Gone Fishin' : Kids Day Derby Provides a Successful Fishing Bouillabaisse
The derby's annual Kids Day Saturday morning was a successful bouillabaisse of fish. By the time the early morning fog lifted, kids were fishing from every spot along the Oak Bluffs Steamship Wharf, and doing very well.
Danny Mayhew gives his daughter Alyssa, one of the tournament winners, a helping hand. Photos by Rebecca Sherman
The decision by committee leaders to postpone kids day by one week due to hurricane-generated swells did not appear to affect attendance.
Cooper Gilkes, Derby kids day committee chairman, said he could not remember seeing more kids or better fishing at the Derby-sponsored event. And that is a lot of remembering for a guy who gets very little sleep each year just so he can provide the kids with fresh bait.
A surprising number of fluke, most over the legal size limit, were pulled up on the dock. That should provide some incentive for Derby fishermen to take a break and go fishing for some fluke for dinner.
Middle Ground and Lucas Shoals should still be holding some nice fluke. Now is the time to stock some of these good-eating fish away in the freezer.
Alex Guest holds up a feisty scup.
Scup, false albacore, and a hungry dogfish hooked by one young fisherman and snagged by another, rounded out the morning kids day catch.
In the case of the dogfish, the largest fish caught, the derby solomons decided that two grand overall kid winners were better than one.
Winners of the 2003 Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby "Kids' Day"
Grand Overall Winner: Alysa Mayhew (age 10), Paul Flannery (age 14) 42" dogfish.
8 years old and under
1st Miranda Tokarz (age 7), 16-1/2" fluke
2nd Adam Castro (age 7), 16-1/8" fluke
3rd Joshua Grant (age 7), 16" fluke
9-11 years old
1st Caitlyn Colley (age 10), 24-1/2" false albacore
2nd Madison Hughes (age 9), 17" fluke
3rd Eva Faber (age 9), 17" fluke
Caitlyn Colley holds up her winning false albacore. Photos by Rebecca Sherman
12-14 years old
1st Chris Riedel (age 13), 18" fluke
2nd Zachary Maciel (age 13), 17" fluke
3rd Andy Jahnes (age 13), 16" fluke
Largest Scup
Miranda Tokarz (age 7), 13-1/2" scup
Fishing Heats Up
I provide the following fishing information as a public courtesy knowing full well that fishing information is old the minute you hear it.
Bonito and albies have been showing up in Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, and Menemsha. My friend Tom had some come up off Lambert's Cove Sunday while trying to catch some scup to go bass fishing. Luckily, Tom did not bring a spinning rod on board so he was not tempted to fish for the albies that were breaking all around his boat.
I think our recent cooler weather will improve the shore fishing all around the Island. Look for better bass fishing in the weeks ahead along the south shore.
Laurel and Tessa Whitaker wait for a fish to bite.
Tides All Wet
I received a call from a fisherman last week wondering why the low tide had suddenly advanced by six hours. A few minutes later he called back to say he had figured it out.
We had published the next week's tide chart.
If our mistake resulted in you catching some good fish I take full responsibility for our mistake. If, however, you ran aground, missed a blitz, or had to use a snorkel to go clamming, I think you should know the entire blame rests with our production staff.
Stretching the Truth
A statement posted on the Derby web site says that at a meeting on Sept. 25, the committee "reaffirmed its position that it will not accept any fish that are mutilated to alter the length or weight of the fish."
The committee's oblique public statement was in response to some fishermen who have been breaking the tails of false albacore to gain a little extra length in order to meet the derby's 25-inch minimum.
Apparently, some fishermen desperate to weigh in an albie to qualify in the grand slam category, which totals the weight of all four Derby species, figured out they could stretch the truth.
I was told that a few fishermen weighed in fish with broken tails before the committee caught on to what was happening. Those fish should be rejected.
Better yet, the offending fishermen should admit they got a bit carried away and voluntarily withdraw their fish. It would be the right thing to do.
Stevie Morris is a former Derby chairman and a Derby grand prizewinner. He said if he were still on the committee any fisherman who behaved this way would be disqualified. Steve said there is no question the practice goes against the spirit of the Derby.
"As far as I'm concerned, it is cheating and I would not accept it," said Steve.
Steve is right on the money.
Apparently, the committee has allowed some fishermen waiting to weigh in an albie to step out of line. What kind of message does that send? Try it, and if they catch you walk away? The offending fish and fisherman should be disqualified from the Derby.
Lost, Found, and Reaffirmed
In a fishing column published June 5, I mentioned that Bob and Fran Clay, seasonal Chappy residents, had lost a very nice rod and reel from the top of their truck while driving on the beach.
Thinking the worst but hoping for the best, I wrote: "Trusting people like the Clays would like to think it fell off the truck."
The Clays' trust was rewarded last week.
I received a call at The Times from Sherry and Roland Stenz, Quincy residents, who have a house in Edgartown and had returned to the Island to fish the Derby.
Sherry is one of the Memorial Wharf "rattresses." She is easily picked out from the rest of the crowd of butterfish soakers, squid hurlers, and lure chuggers by the fact that she always looks dressed for success.
Sherry told me that last June, she and Roland were out on the beach when they found a very nice, slightly crunched, fishing rod and reel lying in the track. Despite numerous inquiries, they could find no one on the beach who knew anything about it, so Roland brought it back to Quincy and had the reel repaired thinking eventually the owner might turn up.
A few weeks ago, Roland was telling somebody the story when the person mentioned my previous fishing column. One thing led to another and Fran Clay got her rod and reel back.
Fran said she finds the whole story remarkable. Although she goes out with Bob in their boat, she said one of the reasons she prefers fishing the beach is the strong spirit of community among the other fishermen, and this is just one example.
"It just goes to show, we have a lot of honest people around," said Fran.
Welcome back, Sherry and Roland.
