Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby

Tight Lines, Large Crowds at Start of Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby

Seconds after the bell was rung at 8 a.m. Sunday announcing the start of the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, two fish were carried through the door, lifted onto the scale and recorded on the leader board in the Edgartown harbor weigh-in shack.

Ladies, Gentlemen and Kids, Unspool Your Reels, It’s Derby Time

The shack at the end of Main street in Edgartown lies dormant most of the year. During summer months it is used by the Edgartown Junior Yacht Club. During the winter, it sits empty, a little outpost on the harbor. And for five weeks in the fall, the shack comes alive.

Weighing Time at Derby Shack Lures the Faithful and Curious

The gray-shingled shack that sits in front of the
Edgartown Yacht Club in the harbor goes unnoticed by most visitors to the Vineyard, but during the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby it comes to life for four short weeks when fishermen bring their fish in for the morning and evening weigh-ins. Twice each day they come to the derby headquarters and get their fish recorded in the official database.

Legend and Lore Bait Hook at Derby Hot Spots

Fishermen participating in the 68th annual Martha’s
Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby are already out plotting a strategy for success. Nearly all of them will visit one or all of four popular fishing spots: Menemsha Jetty, Joseph Sylvia State Beach, Memorial Wharf and Metcalf’s Hole.

1946 Fishing Derby Comes Alive Again In Newly Discovered Film Archive

Put plainly, most of the movie footage is not terribly good. Some of it is out of focus or overexposed. Some of it lingers too long on fish lying dead on the rocks. Some of it wasn’t even shot on the Vineyard, and it takes a judicious eye to determine which scenes show the Island and which show Nauset, Cotuit or the jetties at the northern end of the Cape Cod Canal.

National Geographic Documentary Celebrates Heroes of Front Lines and Derby

Last fall a group of nine soldiers arrived in Menemsha to compete in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby.

Arms Up, Fishing Poles Down, Derby Champions Are Crowned

The 67th Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby came to an end Sunday afternoon when Adam Cummings and Robert Boyhan walked away with the monthlong event’s two largest prizes. Mr. Cummings, the grand leader in the boat-caught bluefish category (16.06 pounds), won the 2012 Chevy donated by Clay Motors. Mr. Boyhan, the grand leader for shore-caught bluefish (15.39 pounds), won the center-console boat donated by Eastern Boats.

Final Derby Weigh-in Done, Leaders Vie for Grand Prizes

The 67th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby ended tonight at 10 p.m. with the ringing of bells. Bailen Darack, 4, and her older brother Mateo, 8, of Vineyard Haven stood up on the derby headquarters weigh table and rang the bell, bringing the five-week-old contest to an end. They were escorted by Charlie Smith, weigh master.

More than 3,000 fishermen participated in the contest. Tomorrow the grand winners in eight categories will be entered into a drawing at the final awards ceremony for a brand new Eastern powerboat and a Chevrolet truck.

After the Weigh-In, Derby Fillet Program Helps Feed the Hungry

There is always tough competition at the The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby which these days attracts close to 3,000 fishermen. But amidst the awards and bragging rights there is also a tradition of generosity.

fishing

Nearly Ten Tons of Fish Later, Fishing Derby Comes to a Close

Although relatively few weigh-ins took place Wednesday night at derby headquarters, the docks were crowded with curious out-of-towners, fresh from eating dinner at the Atlantic and on their way back to their hotels. Outside, bundled-up derby newcomers watched the fillet volunteers prepare fish. A woman snapped photos of a large bluefish on weighmaster Charlie Smith’s table. Another approached the derby ladies behind the counter and asked the difference between an albacore and a false albacore. Derby chairman Chuck Hodgkinson was called to the task.

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