As fishermen lined up at the weigh station Sunday morning, Cooper Gilkes rang the opening bell to kick off the 81st Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby.
The tournament officially began at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, with the first weigh-in beginning at 8 a.m.
A large crowd had gathered to celebrate Mr. Gilkes as he stood in the doorway with derby president John Custer.
“Cooper Gilkes has done more for fishing on this Island arguably than anybody,” Mr. Custer told the crowd. “If you want to argue, I’ll argue.”
The derby began in 1946, and in 1987 changed its structure to a nonprofit organization when Mr. Gilkes and a group of Island anglers, including his fishing partners Ed Jerome and Eddie Medeiros, purchased it from the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce for $1. Mr. Medeiros died in 2023, and Mr. Jerome died in 2018.
Mr. Gilkes reflected on the gravity of the group’s decision to take on the derby, and the joy and sense of responsibility that came with it. In the years since, derby participation has grown threefold. He praised the current derby committee for making the tradition what it is today.
“This derby has meant so much to so many people…” he said. “This is probably the biggest derby in the United States.”
Mr. Gilkes rang the opening bell three times: once for himself, once for Mr. Jerome and once for Mr. Medeiros.
The first two anglers in line to weigh their catches were fishing partners Richard Mann and Buddy D’Agostino, each eager to weigh his own bluefish. Right behind them was John O’Connell, also with a bluefish in hand.
Mr. Mann’s bluefish, caught around 15 minutes after midnight, weighed in at 3.7 pounds. Mr. D’Agostino’s fish was smaller by a slim margin, at 3.65 pounds. Mr. O’Connell’s fish weighed 7.25 pounds — the biggest of all.
Weighing the first catch of the season meant a great deal to Mr. Mann.
“I’m on cloud nine right now,” he told the Gazette. “I’ve never weighed the first fish, so I’m pretty happy. I got a screenshot of the [derby] website when my name was up there for number one [on the leaderboard] for 0.3 seconds, and it’s going to be a good day.”
After the opening trio of weigh-ins, Mr. Custer told the Gazette he was happy there were catches to measure when the bell rang, as that’s not always the case.
Even more, he was glad that Mr. Gilkes opened the tournament.
“We’ve never had a turnout like that for the bell,” he said. “I’m just so pleased for [Mr. Gilkes]. He’s a humble man. I wasn’t sure if he would accept the invitation. I’m glad he did.”
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