GAZETTE ONLINE

Sox Down, So Head Out to Fish

With the Red Sox doing so poorly, participants in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby have plenty more reasons to go out fishing at night, rather than stay at home watching the Sox lose on television.

Last night the weather was ideal for shore fishermen, with the full Hunter’s Moon making a strong showing. I have heard the full moon spooks some fish, but I also have heard from anglers who believe a full moon improves the shore fishing. Last night offered both hours of full moon light and periods of overcast skies.

Derby president Ed Jerome was this morning’s weigh master, filling in for Roy Langley. The weather may have been nice, but Mr. Jerome said he is wondering where the big fish are. He said there are reports still of big fish swimming in Cape Cod Canal and in the waters off Boston — they just haven’t made it here. Mr. Jerome is fishing exclusively from the shore this year. He said he spent plenty of time last summer as a charter captain, so for him this is a welcome shift.

Tom Teller and his wife, Estey, have been out fishing, a bit east of Wasque. He took a second place daily on Saturday for a 10.39-pound bluefish. Mr. and Mrs. Teller are experts when it comes to catching bluefish.

Mr. Teller, 76, today said he was having a good derby this year, though he would have liked to connect to bigger fish. There are plenty of bluefish out there and only a few stripers. As in the past, Mr. Teller said his wife continues to outfish him.

Today’s forecast is for some more northeast wind, which won’t make boat fishermen too happy. Tonight’s wind will shift to the south, with a chance of rain.

Curtis Farrell Lands a Leader

Fishing After Extra Innings

The air was calm this morning under dark gray skies.

“The water is like a mill pond,” said Ron McKee of Buxton, Maine. “So there will be hundreds of boats out there today.”

Mr. McKee was standing with a half dozen anglers. They were all sipping coffee and talking fishing at the weigh station at the foot of Main street in Edgartown. This is the fourth Monday morning in the 63rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. There is only one Monday left in the contest.

Boat fishermen are careful this year about choosing their hours of fishing. Winds of autumn continue to plague the derby. Yesterday was annoying with easterlies that produce a lot of seaweed on lines. Last night was fortunately light and northerly.

“I can’t complain about the derby. I’ve weighed in a lot of fish,” Mr. McKee said.

He sure has. This morning he wore his derby hat and across the front were four shiny pins he’d earned so far in the contest.

Taylor (Ted) Collins was back at the weigh station this morning with a fish he caught from his kayak last night. It was his first striper caught and weighed in. The striper weighed 17.63 pounds.

Mr. Collins already had weighed in two bluefish from earlier exploits with his paddle. Yesterday was a busy day for him. He said he spent 15 hours catering with Jaime Hamlin. Later, he said: “After the Red Sox went into extra innings and lost last night, I went fishing.” He went out of Vineyard Haven harbor, caught ten live squid and went to his favorite fishing spot.

The striper was a great prize for the trip. He said he caught it at about 2:30 a.m. and was home by 3:15 a.m.

Less Winds, Even Fewer Bonito

Still the boat fishermen had to look for places to stay out of the rising seas. That meant they fished close to the shore, near Menemsha, the North Shore, East Chop, East Beach.

Ed Jerome was the weigh master yesterday morning and a frustrated angler. A charter boat captain, he pays a lot of attention to the forecasts: “It has been hard fishing,” he said.

There were no shore bonito weighed in yesterday and no one was surprised.

For those who go down to the weigh station at the foot of Main street in Edgartown, take note: on the grand overall board and there are two significant holes in the results. There are no shore bonito for the flyrod division and none for the junior division. In fact only two shore bonito have been weighed in during the whole derby so far. Atlantic bonito are just not getting close to shore. They are a boat fish this year.

A lot of fish were weighed in Saturday night and all the bases but bonito shore were covered. But the fish weren’t particularly big.

Ron McKee weighed in a 26.10 pound shore striped bass and got a hat-trick for striped bass. Hat-trick fishermen are a rarity in modern derbies.

Leo B. Lecuyer caught a second place for his 28.74 pound striped bass from the shore.

Saturday's biggest striped bass belonged to Tom R. Barlosky, who caught a 29.80 pounder. It was, of course, 17.03 pounds short of beating the grand overall boat striper caught by Lev Wlodyka, caught last week.

Bluefish continue to dominate as most popular fish at the derby. Shortly before the weigh-in station closed on Saturday morning, Peter Medeiros of Riverside RI weighed in a 11.21 bluefish he had caught from a boat. He had gone fishing with two brothers and a friend. Mr. Medeiros is a derby enthusiast and for his troubles, he earned a second place in the daily.

The crew at the weigh station want to put the word out to the community that no fillets are being given to the general public. All the fish that are donated are going to the the derby’s senior fillet program.

They tell us people from the street are coming in and asking for free fish, which to them is pretty rude.

Also, be aware that fishermen are not permitted to use scup as bait in the contest. The recreational scup fishery was closed on September 26, closed for the season. So anglers should not possess scup so obviously should not use it for bait.

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Anglers Brace for Winds

At the derby station this morning Ed Jerome, president of the 63rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, was not happy about the weekend forecast.

“It could blow up to 35 knots,” Mr. Jerome said.

Last weekend the anglers were discouraged by heavy rain. This weekend, there is a serious concern about high wind.

For boat fishermen that is not only tough it could be dangerous. Shore fishermen will flock to the lee side of the Island to get out of the wind.

At the Martha’s Vineyard Airport this morning, the breeze was southwest at 20 m.p.h., and speeds will be higher along the water. From the derby station in Edgartown, the fishermen could look across the harbor and watch the waves kick up in the inner harbor.

Whine-in at the Weigh-in, Ted Collins Goes Kayak Fishing

Taylor (Ted) Collins, 39, of Vineyard Haven, came in this morning with a bluefish he had caught from a kayak. The fish weighed 8.88 pounds. He said he went fishing out of Vineyard Haven.

This is his sixth year competing in the derby and the last few weeks have been really tough.

“The weather has not been good. Some say that wind is good for fishing, but most say it is not,” Mr. Collins said.

Mr. Collins has a great technique. He jigs for squid and when he catches them, he keeps them in a floating laundry basket. Last night he caught seven squid and decided that was enough to go fishing in a kayak.

He said he takes boating safety seriously when he goes fishing in his kayak. “There have been only three nights in the past two weeks when the weather was okay. Last night was good. There was little wind.”

Last night there was a new leader, despite the complaining. Scott D. Tompkins is the new derby grand leader for the shore striped bass division. Mr. Tompkins weighed in a 40.12 pound striper at 9:30 p.m.

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Lev Wlodyka Leads By a Sliver

There is a new boat leader in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby: Lev C. Wlodyka came in with a 46.82-pound striped bass he had caught earlier in the day.

There was drama at the weigh station, according to the officials. It wasn’t just Mr. Wlodyka’s fish that drew the crowds — it was the drama of two other fishermen showing up with theirs at the same time.

It all began rather suddenly. Morgan A. Child walked into the weigh-in with his huge fish at 8:38 p.m. His fish was a 46.74-pound striper, which by itself could have lead the derby. Then Mr. Wlodyka weighed in his 46.82-pounder a minute later.

Note the closeness in weight — there is no question measuring hundredths of a pound matters in a four-week derby.

After all was said and done with those two 40-pound fish, Nicholas Warburton put his big fish on the table. It weighed 41.09 pounds. A derby official said this morning she thought the three men often fish together.

Julian G. Pepper, 26, who calls himself Lone Bone, weighed in a striped bass caught from the shore that was 24.39, and it lead the daily last night. This morning he showed up again, this time with an even bigger fish, 29.44-pounder. Mr. Pepper is an avid angler and a lot of fishermen know him for his prowess.

There is another rainshower forecast for later today, but with all these big fish now coming into the weigh station, it won’t much matter to the anglers.

Ed Jerome was the weigh master this morning, as of a few minutes to closing time, he had seen eight fish.

Rain Enhances Daily Prize Chances

Eric F. Pachico stepped out of the heavy rain carrying a large striped bass this morning. It was 8:42 a.m., the derby headquarters had been open since 8 a.m., but he was the first angler with a fish.

The heavy rain began this morning at 6 a.m., and in two hours already half an inch had fallen at the National Weather Service cooperative station in Edgartown. And the forecast was for more. While the fish don’t care, anglers lose interest when it rains.

As it had been awfully quiet, weigh master Roy Langley was ready for the first fish of the day: Mr. Pachico’s fish weighed 15.96 pounds.

Mr. Pachico said he caught the fish from the shore. He had gone fishing with his buddy Wesley Wood of Edgartown. Mr. Pachico said the rain hadn’t started while they were out, but it was windy last night.

Derby officials told Mr. Pachico that he might be getting daily prizes for his fish without much effort beyond what he had done. Anyone with a fish has a chance of placing well on the daily board, on a day when the rain is coming down in buckets and the seas are rolling.

Mr. Langley observed that only a half a dozen fish came in during his 8 to 10 a.m. watch yesterday.

“They are keeping their fish,” he said, “and they are giving them to their neighbors.”

Still the fillet program is doing well. On Wednesday night we observed a lot of fish being donated, as well as fishermen taking their fish home.

Matt Malowski, who heads up the fillet program, said on Wednesday he is in need of volunteer filleters, especially on Saturdays. So many anglers are spending their time fishing on weekends, there is a particular shortage of volunteers on Saturday night. Anyone interested, please speak up the next time you are at the weigh station, at the foot of Main street in Edgartown.

Big Striper Seals Top Spot

Sardini the seal.

Sardini is the 300-pound seal’s name. At one time Sardini drew a crowd of over 20 people to the dock. The seal made quick trips to the fillet barge, then would retreat deep in the water. The animal often swam at a safe distance. But when a filleter slapped a slice of fresh bluefish on the water, the seal would respond, coming in to grab the fillet out of the filleter’s hand before heading back underwater.

As the seal was getting ooohs and aaaaws from the crowd, a huge striped bass was delivered to Charlie Smith, weigh master.

Mr. Mong and his giant fish eventually stole the show from the swimming seal.

All talk at the derby weigh station was ahead to this weekend’s weather forecast for rain and wind.

A Seal and a Surprise Catch

There is an official derby seal. Or, it could be more than one.

Derby enthusiasts who go and weigh in their fish from 8 to 10 p.m. at the foot of Main street in Edgartown have noticed a smart big seal swimming nearby.

Derby president Ed Jerome thinks the seal may be the same one that has come to swim off the weigh station for years.

Mr. Jerome said the “big guy” swims up when local anglers slap the water with a fish carcass. “He is there every night,” Mr. Jerome said. Even youngsters have fed the animal.

“You got to take a picture of it,” Mr. Jerome said. So we are going to try — if the seal cooperates, you’ll see the photos here.

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The best fishermen stories are those about fathers and sons, and here’s a good one.

On Monday, Ed Lepore, 74, and his 49-year-old son Jim went fishing in Vineyard Sound in Ed’s boat ClaminJan. Jim had come from his home in Kansas City for a couple of days fishing on the Vineyard with his father. On Monday, they went for a last fish together before Jim was to catch his plane home.

They were flyfishing, and by 10 a.m. they had caught and released two undersized striped bass.

“We doubled up,” Ed said. “We both had fish.”

So, by the time Jim was on his plane, he had caught an 11.5-pound bluefish that earned him a first place for the daily. Ed didn’t do too badly, either: he caught a 7.41-pound bonito which earned him two third-place awards, a third place daily and a third place grand leader.

Steve Baccelli is leading the derby with the largest boat bonito, an 8.33 pounder.

Fisher Poet

Enthusiasm for fishing runs rampant at the derby weigh station. Anglers will tell their stories. Occasionally someone sneaks in and posts a note or a drawing on the old building.

This morning a poem was posted on the wall, written by R. Gross:

I’m a fisherman can’t you see.

That’s all I really wanted to be.

Women or man the fire is lit.

In the boats and beaches we all have to hit.

The thrill of it all as we searched the ocean shallow and deep

It’s almost too much to take because I have an exciting date to keep.

It’s in my heart and soul I do believe.

There’s one thing for sure, I hope it never leaves.

It’s just something that fits me to a tee.

In the surf or mighty tide.

There’s something about it I can’t hide

the next cast it might be the mighty one.

I can’t stop it, it’s just too much fun.

Tougher For Shore Fishermen?

Steve Amaral came in this morning to weigh in his own 18.15-pound striper as well as Michael Alwardt’s striper, a 17-pound fish. The two men have fished together for 17 years.

Mr. Amaral, of Oak Bluffs, 72, has fished 62 of the 63 derbies. One of the most respected shore striped bass fishermen around, he was named to the derby hall of fame last year. He said he caught his fish Sunday night sometime between 6 and 9 p.m. at the South Shore. The air was calm, the seas were the same. The men were fishing with eels.

“It is going to be a tough derby for getting a 40-pound striper from the shore,” Mr. Amaral said. “The boat fishermen are doing fine. I am just saying it is going to be harder.”

Mr. Amaral cites erosion changes along the usual beaches as the reason it’s tough. Beach erosion all along the South Shore has restricted the vehicular access for anglers.

The Norton Point beach opening prevents anglers from driving to Chappaquiddick to go fishing at 3 a.m. Without ferry service at that late hour, an angler has to think hard about putting his vehicle on the Chappaquiddick side before midnight.

Charlie Barr, of Oak Bluffs, said he heard good fishing was on the Chappaquiddick side of the Norton Point Beach opening last night.

Unlike most derby anglers, Mr. Barr doesn’t mind sharing tips with other anglers. “You are not going to catch the fish I’ve already caught,” he said.

Kids Derby: First Many, Then Few Fish

This morning, you could have seen the smallest wavelet left by a fish at the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority wharf. The water was a flat calm, and mirrored the overhead deep blue sky. The sun cast long shadows across the wharf and more than 200 youngsters stood along the rails trying to catch fish.

There were over 50 youngsters waiting in line before they opened the sacred fishing spot at 6 a.m. This is the only hour, the only day when fishing is allowed at the Steamship Authority wharf. The early fishing was great. Scup were plentiful and there were an occasional sea robin.

Charlie Fenske of Edgartown, 9, caught three small black sea bass along with two scup. His six-year-old brother Lucas caught an 11-inch scup. It all happened early.

Later the fishing became sporadic to the point of shutting down completely. Youngsters got fidgety. Parents tried to stay enthusiastic.

One of the disappointed anglers was Aurora Austin, 10. She was dressed for winter, wearing a wool hat, sweater and cheetah vest. Last spring she caught the largest pickerel in the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club trout tournament. She won a new bicycle and fishing gear. Today she was visibly unhappy.

Nate Vought, 14 of Heber City, Utah, was having a good time, no matter what the fishing was like.

Devon Metters, 9 of Vineyard Haven was in the clouds at 7:42 a.m. when he caught a tropical fish. The 13-inch banded rudderfish looked like a fair-skinned bluefish.

The whole event was over by 8:30 a.m. and every child got a T-shirt.

The Gazette will have the full results of the fishing tournament on Tuesday.

Bluefish Ate the Sluggo

Another lone fisherman stands in the rocks several hundred yards away. We can hear the quiet whine of his reel as he casts far out into the setting sun. We cast and talk a little, caught up in the quiet, meditative rhythm that is fishing and the extraordinary beauty of this isolated shoreline. At times the water is boiling with bait fish. Bunker, we think, maybe bunker. I clean a little seaweed from my line, telling my friend about the bluefish they are bringing in at derby headquarters. Just then he has a hit. Reels in. The sluggo has been bitten in half. A bluefish.

The sun disappears behind the Elizabeth Islands. We cast some more and then stop to eat peanuts and drink cold beer as dusk settles around us. The other fisherman stays in his spot, a silhouette in waders, casting into the darkening water. I’m betting he caught something.

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Lucky line for Janet Messineo on Bluefish Saturday

At derby headquarters this morning, the bluefish were arriving and the talk was all about bluefish.

Janet Messineo, of Vineyard Haven, who continues to dominate the weigh-in with fish, had her busiest morning yet. At around 8:30 a.m. she came in with a 28-inch 4.81 pound bluefish.

“That is the thinnest bluefish I have ever seen,” she said, and left.

Half an hour later, she walked into the derby weigh station with a false albacore she had just hooked at Memorial Wharf. The fish weighed 8.35 pounds.

Derby officials love Ms. Messineo’s luck with fishing. She explained that she had worked hard the night before to get the bluefish. “I went out at 3 a.m. I caught the fish at 6 a.m.,” she said.

The albie at Memorial Wharf came easier. Ms. Messineo said she now has three species she has weighed in. If she can catch a bonito in the days ahead, she will be eligible to compete for the grand slam.

“Oh no. I am now in bonito prison,” Ms. Messineo said. “I haven’t caught a bonito in three years.”

Minutes later Jason Graves of Edgartown walked into the weigh station with a bluefish weighing 9.13 pounds he had caught earlier in the morning. “I was fishing with my boss,” Mr. Graves said. North Shore. The fish was caught at 1 a.m. from the shore. The two had fished all night.

They started at 9 p.m. and finished at 2:30 a.m. “We used everything — bait, eels,” he said.

Mr. Graves, 27, is the grandson of Robert L. Graves, 75 of Oak Bluffs and he is a good fisherman. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Last night, Don Eber took the lead in the boat bluefish division with a 14.43-pound bluefish. Stay tuned.

Derby participation continues to grow. The number of registered fishermen number is up to 1,629. There are 117 junior fishermen registered, 221 seniors; 217 women and 1,408 men.

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Fishing East Beach

At 6:30 a.m. this morning, I was floating in my boat off Chappy’s East Beach. The wind was light from the North but was expected to pick up very strongly by mid morning, and I was keeping a wary eye out for the pick-up.

East Beach is one of the great staging areas for the fall migration. If you are lucky to catch the migration full on, you can see large flocks of terns diving for baitfish, swirls of striped bass and blues feeding on sand eels and silversides, and pods of albacore and bonito blitzing on the surface. Sometimes, monarch butterflies are winging their way from the East and come to land on your boat for a quick rest before moving on to Chappy.

I have seen this all happening at once. This morning, though, was quiet, or so I thought.

Not having a lot of time to fish, I prospected some holes along the shoreline that have in the past held bait and large stripers. They were empty.

Off Cape Pogue Light, I drifted with the rising current, keeping watch for the subtle break of an albacore.

None were showing. I blind-casted with my fly rod, anyway. Sometimes, the fish are down low and secretive, and can be caught this way.

Visually, most everything at East Beach is on the horizontal plane. Rarely does one look up or down because it is much more rewarding to scan from side to side, taking in the wide expanse of the ocean and the long, low dunes. This morning I could not find what I was searching for: quietly feeding fish, the little flicker of pushed bait, or perhaps some terns working.

Over the telephone, I found out my brother Andrew who was fishing the same area with Clark Goff, just about a mile or two away, had gotten into some nice albacore. They caught a few before calling it quits on account of the sudden wind.

New leader

A new leader was weighed in at weigh station this morning. Morgan T. Taylor of West Tisbury, an avid angler, came in with a 11.68 pound bluefish at 8:09 a.m.

Mr. Taylor’s fish outweighed the previous shore leader, a fish caught by Matthew P. Wilkins and weighed in on Monday. Mr. Wilkins’ fish was 11.34 pounds.

The derby central headquarters opens at 8 a.m., so when Mr. Morgan walked in this morning with his big blue, he had everyone’s attention.

He is a familiar angler. Mr. Taylor has worked at Larry’s Tackle Shop for four years. He is charged with organizing most of the charters, according to Steve Purcell, store owner.

This is the fourth day of the derby and bluefish rule the contest. A total of 115 bluefish have been weighed in as of last night. That is more than all the other species combined: striped bass 40, bonito 25, and false albacore 30.

Maria Plese, who runs the derby headquarters, said she thinks this is a typical and healthy start for the contest. It starts out as a bluefish tournament and spreads out.

Fillet Files

Fillet master
Hank Unczur.

It’s only day three of the derby, but the herring gulls have taken up residence at the Edgartown Yacht Club and the newly-built Boathouse restaurant during derby weigh-in. Prematurely ready, the gulls are well-versed as they are in the affairs of the derby. They, too, know when it is derby time.

Mr. Unczur, 82, has been involved with the derby for 20 years as a volunteer. Mondays and Tuesdays are his mornings to volunteer at the weigh station at the foot of Main street. He dresses in the traditional orange wet-weather overall pants and wears a derby hat with the button number 510. It is a lucky number, and it has been his derby number for 15 years.

A few fish were weighed in at the Tuesday morning weigh-in. Weigh-in runs from 8 to 10 a.m. every day during the month-long contest. They also run the weigh-in from 8 to 10 p.m. daily.

Every striped bass, bluefish and bonito that is donated gets filleted, and the fish are donated to the Island’s elderly. Nothing goes to waste. Even the fish wracks are given to local fishermen for their use as bait.

Mr. Unczur was focused on the usual routines when the theft occurred.

“I had just finished filleting two bluefish,” Mr. Unczur said.

“When I got back, a fillet was missing,” Mr. Unczur said.

It is difficult to tell which of the birds was to blame. In the early sunshine morning, there was a bright white gull standing at the peak of The Boathouse, looking suspiciously interested. Another was over at the Edgartown Yacht Club roof, looking, suspiciously, deliberately uninterested.