Fish Fever Strikes as Derby Gets Underway
Days end on Sengekontacket.
Days end on Sengekontacket.
Derek Guynn and his golden retriever, Booker, reel in a striped bass aboard the Tomahawk.
Derek Guynn and his golden retriever, Booker, reel in a striped bass aboard the Tomahawk.
MIchael Goldsmith tries his luck in the Edgartown harbor opening.
MIchael Goldsmith tries his luck in the Edgartown harbor opening.
Casting lines in the chaannel at Big Bridge at first light.
Casting lines in the chaannel at Big Bridge at first light.
Oak Bluffs fish pier always brings good luck.
Oak Bluffs fish pier always brings good luck.
Morning boat plies the water for albies.
Morning boat plies the water for albies.
Steven Parece caught a small snapper blue and released it.
Steven Parece caught a small snapper blue and released it.
Boat fishermen are pulling them in offshore.
Boat fishermen are pulling them in offshore.
Watching the Chappy ferry come and go.
Watching the Chappy ferry come and go.
End of the jetty all to himself and his thoughts.
End of the jetty all to himself and his thoughts.
Fish are jumping off East Chop.
Fish are jumping off East Chop.
Noah and Jonah Levenglick land a scup on Memorial Wharf.
Noah and Jonah Levenglick land a scup on Memorial Wharf.
Ella DiBari, 11, catches a shark on her second day of fishing, ever.
Ella DiBari, 11, catches a shark on her second day of fishing, ever.
Wetting a line at Eastville Beach.
Wetting a line at Eastville Beach.
Every fall, the Vineyard is seized by fish fever as one of the East Coast’s best known saltwater fishing tournaments gets underway.
Fishermen vie for awards and bragging rights for the biggest catch caught from the shore or from a boat. In addition to the striped bass and bluefish, the tournament covers bonito and false albacore. Anglers under 15 compete in the junior division.
Crowds gather twice a day at the weigh-in shack by the Edgartown Yacht Club as the daily and weekly leaderboards are updated. At the end of the tournament, the top fishermen in eight divisions have a chance at grand prizes, including a truck and a boat.
See highlights of derby history at the Vineyard Gazette's Time Machine.
A true community event, the derby sponsors a program that provides fish to the Island’s elderly population and each year provides four-year college scholarships to Island youth.
For more information about the derby, go to mvderby.com.