2017

Lines are in the water and the grand leader board is changing as the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby heads into the final week of fishing.

Catching all four species on a flyrod is a rare feat in the derby. But that’s what Zach Horrocks has done.

During the second week of the Striped Bass and Bluefish derby, the name most often escaping the lips of Derby fishermen was not a trusted lure maker or a fishing buddy, but a hurricane named Jose.

Registrations are up, the weather has been good — so far — and plenty of fish are hitting the scales at derby headquarters in Edgartown.

After a summer of tension over beach closures to vehicles to protect nesting shorebirds, Vineyard fishermen weighed in with concerns.

For 72 years, fishermen have approached the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby as dreamers. Plenty of lines will hit the water at 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

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