Ladies and Gentlemen of the Order of Rod and Reel: Go Fish!
Casting a line off the fishing pier in Oak Bluffs.
Casting a line off the fishing pier in Oak Bluffs.
Hanging the sign at Derby Headquarters at the base of Dock street.
Hanging the sign at Derby Headquarters at the base of Dock street.
Crowds line up along Lighthouse Beach for schoolies.
Crowds line up along Lighthouse Beach for schoolies.
Trolling Katama Bay.
Trolling Katama Bay.
Father and son bond at Menemsha.
Father and son bond at Menemsha.
Boards will soon have daily leaders posted.
Boards will soon have daily leaders posted.
Testing the waters off Menemsha channel.
Testing the waters off Menemsha channel.
Impromptu fillet bench.
Impromptu fillet bench.
Joe El-Deiry unloads the refrigerators at the weigh-in station.
Joe El-Deiry unloads the refrigerators at the weigh-in station.
Crowds of fishermen can always be found lining the Menemsha jetty.
Crowds of fishermen can always be found lining the Menemsha jetty.
Popular spot at sunset too.
Popular spot at sunset too.
It's the time of year when everyone want to get the blues — bluefish, that is, along with false albacore and bonito. The seventy-seventh annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby starts at 12:01 a.m. this Sunday and will not conclude until mid-October, by which time any number of Islanders and visitors will be puffy-eyed and zombie-like, conditions brought on by a passion for the fishing competition that overwhelms lesser human endeavors such as sleep.