More than 3,000 fishermen registered this year for the 79th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby. On Sunday, it comes down to six, as the winners of each category vie for the grand prize boat, taking turns to see if their key fits the lock.
Fishing continues until the last weigh-in on Saturday evening and for the 3,160 participants (100 more than last year) it is still anyone’s derby.
The Smith family, however, has the odds in their favor with two sisters on the leaderboard at press time. Jocie Smith is in the lead for the boat-caught bluefish division, and Paige Smith is on top of the boat-caught false albacore division.
Brad Holley leads the shore-caught bluefish division, Curtis Fournier the boat-caught bonito, Carmelo Torres the shore-caught bonito and Jacob Cardoza the shore-caught albacore.
The awards ceremony takes place at Farm Neck Golf Club on Sunday, beginning at 11 a.m.
The overall sentiment from committee members and fishermen has been that fishing has been slow this year, especially from shore.
Steve Wood, who has been fishing the derby for 40 years from both boat and shore, said this is one of the slowest seasons he has ever seen.
“We have had bad years, usually it’s just for a week or so,” Mr. Wood said. “This one’s been kind of tough. But the fish that are around, especially the albacore, are huge.”
There have been 1,485 fish caught as of Thursday morning, 502 less than the 1,987 fish brought in last year.
There are many theories floating around about why the fish aren’t biting. Mike Cassidy, who has been on the derby committee the past 30 years, said he’s noticed large amounts of peanut bunker (a type of baitfish) in Island waters. “There’s so much bait in the water that they just aren’t hungry,” Mr. Cassidy said.
Boat fishermen are finding success in Nantucket waters. Bill Potter, who has been fishing in the derby for 40 years, said more and more people are headed that far away.
“I’ve been fishing over there forever, and it used to just be a couple of us and now you can count over 50 boats over there fishing the derby,” Mr. Potter said. “That’s kind of the bummer. You have to go 30 miles to get some good fishing.”
Even though it’s been slow, Mr. Cassidy said there have been several celebratory moments. He recalled a slow morning weigh-in when Carmelo Torres came in with an eight-pound bonito caught from shore. “In comes this fellow with his hood tight around his chin, obviously cold and damp. His shoulders are shrugged up, trying to keep himself warm,” Mr. Cassidy said.
“He had an [eight] pound bonito in his hand. He’s new to fishing and he had no idea what he had. And the four or five of us that were in there, all our eyes bugged out.” Mr. Cassidy suggested to Mr. Torres, who didn’t know about the prize boat awarded at the end of the competition, that he look at it parked just outside the weigh-in station because it could turn out to be his.
Mr. Cassidy said Mr. Torres’ eyes widened in disbelief.
“He was out with three friends, and it started to rain, and they all left, and he stayed on his own,” Mr. Cassidy said. “It’s the perfect story of determination and not giving up.”
Mr. Cassidy said that even though catching fish has been difficult this season, the camaraderie of the derby remains strong, with competitors doing their best to help each other succeed.
“To me the derby is a people derby, not a fishing derby,” said Mr. Cassidy. “We hear stories of people helping other people out there all the time. It’s a competition, but it’s not competitive . . . . The camaraderie overrides the competitive nature of the tournament.”
Jane Kapoian, who lives in New Bedford but is renting a home in Edgartown, is competing in the derby for her first time. She and her husband, Greg, planned their stay around the tournament so they could participate.
Ms. Kapoian said she has been charmed by the closeness of derby participants. Over the past couple of days she said she’s seen the competition pick-up but that people are mostly trying to help one another succeed.
“If somebody sees a fish jumping, they’ll tell someone . . . . And if somebody’s reeling one in, everybody will stand back and let them reel it in so that we’re not interfering,” Ms. Kapoian said.
Her first fish was a false albacore caught from shore by the Edgartown lighthouse. Her fish won a daily and a weekly prize.
“I didn’t realize what a big deal it was,” Ms. Kapoain said. “And then I’m telling people, and they’re like, ‘oh my God, you caught an albacore?’”
Derby committee member Chris Reed had the idea to start a new first fish pin this year for first-time registrants who weigh-in their first fish. Mr. Cassidy said it was such a success that they had to re-order the pins multiple times because they kept running out.
John Custer, president of the derby, said he’s grateful that a few hundred new participants have joined the derby this year. In his eyes, the derby is primarily about strengthening the Island community.
Derby competitors have the option of donating their catch to the Island Grown Initiative or the Up-Island Council on Aging to help combat food insecurity. Mr. Custer said he won’t know the total number of filets donated until the end of the derby, but this year has been a success.
“I was there one day on a Sunday at weigh-in and over 400 pounds of filets [were donated] just that day alone,” Mr. Custer said.
With the end in sight, Mr. Custer said he knows Island anglers are still looking to secure their place on the leaderboard. He said to keep the faith and that all it takes is one lucky cast.
“You’re not catching fish if your line isn’t in the water,” Mr. Custer said. “Maybe it’s not a winning fish, but just a great story and enjoying the time out on the water with friends. To me, that’s a big part of it.”
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