also won one of the Super Saturday prizes for bringing in the largest shore-caught bluefish of the day, and derby headquarters erupted in cheers when the numbers appeared on the scale.
Earlier in the evening, Clinton A. Fisher brought in the biggest bluefish of the day, a 17.87-pound boat bluefish. Mr. Fisher also joined the grand leader board and won the other Super Saturday bluefish prize.
There are plenty of false albacore and bonito off the Vineyard this year, with 215 bonito and 208 albies recorded at the weigh station.
For the second year in a row, striped bass are relatively scarce, just 78 weighed in, most of those caught from shore. Water temperatures lingering in the mid-70s are no help for bass anglers.
“The bass are just not here,” Mr. Langley said. “They weren’t here last year in any great numbers, and they aren’t this year either.”
Mr. Porter weighed the biggest bonito on Sunday, as the second week of the derby began.
“I’m in first place weekly right now,” he said, “so maybe no one will get out on the water to beat me.”
With the National Weather Service forecasting stiff northeast winds all week, the two fishing buddies were at a bit of a loss about what to do next.
“Might as well work if you can’t fish,” Mr. Porter said.
“I don’t know if that’s the idea,” Mr. Keeley quickly added.
For updates from the derby and more photos, visit the Gazette's Derby Headquarters.
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