Gone Fishin' : One Derby fisherman finds the cooler is half full
By Nelson Sigelman
Published: October 15, 2009
I have tried to remain optimistic. But, as I write this column with one week left to go in the 64th Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, my optimism is beginning to wane.
Ed Butor of Pennsylvania holds up the one memorable bass he caught on his annual Derby vacation. Photo courtesy Ed Butor I began the Derby with high hopes and a revamped strategy. I always do. I enlisted Tom Robinson into a scup fishing trip to collect bait.
I reasoned that bass and bluefish like to eat scup, and it would make excellent bait. It would also save on the cost of squid and eels.
It seemed like a good idea until one week into the Derby it dawned on me that the scup fishery closed on September 26. That meant we could not use scup as bait.
It was not difficult to give up using scup. The first weeks of the Derby, Tom and I caught nothing. In fact, we caught less than nothing; not even a skate is less than nothing.
So far, I have caught one small dogfish and a lobster. Honest. I was fishing Moshup Trail at night and reeling in my bait when I felt a drag on the line that I assumed was weed. When I went to pull of the weed it moved and I dropped my rod.
Richard Cascarino assists Marshall Segall, both of West Tisbury, with one of several bluefish caught last week aboard Richard's boat "Red Head." The fishing party included Richard's brother Bob from California and Marshall's pal Pierre Dasen from Geneva, Switzerland. Marshall was tickled when his fish took first place in the daily boat bluefish category for October 6. Photo courtesy Marshall SegallIt was a small lobster I had impaled through the claw. I considered using it as bait. Tom and I held a mini-Derby committee meeting (we are both former members) and concluded it would be an illegal bait since it was too small and I did not have a license.
Tom has outdone my tally. He has caught three sea bass and a very small bluefish. But we have not used much bait.
Another way to look at it
Many people do not measure the Derby by the number of fish they catch. For them, it is enough to fish the Vineyard. No matter their success, the fish cooler is always half full. Last week, I received an email from Ed Butor of Pittsburgh, Penn., following his return.
"What a beautiful week we had," he wrote. "The weather was perfect and our time there was just great. Our little cottage on Edgartown Pond was just so quaint and the kayaking across to the Atlantic was worth the price of admission. The fishing wasn't so bad either."
Ed arrived Sunday, registered for the Derby and began fishing 5:30 am Monday on Vineyard Haven harbor.
"After fishing hard on the dock, shore and jetty with the usual metals and a few tops, I scored a herring," he said. "Moved to Eastville jetty and the bridge with no further luck."
On Tuesday morning he began in Menemsha channel with a Bill Hurley sand eel, a new bait he had heard was effective. "Fish were in the pass as they were swirling near the top," he wrote. "I was amazed when I hooked what I thought was a nice striper only to bring in a huge scup. That was followed by another one 10 minutes later. I actually ended up catching a starfish on it too. Little did I know they were catching bonito and albies right down at the Lobsterville bowl next to me."
On Wednesday, he joined Bill Moody of West Tisbury, whom he met on the Island the year before. Bill took Ed to Chappy. "We hopped on the On Time and we drove to one of Bill's spots. We fished for a while using top waters with only one near hook-up. For a Pittsburgh boy, just the scenery and chance to fish this place was worth it. We decided to walk on down to another location and do some wading.
"Within a few casts of the Jumpin' Minnow, I hooked up with a real nice striper. It smacked the plug hard and it felt like a bulldog on the other end of my line. It surfaced a few times as I fought to bring it in. Bill yelled that he thought it may be a derby fish. I landed it with Bill's help and we retreated to the bank to take a weight and measure. It came in at 30 inches, 10.5 pounds.
"I knew I was two inches short of a derby minimum entry size, but this was the biggest fish I have ever pulled out of the ocean. I was elated.
"I can't tell you how excited I was when I carried that fish down the beach area on the stringer as the other fisherman looked on. It was just like the pictures in all of the Vineyard surf books."
Thursday morning before the sun rose Ed headed to Lobsterville. "I am a fisherman not a hunter, but I got my first buck driving down West Tisbury Road," he wrote. "The poor deer ran right into my driver side fender. I reacted by turning to the right which fortunately saved my vehicle from major damage which was minimal, but the deer did not do so well. I felt terrible. I immediately drove back to the Edgartown police dept to report it and was assisted by Officer Elias who was very helpful and calming.
"He went to remove the deer from the road. I was shaken, but still willing to fish the bowl, so after reporting back to the boss (my wife) to let her know what happened, I cautiously drove to Lobersterville."
Ed said about 20 fishermen lined the shore in anticipation of bonito or false albacore. "Just as I was about to pull up stakes I got a nice hit," he said. "It seemed good. It fought like a striper but I hoped it was a bone or albie. Everyone started to come over to where I was fighting this fish, as I got it close, a wave rushed in and I could see the fish in the crest. A huge sea robin. What a letdown. A sea robin on a Deadly Dick? One of the fishermen, a local, told me it was one of the largest sea robins he has seen. At least there was some payoff."
Ed returned Friday and Saturday to Lobsterville. He saw a few fish caught but struck out, except for another big scup he caught in the bight.
Prior to his visit, for some unknown reason, Ed emailed me for some fishing tips. "That afternoon," Ed said, "I took your advice and kayaked over to a private stretch of South Beach and squid fished. Although I failed to entice anything, the peace and solitude was priceless. It was like I was the only human on the earth over there."
Ed returned to Pittsburgh the next day and did something unusual. He cleaned his gear.
"As I desalted my equipment in Pittsburgh this morning, I reflected back on my derby experience and thanked the Lord for the opportunity to enjoy His great creation of the outdoors."
Ed provided me with the following final tally: one herring, three scup, one starfish, one "big" sea robin, one silverside, one beautiful 30-inch striper, "and a great time with family and my Vineyard friends."
Derby awards
The Derby ends Saturday at 10 pm. The awards ceremony begins at 1 pm Sunday at Nectar's located off the road to the Martha's Vineyard Airport.
Derby Results
(Through Tuesday, October 13)
Grand Leaders
Boat bluefish: Thomas J. Rapone, 13.81.
Shore bluefish: Peter C. Shepardson, 13.81.
Boat bass: Stephen J. Pietruska, 44.68.
Shore bass: Ryan Kurth, 34.10.
Boat bonito: Wyatt A. Jenkinson, 9.71
Shore bonito: Michael L. Seeger, 7.99.
Boat Albacore: William A. Pate, 12.66.
Shore Albacore: Keith A. McArt, 16.55.
Overall Leaders
All-Tackle Division
Boat bass: (1) Stephen J. Pietruska, 44.68; (2) Abram Kirschenbaum, 43.47; (3) Evan Metropoulos, 40.88. Shore bass: (1) Ryan Kurth, 34.10; (2) Claudius L. Agard, 30.98; (3) Colin T. Britt, 29.22. Boat bonito: (1) Wyatt A. Jenkinson, 9.71; (2) Joseph A. Serpa, 9.28; (3) Joe H. Turney, 9.12. Shore bonito: (1) Michael L. Seeger, 7.99; (2) Brian Gracie, 6.98; (3) Kris L. Lukowitz, 6.85. Boat bluefish: (1) Stephen J. Pietruska, 13.71; (2) Sandy E. Fisher, 13.50; (3) Henry R. Fauteux. Shore bluefish: (1) Peter C. Shepardson, 13.81; (2) Angela J. Deltorto, 13.01; (3) Michael J. Mulcahy, 11.56. Boat albacore. (1) William A. Pate, 12.66; (2) Lenny F. Beford, 12.12; (3) Jared E. Fisher, 11.42. Shore albacore: (1) Keith A. McArt, 16.55; (2) Mark Campos, 13.24; (3) Stephen M. Tirrell, 12.12.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bass: (1) Paul W. Dimaura, 16.64; (2) John C. Rapone, 15.37; (3) Art Crago, 15.11. Shore bass: (1) David W. Skok, 25.02; (2) Herbert C. Tilton, III, 18.65; (3) Norris E. Johns, 17.70. Boat bonito: (1) Thomas J. Rapone, 6.39; (2) John C. Rapone, 5.77; (3) W. Brice Contessa, 5.73. Shore bonito: (1) W. Brice Contessa, 6.38; (2) Bob W. Iwaskiewicz, 5.53. Boat bluefish: (1) Thomas J. Rapone, 13.81; (2) John C. Rapone, 11.53; (3) Everett J. Francis, 9.36. Shore bluefish: (1) Herbert C. Tilton, III, 5.22; (2) Art Crago, 4.74. Boat albacore: (1) Rob D. Morrison, 12.12; (2) John C. Rapone, 10.63; (3) Noah C. Maxner, 10.55. Shore albacore: (1) Cooper A. Gilkes, 10.22; (2) Tom Sharpe, 9.64; (3) Justin M. Pribanic, 9.50.
Junior Division
Boat bass: (1) Tyler K. Dufresne, 28.04; (2) William C. Kadison, 27.49; (3) Townsend R. Morey, 20.87. Shore bass: (1) Brandon A. Steigelman, 17.88; (2) Curtis J. Farrell, 17.71. Boat bonito: (1) Wyatt A. Jenkinson, 9.71; (2) William C. Kadison, 7.48; (2) Emily M. Turney, 6.91. Shore bonito: (1) Evandro Medici, Jr., 4.45. Boat bluefish: (1) Alec B. Cobban, 12.66; (2) Cameron Maciel, 11.50; (3) Tony P. Canha, 11.22. Shore bluefish: (1) Jeffrey S. Cimeno, Jr., 10.55; (2) Dennis Rose III, 9.76; (3) Anthony J. Cimeno, 8.53. Boat albacore: (1) Bryan Carter, 12.39; (2) Alec B. Cobban, 10.53; (3) Emily M. Turney, 10.31. Shore albacore: (1) Curtis J. Farrell, 10.96; (2) Gordon A. Moore, 9.30; (3) Cameron Maciel, 6.79.
Mini Junior Division
Boat bass: (1) Dylan Kadison, 28.02; (2) Brendan R. Morris, 27.15; (3) Mike B. Metcalf, 25.17. Shore bass: (1) Taylor P. Blair, 20.96; (2) Christopher T. Ferry, 11.63. Boat bonito: (1) Brendan R. Morris, 7.13; (2) Dylan Kadison, 6.67; (3) Mike B. Metcalf, 5.95. Boat bluefish: (1) Victoria Scott, 13.36; (2) Nolan Bouchard, 11.58; (3) Dylan Kadison, 11.44. Shore bluefish: (1) Brendan R. Morris, 8.84; (2) Tristan R. Blair, 4.27. Boat albacore: (1) Brendan R. Morris, 8.33; (2) Dylan Kadison, 7.91; (3) Katherine G. O'Brien, 7.90.
Daily Winners
Wednesday, October 7
All Tackle
Shore bonito: (1) Kris S. Lukowitz, 6.85; (2) Eric F. Pachico, 6.46. Boat bluefish: (1) Taylor Collins, 9.35; (2) Patrick M. MacPherson, 9.28; (3) Seth R. MacPherson, 7.90. Shore bluefish: (1) John Oliver, 8.98; (2) Stephen C. Morris, 8.19; (3) John J. Dropick, 7.12; (4) Ebie E. Wood, 5.18. Shore bass: (1) David Balon, 25.13; (2) Pete J. Pate, 17.37.
Thursday, October 8
All Tackle
Boat bluefish: (1) Norman E. Bouchard, Jr., 9.58 (hat trick); (2) David C. Kadison, 13.00; (3) Kendrick R. Brede, 9.54; (4) Brian P. Curry, 8.91. Shore bluefish: (1) Bo J. Kallel, 9.47; (2) Joseph H. Calamia, 7.83; (3) Gregory A. Williams, 7.18. Boat bass: (1) Brian P. Curry, 12.29. Shore bass: (1) John F. Schillinger, 21.30; (2) Robert D. Bottary, 16.82; (3) Taylor Collins, 15.93.
Fly Rod Division
Shore bass: (1) Art Crago, 14.23.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Shore bluefish: (1) Anthony J. Cimeno, 8.53; (2) Jeffrey S. Cimeno, Jr., 10.55.
Friday, October 9
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Steven J. Wood, 7.87; (2) Mike E. Mayrand, 6.87; (3) Michael D. Ludwig, 6.59; (4) Damian Carter, 6.46. Shore bonito: (1) Stanley W. Brown, 5.59. Boat bluefish: (1) Fred Condon, 11.56; (2) Lynne Silva, 11.09; (3) William Baldwin, 10.92; (4) Jeffrey P. Canha, 10.77. Shore bluefish: (1) Jack Livingston, 9.11; (2) Winslow H. Crocker, Jr., 9.95; (3) Michael J. Tinus, 9.04; (4) Jonathan S. Pike, 7.58. Boat bass: (1) Kevin P. O'Farrell, 15.18; (2) Joseph H. Connor, 14.73; (3) David C. Kadison, 40.55. Shore bass: (1) Donald R. Sicard, 21.30; (2) Janet Messineo, 20.81; (3) Ryan Kurth, 26.71; (4) Andrew M. Wheeler, 18.23.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bass: (1) Art Crago, 15.11. Shore bass: (1) Herbert C. Tilton, III, 18.65.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Matthew A. Clark, 5.86. Boat bluefish: (1) Nicholas L. Watts, 8.29; (2) Benjamin L. Wood, 7.21; (3) Matthew A. Clark, 7.03.
Saturday, October 10
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Patrick T. Jenkinson, 6.20. Boat bluefish: (1) Jeffrey P. Canha, 12.63; (2) Peter C. West, 11.28; (3) Ted C. Howes, 10.94; (4) Rick Gay, 10.59. shore bluefish: (1) Scott A. Braen, 9.41; (2) Peter Sliwkowski, 8.91; (3) Kathleen A. Wenstrom, 7.36; (4) Bo J. Kallel, 6.55. Boat bass: (1) Don Murphy, 24.85; (2) Kevin P. O'Farrell, 31.67; (3) Ali Lotfi, 19.22; (4) Andrew M. Wheeler, 16.28. Shore bass: (1) Claudius L. Agard, 30.98; (2) John Vancalcar, 19.19; (3) Jerry R. Salvi, 16.95; (4) Peter Sliwkowski, 18.38.
Fly Rod Division
Shore bonito: (1) Bob W. Iwaskiewicz, 5.53.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Caelan K. Watts, 5.78. Boat bluefish: (1) Christopher A. Mayhew, 9.66; (2) Nicholas L. Watts, 8.90; (3) Tony P. Canha, 10.61; (4) Ben W. Simmons, 7.95. Shore bass: (1) Brandon A. Steigelman, 17.88.
Sunday, October 11
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Kevin A. Ludwig, 6.74; (2) Edward Ludwig, 6.58; (3) Joe B. McPherson, 6.47; (4) Jack Scholossberg, 5.84. Boat bluefish: (1) Spencer S. Curtis, 11.07; (2) George J. Rogers, Jr., 11.95; (3) Jeffrey A. Maida, 10.90; (4) Edwin B. Gentle III, 10.83. Shore bluefish: (1) Joseph Fitzgibbon, 10.77; (2) Brenda Weidenhof, 10.02; (3) Jason A. Graves, 9.44; (4) Tony B. Jackson, 7.93. Boat bass: (1) Abram KIrschenbaum, 43.47; (2) Helena A. Kirschenbaum, 31.19; (3) Johnny R. Graham, 19.49. Shore bass: (1) Jim F. Creedon, 20.27; (2) Peter Sliwkowski, 14.75; (3) Ernie Baracchini, 13.48; (4) Paul Bradshaw, 14.00.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bass: (1) Louis Mm. Kerr, 12.46.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Emily M. Turney, 6.91; (2) Tyler K. Dufresne, 5.13; (3) Tegan M. Fenner, 4.22; (4) Brendan R. Morris, 6.75 (hat trick). Boat bluefish: (1) Dylan Kadison, 11.44; (2) Gunnar J. Ehntholt, 8.54; (3) Liam D. Celuzza, 8.50; (4) Tony P. Canha, 10.79 (hat trick). Shore bluefish: (1) Dennis Rose III, 9.76. Boat bass: (1) Andrew P. Fournier, 12.86; (2) Dylan Kadison, 23.00.
Monday, October 12
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Kenneth J. Clark, 6.78; (2) Stanley W. Brown, 6.68; (3) Patrick J. Jenkinson, 7.15; (4) Beverly A. Bergeron, 5.89. Boat bluefish: (1) Charles F. Masterson, 12.39; (2) Eddie McDevitt, 11.50; (3) Adelbert Fry, 11.141; (4) Joseph J. Rogers, 11.20. Shore bluefish: (1) James H. Fretz, 9.24; (2) Jack Livingston, 8.98; (3) Neal J. Farrell, 8.09. Boat bass: (1) Henry R. Fauteux, 23.92; (2) Mark W. Jones, 21.26; (3) Kenan Bigby, 15.33; (4) Gene W. Bergeron, 12.43. Shore bass: (1) Ron Mckee, 24.23; (2) Hayden Boullie, 21.56; (3) Michael Alwardt, 15.61; (4) Brian Adams, 15.30.
Fly Rod Division
Shore bluefish: (1) Herbert C. Tilton, III, 5.22.
Junior Division
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Wyatt A. Jenkinson, 9.71. Boat bluefish: (1) Alec B. Cobban, 12.66; (2) Townsend R. Morey, 10.92; (3) Gabriel C. Ambulos, 10.77; (4) Cameron Maciel, 11.50 (hat trick). Boat bass: (1) Mike B. Metcalf, 25.17; (2) Gabriel C. Ambulos, 13.52; (3) Townsend R. Morey, 12.96.
Tuesday, October 13
All Tackle
Boat bonito: (1) Joe R. DaSilva, 7.04; (2) Kevin A. Ludwig, 6.31; (3) Trevor C. Knowles, 6.23. Shore bonito: (1) Stanley W. Brown, 5.98. Boat bluefish: (1) Stephen J. Pietruska, 13.71; (2) Spencer S. Curtis, 12.39; (3) Zeb A. Tilton, 12.19; (4) Nils Leaf, 10.78. Shore bluefish: (1) Tom R. Barlosky, 10.82; (2) Ralph J. Peckham, 10.86; (3) Stephen C. Morris, 9.07; (4) Peter Sliwkowski, 10.52. Shore bass: (1) Edward J. Jerome, 23.51; (2) Steve G. Pierson, 21.56; (3) Ben J. Gunn, 18.32; (4) David A. Nash, 16.43.
Fly Rod Division
Boat bluefish: (1) W. Brice Contessa, 9.36.
