Gone Fishin' : Derby fisherman knows the value of plugging away
By Nelson Sigelman
Published: September 17, 2009
Monday night just before the sun set I put my nine-foot surf rod on the car and drove to the water. I had not planned to fish Monday night, but I changed my mind after I talked to Jim Cornwell.
James Cornwell of Edgartown was the first person through the Derby weigh station door Sunday morning.The Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby began at 12:01 am Sunday morning. Many fishermen were prepared to begin casting when the contest began for the 64th time.
I was not one of those fishermen in the opening gate when the Derby started. I was in bed and happy to be there. I would not have been able to stay awake and fish.
Times photographer Ralph Stewart was at the weigh station at 8 am Sunday morning to take photos of the first fishermen through the weigh station door.
When a fishing contest lasts as long as the Derby those practices that may not have had meaning when they were initiated take on the quality of a ritual.
Weigh master Roy Langley slid open the door to the weigh station and rang a hand bell. It is not as impressive as ringing the bells of Notre Dame to call the faithful but it works for the Derby.
The first person waiting in line to weigh in a fish was Jim Cornwell of Edgartown. I gave Jim a call at home. Jim said he had not been trying to be the first person through the door but it happened that way. It was the second time in four years.
I asked him to tell me a little bit about his first night of fishing. That fact that he had the energy to fish the first morning of the Derby is a testament to his enthusiasm and spirit.
Jim, 72, was just getting over a bout of babesiosis. For those of you not familiar with one of the lesser-known deer tick-borne diseases, it is similar to malaria and would be tough for a much younger man to bounce back from.
"And so it was a chore, but I stuck with it," Jim said.
A few years ago in preparation for Father's Day column I invited sons and daughters to send in stories of fishing with their dads. Jim's two sons and daughter contributed a piece about their dad.
"Our Dad has an obsession for fishing," they wrote about his persistence to stay in the surf, "even when the toughest fishermen had headed home."
At times it seemed more like work than fun, at least from a kid's perspective, but they said that the experience injected the joy of fishing into their lives.
Each year Jim's kids and grandkids join him for the Derby.
In recent years I have become a Derby sloth. I prefer to cast a piece of bait from the beach and then sit in a chair and wait for something to happen.
Sometimes, when Tom Robinson and I are discussing Martha's Vineyard's quirks, or I am simply staring at the heavens, I hope nothing happens that will require me to get up from my chair (unless of course, it is a 20-pound bluefish or a 60-pound striped bass or a night albie).
I mention all of that so you will understand why I consider Jim an inspiration for all fishermen. The man is recovering from babesiosis, but he still finds the energy to head out to the beach with his fishing companion Tash, his female border collie.
"I went out at 11 and chose my spot," Jim said. "And one after midnight I went at it."
Jim said that other than when his sons visit to fish the Derby with him for the most part he fishes alone. "Why?" I asked.
"Just preference," Jim said, "It's not that I'm anti-social."
I assumed that Jim was fishing bait. That is what I would have been doing had I been awake. "So, you were bottom fishing?" I asked.
"No, no. I was plug fishing," Jim said.
He spent the morning plugging. Cast after cast, he hurled a lure out into the darkness and retrieved it, and anticipated the line going taut and the rod bending under the weight of a struggling fish pulling somewhere out in the darkness.
I asked Jim what he was using for a plug, but he said he would not tell me. I expected that would be the answer but I always like to ask.
Jim said he fished until about 5 am. He caught a couple of fish, he said, but the largest he caught at about 4 am.
"I've been fishing the Derby since my dad used to take me when I was 12 years old," Jim said. "So, I've fished the Derby for 60 years. I can remember when you would buy the buttons for $2 apiece from the chamber of commerce."
I asked Jim what he liked most about fishing the Derby after all these years. "Ah, just the camaraderie and the competition," he said.
Wait a minute, I thought, Jim had been reading too many Derby booklets. "Jim," I said adopting my hard news reporter persona, "How can you say the camaraderie when you fish alone?"
Jim is a straightforward fellow. "Well, I do," he said seriously. "But I know a lot of people."
I laughed. "I'll accept that," I said.
Jim added, "I thoroughly enjoy myself on the beach, me and the Lord. I tell you, I just love it. I love every bit of it."
Kids Day is Sunday
The Kids Mini Derby is this Sunday from 6 to 9 am at the Oak Bluffs Steamship pier. No casting skill is required and a simple fishing rod will suffice. Simply bait a weighted hook with a piece of squid or sand eel and drop it to the bottom where a hopefully a hungry scup or sea robin lies in wait.
Derby committee members led by long-time kids' chairman Cooper Gilkes (assisted by keeper-of-the-records Lela Gilkes) will be available to provide advice and assistance. The mini-derby is strictly for kids old enough to hold and reel a fishing rod through age 14. It is the one and only time fishing is allowed from the pier.
A reminder, this is for the kids. The committee frowns on adults who, under the guise of "helping," do the fishing.
Derby Results
(Through Tuesday, September 15)
Grand Leaders
Boat bluefish: Joseph P. Canha, 13.27.
Shore bluefish: Clinton A. Fisher, 10.23.
Boat bass: Stephen J. Pietruska, 44.68.
Shore bass: David A. Nash, 26.15.
Boat bonito: Mark W. Jones, 6.51.
Shore bonito: David Balon, 6.07.
Boat Albacore: Rob D. Morrison, 12.12.
Shore Albacore: Victor Colantonio, 8.23.
Overall Leaders
All-Tackle Division
Boat bass: (1) Stephen J. Pietruska, 44.68 (2) Kib Bramhall, 32.77; (3) Evan Metropoulos, 32.22. Shore bass: (1) David A. Nash, 26.15; (2) Ashton L. Hannah, 25.43; (3) Ron Domurat, 24.97. Boat bonito: (1) Mark W. Jones, 6.51; (2) Alphonsus D. Simmons, 6.47; (3) Jules BenDavid, 6.42. Shore bonito: (1) David Balon, 6.07; (2) John F. Schillinger, 5.89; (3) Bernie B. Arruda, 4.98. Boat bluefish: (1) Joseph P. Canha, 13.27; (2) Mark W. Jones, 12.63; (3) Carl P. Sherr, 12.53. Shore bluefish: (1) Clinton A. Fisher, 10.23; (2) John Hathaway, 8.76; (3) Daniel R. Roy, 8.00. Boat albacore. (1) Jared E. Fisher, 11.42; (2) Kevin A. Ludwig, 11.00; (3) Mitchell J. Pachico, 10.71. Shore albacore: (1) Victor Colantonio, 8.23; (2) Joel M. Graves, Jr., 7.76; (3) Peter Sliwkowski, 7.67.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bass: (1) Tim P. Sheran, 15.84. Boat bonito: (1) W. Brice Contessa, 5.73. Boat bluefish: (1) W. Brice Contessa, 7.81; (2) Jack T. Josephs, 4.91. Boat albacore: (1) Rob D. Morrison, 12.12; (2) John C. Rapone, 10.63; (3) W. Brice Contessa, 10.37.
Junior Division
Boat bass: (1) Giovanni M. Paone, 13.45. Boat bluefish: (1) Elizabeth S. O'Brien, 10.14; (2) Cameron Maciel, 10.05; (3) Giovanni M. Paone, 8.91. Boat albacore: (1) Alec B. Cobban, 10.53; (2) Emily M. Turney, 10.31; (3) Elizabeth S. O'Brien, 7.85.
Mini Junior Division
Boat bonito: (1) Dylan Kadison, 5.40; (2) Brendan R. Morris, 5.33; Mike B. Metcalf, 4.09. Boat bluefish: (1) Dylan Kadison, 10.05; (2) Victoria Scott, 9.97; (3) Brendan R. Morris, 8.50. Boat albacore: (1) Katherine G. O'Brien, 7.90.
Daily Winners
Sunday, September 13
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Mark W. Jones, 6.51; (2) Mitchell J. Pachico, 6.33; (3) Chris T. Chandler, 6.12; (4) Adam T. Golding, 5.96 Shore bonito: (1) John F. Schillinger, 5.89. Boat bluefish: (1) Carl P. Sherr, 12.53; (2) Henry R. Fauteux, 12.43; (3) Manuel M. Nieto, 11.68; (4) Paul Medeiros, 11.43. Shore bluefish: (1) Daniel J. Benedetto, 7.40; (2) Kevin Donovan, 7.28. Boat bass: (1) Stephen J. Pietruska, 44.68; (2) Kib Bramhall, 32.77; (3) Scott D. MacCaferri, 17.78; (4) Leah H. Pachico, 15.79. Shore bass: (1) David A. Nash, 26.15; (2) Paul Bradshaw, 24.78; (3) Peter Sliwkowski, 22.61; (4) Joseph J. Rogers, 21.90.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Dylan Kadison, 5.40. Boat bluefish: (1) Elizabeth S. O'Brien, 10.14; (2) Dylan Kadison, 10.05; (3) Victoria Scott, 9.97; (4) Giovanni M. Paone, 8.91. Boat bass: (1) Giovanni M. Paone, 13.45.
Monday, September 14
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Alphonsus D. Simmons, 6.47; (2) Jules BenDavid, 6.42; (3) Keith D. Stevens, 6.33; (4) Joan McKeon, 6.32. Boat bluefish: (1) Joseph P. Canha, 13.27; (2) Mike E. Mayrand, 11.87; (3) Michael Bigby, 11.55; (4) John D. Smith, 11.42. Shore bluefish: (1) Clinton A. Fisher, 10.23; (2) John Hathaway, 8.76; (3) Daniel R. Roy, 8.00; (4) Ed McCarthy, 7.58. Boat bass: (1) Bob Tocchio, 27.92; (2) John D. Smith, 18.08. Shore bass: (1) Ron Domurat, 24.97; (2) Ashton L. Hannah, 23.98; (3) Stephen F. Amaral, 20.44; (4) Jared Stobie, 19.85.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bluefish: (1) Jack T. Josephs, 4.91.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Mike B. Metcalf, 4.09. Boat bluefish: (1) Brendan R. Morris, 5.44; (2) Mike B. Metcalf, 4.14; (3) Olivia M. Pate, 3.38.
Tuesday, September 15
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) David C. Kadison, 6.18; (2) Brian P. Curry, 6.17; (3) Fred P. Collins, 6.05; (4) Donald T. MacGillivray, 5.66. Shore bonito: (1) David Balon, 6.07; (2) Bernie B. Arruda, 4.98; (3) Morgan T. Taylor, 3.80. Boat bluefish: (1) Mark W. Jones, 12.63; (2) Michael Spampinato, 11.74; (3) John D. Smith, 11.31; (4) Amanda L. McIntosh, 10.72. Shore bluefish: () Jonathan S. Pike, 6.12; (2) Clinton A. Fisher, 7.78; (3) Joseph J. Rogers, 5.08. Boat bass: (1) Evan Metropoulos, 32.22; (2) Bob O'Neil, 26.15; (3) Charles P. Finnerty, 25.37; (4) Mark W. Jones, 22.31. Shore bass: (1) Ashton L. Hannah, 25.43; (2) Jared Stobie, 23.19; (3) Michael Berninger, 21.98; (4) Janet Messineo, 14.34.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bonito: (1) W. Brice Contessa, 5.73. Boat bluefish: (1) W. Brice Contessa, 7.81. Shore bass: (1) Tim P. Sheran, 15.84.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Brendan R. Morris, 5.33. Boat bluefish: (1) Cameron Maciel, 10.05; (2) Brendan R. Morris, 8.50; (3) Emily M. Turney, 5.27; (4) Victoria Scott, 5.91.
