The 81st Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, which concludes on Saturday at the final weigh-in, has been notable for some sluggish days at the weigh-in station but also some record catches.
“The fishing has been, I’ll say, spotty,” committee member John Piekos said this week. “There’ve been big fish, which is sort of remarkable for this year…. My hunch is the volume of fish caught is down, but the size is up.”
“If you haven’t caught a fish, the fishing hasn’t been great, but if you have, it’s been the best derby ever,” added weighmaster Mike Cassidy.
On Sunday, the final awards ceremony will be held at Farm Neck Golf Club, with the junior trophies handed out at 11 a.m., and the overall awards event beginning at 1 p.m.
The six grand leaders across the six boat and shore categories will vie for the grand prize: a 2026 Jeep Gladiator Mojave X from Vineyard Vines, custom wrapped with a camo print paying homage to the derby and the Island. Each of the six leaders will get a key, one of which will open a lock that signifies the winner of the Jeep.
This week, a new boat bluefish leader emerged when David M. Gerhardt weighed in a 21.01-pound fish. In the shore bluefish category, Bruce Dew III is dominating with a 19.91-pound catch.
The top boat bonito belongs to David Kadison, at 10.98 pounds, and the biggest shore bonito catch is Cameron J. Maciel’s at 9.13 pounds.
Leading the way in the boat albie category is Sherry L. Countryman, who pulled in a state record-setting 19.91-pound albie on Sept. 17. Angela C. Fisher rounds out the leader board with her 13.7-pound shore albie.
Several anglers and derby committee members told the Gazette that after a northeaster hit the Island in late September, the albies disappeared.
“The false albacore have almost vanished…” Mr. Piekos said. “I caught zero this year, and my chance has passed.”
Meanwhile, bonito, once seen as a “unicorn” fish, have flourished.
Because albies and bonitos tend to swim and feed together, committee members said it’s common to see them move in step. But despite the albies hitting the road, the bonitos have been a bigger presence than ever.
“This is going to be the year of the bonito,” Mr. Cassidy said.
Another trend many have noticed is that this year’s bluefish have been far bigger than in previous years. This trend is exemplified by Mr. Gerhardt’s catch, which Mr. Cassidy said is the biggest the derby has seen in roughly two decades.
The fish marked the first derby weigh-in for Mr. Gerhardt, an experienced angler from New Orleans — and his first ever visit to Martha’s Vineyard.
“I’m not from here. I’ve never been here. I’ve never caught a bluefish,” he said. “I’ve never even fished in the Atlantic.”
Mr. Gerhardt was fishing with his friend and business partner Kevin Lord, Mr. Piekos and some other anglers off Wasque Tuesday when one of the group’s rods got a bite. Mr. Gerhardt, the derby newbie, was designated as the man to reel it in.
After a fight that lasted more than five minutes, the huge fish emerged.
“It was funny for me, because I’m sitting here watching all these local Islanders looking at the fish in awe,” Mr. Gerhardt said.
“It was a special moment,” Mr. Piekos said.
Mr. Gerhardt originally planned to leave the Vineyard Wednesday, but changed his flight so he could stay for the awards ceremony on Sunday.
“[Mr. Lord] threatened to disown me and never talk to me again if I didn’t stay,” he said.
But just because derby hours are waning doesn’t mean they are over yet. Anything could happen, Mr. Cassidy said. One year, he saw 18 lead changes take place at the final weigh-in.
“Everybody’s still fishing hard,” he said.
Even on slow nights, a stream of puppies and babies visiting the weigh station have kept him company.
“They brought a lot of excitement to the weigh station,” he said.