There’s a nearly 50-year-old tradition that occurs on the first weekend in May on Martha’s Vineyard. Islanders young and old set their alarms for two o’clock in the morning. They roll out of bed, hair more tangled than their rods, spirits livelier than their bait, find their lucky (or not so lucky) spot, and watch the sunrise while fishing for trout on the shores of Duarte’s Pond in West Tisbury.
Well, everything except the sunrise. There’s one more tradition that comes with the annual Kid’s Trout Derby: it’s always raining. And for the families who take part each year that’s actually a good thing.
“The weather’s perfect,” said Tom Neadow, who arrived at 3:30 a.m. to stake out his spot near the deeper part of the pond. “Calm, a light drizzle. They should be biting.”
Last year, Mr. Neadow’s son McCabe won the derby with the largest fish. He was just two and half years old. Now a seasoned hand at three years old, McCabe has been looking forward to coming back all year, his father said. And McCabe’s favorite part about fishing?
“I like to eat them,” McCabe said, as a 12-inch trout wriggled out of his hands and into the bucket.
Next to the Neadow’s were the Vought family, Asa and his son Brady, also past winners, who arrived at 2 a.m. to get their prime spot. Unfortunately, their efforts proved fruitless this year, prompting Brady to make a sage observation about his wily underwater adversaries.
“The fish must be getting smarter,” Brady said. “It’s super weird. Normally we catch at least something. This year, nothing. We got skunked.”
Cooper Gilkes, who stocks the pond with thousands of pounds of rainbow, brook, tiger, and round trout every year, including a 30-inch monster he calls “Moby,” said there was no explanation for the lack of bites.
“We put all this effort into it. You’d think the fish would just cooperate a little bit,” Mr. Gilkes said. “The scary thing is that we have kids who have kids in this thing. We’re working on third generations.”
On Saturday, Mr. Gilkes’ granddaughter Hunter caught her first fish ever.
“It’s slimy,” she said.
Nine-year-old Jax Trott was running around with his finger in the gill of a foot-long trout. He refused to say where he caught the fish, even after some prodding.
“Fine, I’ll tell you,” he said. “In the water.”
The kid’s derby teaches lifelong fishermen lessons.
For a few families Mr. Gilkes’ fickle trout weren’t a problem. Eight-year-old Lyla Jones had caught seven by the time the morning was over, while six-year-old Hazel Van Landingham reeled in a 13.5 inch brook trout.
“I felt like I was reeling in a shark,” Hazel said. Although it wasn’t big enough for a trophy, Hazel said she’d definitely be back next year.
“I get to hang out with my dad,” she said.
The big winners on the day were the Warburton siblings, Aubrey and Mason, who finished first and second in the 9-11 age group and had the foresight to thank their parents, and the Fisher siblings (aptly named). While older sister Cuyler Fisher won the tournament with a 17.25-inch rainbow trout, younger brother Christian came in second in his age group and won the lottery. The prize? A fishing rod, with a built-in measuring tape.
For the Fishers, however, the award may have come up a little short.
“We’re going to need a longer measuring tape,” Christian’s father said with a laugh.
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