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.

Want some plot lines from a typical Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby fish tale? How about the salty old fisherman who landed the winning fish on a dark beach in Edgartown in the waning hours of the tournament?

With six days left to catch the winning fish, a new name was scrawled in chalk atop the leaderboard, capturing the hearts and minds of all in the waning moments of the 60th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby.

Grand Slam Tests Mettle of Derby Anglers

By MAX HART

When Thomas Ronan started fishing the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby in the late 1980s, he never thought much about catching anything other than striped bass.

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.

For a weekend anticipated to be a washout for fishermen, it was an active three days at Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby headquarters in Edgartown.