The start of the 59th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby may be only two days away, but the planning and preparation go back a year. This Sunday at 12:01 a.m. the first wave of avid anglers will head for their boats and the shore in pursuit of fish. It is the start of the annual pilgrimage to the water. No matter what their vocation, as many as 3,000 fishermen will share a common avocation, competing for daily, weekly and grand overall prizes for the biggest striped bass, bluefish, false albacore and bonito.

The mood was jovial at derby headquarters in Edgartown Sunday morning. More than a dozen committee members of the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby came together to prepare for the fall contest that begins next week.

A few carried cups of coffee. Derby committee member Don Eber of Chilmark stepped into the old fish shack carrying a Makita power drill. For the next few minutes, Mr. Eber put screws into wood to hold two vertical two-by-fours.

When the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby
begins this Sunday, there will be more prizes than ever before in the
event's 58-year history. This year's contest is offering
$300,000 in prizes over the course of the tournament, which runs three
days longer than last year.

Some of the winners in the 57th annual Martha's Vineyard
Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby aren't even fishing. Thanks to the
generosity of fishermen and derby organizers, senior citizens across the
Island are eating the freshest-caught fish every night.

Many excellent fish fillets are collected each day by contest
officials.

The 57th annual Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby began Wednesday
without a hitch. Brendan Langley, the weigh master, was dressed for the
ordeal of weighing in each of the four species of fish: striped bass,
bluefish, false albacore and bonito. When the weigh-in headquarters
opened at 8 a.m. fishermen were already standing outside. In 15 minutes
all four species of fish had made an appearance on the scale.

The 57th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish
Derby starts tomorrow morning. For some of the Island's anglers,
it can't start fast enough. Fishermen started talking about this
year's derby months ago. They talked about the derby when the
first striped bass arrived in Vineyard waters in April.

The end of the 56th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and
Bluefish Derby is a day away. Many of the Island's top fishermen
will fish right to the end, through tonight and into tomorrow. The derby
will end when the headquarters at the foot of Main street in Edgartown
close at 10 p.m. tomorrow.

An awards ceremony will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Oak
Bluffs nightclub Atlantic Connection.

False albacore have yet to make a strong appearance in the first
week of the 56th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and
Bluefish Derby. So far only small, undersized false albacore have been
seen. The contest began on Wednesday morning with just two fishermen
weighing in their fish in the first half-hour of the contest.

The 56th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish
Derby begins at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, a minute past midnight. The first
groggy fishermen of the month-long contest will line up to weigh in
their catch when the derby headquarters opens at 8 a.m. in Edgartown.