By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
Memorial Day weekend on the waterfront comes early this year and the fish seem to know it. Bluefish, striped bass and all the right fish already are here and even more fish are arriving.
The prevailing word on the waterfront is that the best is yet to come. The seasonal migration below the surface that began well over a month ago is still underway.
A former commissioner of marine resources in the state of Maine recently told a gathering of Island fishermen that there is plenty they can do to regain control of the troubled fisheries in Massachusetts.
Robin Alden spoke at the Chilmark Public Library earlier this month about how fishermen need to come together on the local level and step forward as a concerned group.
“Even in a small community like this, I think it can work,” she said, though she added: “You are not going to win overnight.”
Fly-Fishing Class
A fly-fishing class is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 17 at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club off Third street North in Edgartown.
The class will include instruction about casting, equipment and techniques, knots, flies, building a leader, putting your gear together, reading the water and handling fish. Equipment will be provided.
The fee is $85 for club members and $100 for non-members. Call 508-693-6338 to preregister.
The best time to catch fish during tomorrow morning’s trout tournament is early, at its beginning.
The 34th annual Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club’s trout tournament is free for youngsters 14 years of age and younger. As many as 200 youngsters are expected to show up to the shores of Duarte’s Pond, off Lambert’s Cove in West Tisbury.
The tournament starts early, before sunrise, and concludes at 10 a.m.
The Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund presents Securing a Future for Coastal Fishing Communities: Ideas from Eastern Maine on Wednesday, May 7, at 5:30 p.m. at the Chilmark Public Library.
Robin Alden, executive director of the Penobscot East Resource Center and former Maine commissioner of marine resources, and Ted Ames, life-long commercial fisherman, scientist and 2005 winner of a MacArthur Fellows Program award, will share their work.
Trout Tournament
The 34th annual trout tournament sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club will be held rain or shine at Duarte’s Pond off Lambert’s Cove Road from 5 to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10. More information is available by calling Bob De Lisle at 508-627-3019.
