From the July 11, 1995 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:

In the earliest hours of morning, an unusual striped bass takes residence among the spiles that support the Island landmark known as the Big Bridge. Among Islanders this fish is familiar, like a long lost friend. This striped bass goes by the name of “Old White Tail.”

In literature there is Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea. It is about a fisherman’s fight with a huge marlin. In Herman Melville’s greatest of whaling novels, the wild captain Ahab went to his death in pursuit of the great white whale Moby Dick.

In the Island annals of fish stories, it is rare that the fisherman knows by name the fish he pursues.

This is no mythological beast that resides between the pages of a book. Old White Tail is alive and in our midst. Old White Tail has been seen and documented. Almost every morning when the tide is fair and the sun has not yet risen, the fishermen gather at the American Legion Memorial Bridge (Big Bridge) to get a glimpse.

Fishermen both respect and want to hook this lovely fish. But for now the fish seems smarter.

Robert Graves Jr., 62, of Oak Bluffs has seen Old White Tail many times. “The first time I saw him was last fall. It is a real big fish. It was funny to see this pure white tail. I had come by the bridge and I stopped to talk to the guys and there he went.”

Mr. Graves saw him again this spring. “I got a glimpse of him. It was 4:30 a.m.”

Almost every morning a small group of fishermen show up to try their luck at getting the striped bass that like to convene under the bridge. Over the years there have been a number of extremely large fish taken.

The idea that one fish would return year after year to the same fishing spot and not be caught has already been noted.

Lewis Hathaway, a carpenter of Edgartown, recalls a huge striped bass named Charlie. “Charlie was just plain huge. To be conservative, Charlie was a 60-pound striped bass. We watched him for six to seven years. That fish died of old age. That is the only way he was going to go. He wouldn’t take anything.”

At the bridge the fishermen use a wide variety of lures and techniques to get the fish that reside under the bridge day and night. They use eels. They use floating and sinking lures.

There are flyfishermen who use fancy feather creatures that float just below the surface. But for some reason Charlie was too smart for these man-made imitation fish.

“Charlie was just too smart. He always caught you off guard. He would swim past the other striped bass. I got a really good glimpse of Charlie. He came by some 20 to 30-pound striped bass and made them look like minnows.”

Mr. Hathaway has seen Old White Tail several times. “I just like to see him every once in a while.”

Mr. Graves said he likes to start every morning with a couple of casts at the bridge. Coffee, conservation and fishing is a great way to start the busy days of summer. Over the years he has caught some pretty impressive fish. But it is the thought of huge fish like Old White Tail that keeps him coming every day.

“I think there is a fish down there that has a tackle box full of all my lures,” Mr. Graves said.

It seems Old White Tail went to the same school that Charlie went to. So far he has out-smarted every effort that is made to hook him.

“I would say he is about 40 pounds,” said Gary Look of Edgartown. “I saw him last year and I saw him again this year. Whether he is really the same fish is still a question. That fish is certainly an oddity without a doubt. The tail is seven to eight inches wide. In all my years of fishing I have never seen a striped bass with a white tail. It is very distinct.”

Mr. Look said that he heard of a businessman on Cape Cod raising hybrid striped bass for his restaurant. “It is possible one of those fish got away.

“I saw him three weeks ago. I was just hanging over the bridge and it just moved in front of me,” Mr. Look said. “I go there three times a week to try and catch him. I always see him in the morning and not in the afternoon.

“He is a beauty. I wouldn’t mind catching him.”

“If I catch him I’m going to release him,” said Mr. Graves.

The Island fish markets are in the midst of a very bust season. Traditional fish abound. There is swordfish, striped bass, fluke, yellowfin tuna and bluefish. At John’s Fish Market in Vineyard Gaven, Sandra Healy said she is amazed at how busy the season is going. It isn’t so much the amount of seafood being consumed by Vineyarders, it is the seafood coming in at the dock.

Betsy Larsen at Larsen’s Fish Market had only a quick moment to speak on the telephone yesterday. Yellowfin tuna had just been landed at Dutcher Dock and there were customers waiting at the counter.

Capt. Jonathan Mayhew and his crew of the Quitsa Strider II landed swordfish in Menemsha. Donald Poole at Poole’s Fish in Menemsha said the average weight of the swordfish ranged from 150 to 200 pounds. “They got some nice fish,” said Mr. Poole.

Compiled by Hilary Wallcox

[email protected]