The first day of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby was unlike any other in the derby’s 78-year history. Two anglers reeled in triple crowns (catching all three eligible fish) on Sunday — a feat never before recorded so early in the competition.
And never by someone so young.
The first triple crown of the day was hauled in by five-year-old Tucker Schaefer.
“It was hard to reel two of them in,” Tucker said the next day recalling his catches. “The giant bluefish and the other one.”
He looked to his mother, Lana Schaefer, for help remembering its name. “False albacore,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, that one,” Tucker confirmed with a nod. He said the third fish in his triple crown, a bonito, was his easiest catch and immediately went on the menu for the family’s dinner that night. His 9.73-pound bluefish put him in the lead for the category. Competing in his second consecutive derby, Tucker is an old hand at fishing. He first cast his line at two years old with his parents and older siblings.
On Monday the family headed out again, fishing from their boat and bringing along their dog, Skipper, who Tucker revealed “didn’t catch anything.”
Tucker’s favorite part about fishing?
“Fish come in pretty colors,” he said. “Green when they’re alive, gray when they’re dead.”
And his tip for other anglers?
“Reel hard.”
Back home, Tucker showed off his own pet fish, a beta named Blackie who mans the helm of a plastic pirate ship. While Tucker plans to continue competing in the derby over the next 33 days, he said he is also busy practicing swimming with his goggles on in the bathtub so that one day he can swim among the green fish.
The second triple crown of the day was earned by Sarah Kadison, a healthy dessert creator, author of The Keto Dessert eCookbook 2.0 and founder of FitBake.
Ms. Kadison grew up fishing the derby, first registering as a mini junior at four years old. She now lives in Boston, but she visits the Island every fall to fish the derby with her father.
Ms. Kadison set out through the fog on her father’s boat at 6 a.m. Sunday and hooked a bonito right away. The 11.75-pound fish put her in the lead for the category.
“Usually it takes a while to get a bonito,” she said. “We usually catch a bunch of little bluefish first.”
Shortly after, Ms. Kadison said she reeled in a few false albacore, and after a late morning lull the bluefish began to bite. Her 12.25-pound albacore also leads the category.
“I can’t remember the last time I fished the first day,” she said. “It was a lucky day.”
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