The bell will ring and the first fish will cross the scale Sunday morning as usual. But beyond that, little will be as usual when the 75th Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby gets under way.
With 51 minutes to go during Saturday night’s final weigh-in for the 74th Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, it seemed as if all the fish on the grand leaderboards were going to hold.
Each day and night of fishing provides participants in the derby with choices — not only of baits and lures and lines, but favorite fishing spots that become secrets only when competitive fish are landed there.
Four weeks into the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, the leaderboard remains static and the fish remain fickle, as Island anglers struggle with scarce catch and some scary weather.
Some kids believe in the tooth fairy. The kids in the Kleeman family believe in the fish fairy. So far, the Kleeman kids have landed on the junior leaderboards multiple times and have been battling each day to remain at the top.