Island Fall Fishing Classic Begins with Thirteen-Pound Striped Bass By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL Vying to be the first to weigh in a fish in the 61st annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, a sleepy Jim Cornwell arrived at the downtown Edgartown weigh station at 4 a.m. Sunday. Armed with a striped bass caught on East Beach on Chappaquiddick, Mr. Cornwell - a 69-year-old retired chemist from Edgartown - proceeded to wait for the opening at 8 o'clock.

If you ask Thomas Ronan, he'll tell you it was a great week of fishing around the Island during the second week of the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. But that is to be expected from someone who lands a 39.48-pound striped bass that puts him atop the leader board and into the running for a new truck.

With two days to go before the close of the 59th Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, tournament officials are already calling this year's event one of the most successful in the history of the competition.