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The
Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
June 9 - June 15, 2005 Edition
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Gone
Fishin'
Ned Casey was my fishing team member for the Saturday competition. He is an excellent cook, a skill that I have come to appreciate over years of fishing competition. The tournament is an annual one-night competition that begins at 7 pm and ends at 2 am. Teams of varying size attempt to catch and release the most striped bass. Generally speaking, if I do not have fish busting in front of me by 11 pm, I am ready to go home and go to sleep. Ned and I managed to hang in until a little after 1 am, when we finally decided to call it quits. In all, 204 fishermen registered for the tournament, and 194 showed up to fish Saturday night. Theoretically the conditions for fly-fishing were perfect: a southwest wind and a dark, moonless night, with a falling tide at Lobsterville. There should have been plenty of fish caught, but at the Sunday morning breakfast that preceded the awards ceremony most of the fishermen reported little success. In total, participants caught and released approximately 546 fish, or three fish per fisherman on average. Of course, there was no average catch. Some guys caught nothing despite a night-long effort. For team overweight (believe me there was a lot of poundage), East Beach, a black fly and an intermediate line proved to be a winning combination. Lobsterville Beach, usually a consistent winner, proved to be something of a bust. I expect that will change very soon, if it has not already. Ned and I poked around in Sengekontacket and Edgartown and managed to catch six fish and lose several more. Up-Island team Caddyshack kept up its winning streak in the one-fly category (meaning each fisherman can use only one fly for the night) and found lots of fish. At the awards ceremony Sunday, Charlie Finnerty asked me to announce that his team member, Mac Haskell, had lost his fly rod and reel in the trees, an unusual place to lose a fishing rod. He explained that driving down a dirt road Mac’s fly snagged on a low tree limb. Once the entire line unspooled from the reel the entire outfit was pulled out of the rod holder. Curious, I asked Charlie, “And you didn’t hear anything?” “We were listening to some tunes,” Charlie explained. ”It’s tough when you lose your one fly, but it’s tougher when you lose your whole rod.” Luckily, that same morning at the awards ceremony, Mac recovered his rod. Before an osprey could incorporate Mac’s fly rod into a nest, fisherman Julian Pepper spotted it in the tree limbs. Not so lucky, Dave Loren put his TNT rod with an Abel reel on top of his car in Menemsha then drove off. He would be very happy to get it back and may be reached at 401-247-2738. The tournament results follow: Sonny and Joey Beaulieu award for the largest fish caught and released: Rick Harvey, 54 inches (length and girth); Matthew Whritenour, 51 inches; John Grandin, 50.5 inches. Arnold Spofford award for most fish caught and released with one fly by a team: Caddyshack (Mac Haskell, Charlie Finnerty, J.C. Giordano), 9.66 fish average; Scare and Release (Ed and Jim Lepore), 3; Good Eats (Ned Casey, Nelson Sigelman) 3; We Don’t Want No Blues (Dave Nuttall, Dave Souza, Brent Baer), 2.66. Roberto Germani award for the most fish caught and released by a team: Sandra Demel, John Kollett, 10.5 fish average; Team Overweight (Nick Fersen, Paul Fersen, Rory Jensen, Ray Long, Rick Harvey, Cooper Gilkes), 7.5; Team Italia (Steve Baccelli, Mike Gagliardi), 6.5; Team Jumpin’ Minnow (Tony Jackson, Tim Sheron, Chris Goeckel, William Pate), 6.25. On the job Elsewhere in the paper I describe the latest enforcement effort by Sgt. Pat Grady, the environmental police officer (EPO) assigned to the Vineyard since last July. Pat has begun picking up recreational lobster traps to check that they meet state regulations. Some fishermen used to doing things the way they want will undoubtedly complain. And it is a change to have an EPO out enforcing state regulations. But as he explained in the story, the regulations he is out enforcing are ultimately designed to protect the resource, in this case lobsters. A few weeks ago, I heard from several fishermen who were frustrated and angry after witnessing what they said were other fishermen taking short striped bass. Sergeant Grady said he has received reports, some founded, some unfounded, and is trying to check all of the hot spots. In one instance, he received a report of fishermen taking shorts at Big Bridge and found men taking sea herring. He said he will try to follow up on calls but needs people to try and be more specific. Just saying that someone is taking shorts at Big Bridge is not as helpful as providing a description of the vehicle or fishermen involved. A message may be left for Sergeant Grady at the EPO dispatch number, 1-800-632-8075, or at his Island office number, 508-696-8654. The results are in Last week, I described the e-mail exchange I had with a reader who was offended by a comment I made about New Jersey in an earlier column. He said there were just as many jackasses in Massachusetts as there are in New Jersey (but a lot fewer highway exits), and compared me to shock jock Howard Stern. Because I consider this column to be something of an educational tool, last week I announced that I would be conducting a web site poll in which I asked computer literate readers to vote on the issues. As of yesterday afternoon, we had received 48 responses to the question: Are there about the same proportion of jackasses from Massachusetts as from New Jersey? The vote was close, 26 yes and 22 no. I have sent the results to the Supreme Court for a clear decision. Several voters added comments. Bruce, obviously a sensitive New Jersey type, said, “…Maybe glue up some MA/NJ plates to flip on the boat and dodge the abuse…” Tom took a more practical view. “I try to fish in locations where I won't run into jackasses of any kind. (Haven't been to Chappy in years), but the few New Jersey guys I've met have always been real gentlemen and sportsmen.” And Jeff could not resist a reply to Tom, telling him, “but at least they're from Massachusetts.” The other poll question generated less interest. A total of 15 voters were in favor of adding Howard Stern cast members to The Times staff, and eight disagreed. The only comment was provided by my friend Ned who wrote, “ … Howard Stern? I was thinking more like Dear Abby.” Ask Nelson Ned may have been closer to the truth than he knows. Yesterday, a reader told me that he and a friend were out fishing off West Chop when they spotted clouds of silversides in the water. Apparently fishing was slow because they began to ponder where silversides come from and how they arrive in our waters. He suggested I begin a feature called, Ask Nelson. How it works is, you Ask Nelson, and I ask, Anyone know where silversides come from? Past Favorites: Fisherman artist captures spirit of Derby grand slam, October 14, 2004 This fishing Derby is not a man's world, October 7, 2004 59th Bass and Bluefish Derby heads into home stretch, September 30, 2004 For angler Olga Hirshhorn, a dream comes true, September 23, 2004 59th Derby off to quick, sometimes nutty start, September 16, 2004 Catch some luck in the 59th annual bass and bluefish Derby, September 9, 2004 Tuna madness big and small takes over the Island, September 2, 2004 Dr. Play keeps his life's priorities in order, August 26, 2004 Derby welcomes three new members to hall of fame, August 19, 2004 Commercial fisherman finds literary success and fans, August 12, 2004 Fishermen urged to play it safe on the water, August 5, 2004 First impressions are lasting in the art of gyotaku, July 29, 2004 Big rods, big fish, shark tournament draws a crowd, July 22, 2004 Mike Amaral wears the crown of the fluke king, July 15, 2004 It's no fluke, the tournament's this weekend, July 8, 2004 Chronicle of Island fishing adventures, now a classic, is republished, July 1, 2004 Charter captains weather costs and deliver fishing fun, June 24, 2004 Finding the fish is the easy part, June 17, 2004 Game fly fishermen persevere in weekend tourney, June 10, 2004 One fishing photo is worth 1,000 words, June 3, 2004 Fishing begins to heat up for the holiday weekend, May 27, 2004 Beginning where this angler left off, May 20, 2004 Familiarity breeds success in Kids' Trout Derby, May 13, 2004 Thieves Steal Poles, Not Derby Spirit, October 16, 2003 Word Always Gets Around in the 58th Derby, October 9, 2003 Kids Day Derby Provides a Successful Fishing Bouillabaisse, October 2, 2003 Derby Fishing Is a Challenge, but There Are Theories, September 25, 2003 Changes in 58th Derby, September 18, 2003 Good Derby Fishermen Know How to Prepare, September 11, 2003 King Livens Up the Vineyard Fishing Stage, September 4, 2003 Fishless Angler Sets Off to See the Sights, August 28, 2003 Island Fishermen Lured Offshore by Promise of Tuna, August 21,2003 Island Bass Fishermen Survive, August 14, 2003 When the Fish Aren’t Biting, Might As Well Do Chores, August 7, 2003 For Anglers, It's Now Bonito Time, July 31, 2003 Newest Derby Inductees Are Hall of Famers in Any League, July 24, 2003 Fishermen Do Not Get to Say Peep about Norton Point Beach Fee Hike, July 17,2003 Mon Dieu, Winning Fish was Quite a Fluke, July 10, 2003 Prey and Predator Confused On Buggy Night of Fishing, July 3, 2003 Pond Openings Hold Fish and Risk for Anglers, June 26, 2003 For an Angling Father, Something Fishy's Always Welcome, June 12, 2003 Despite Pain of It, Anglers Carry On, June 5, 2003 Fishing, Fishing Supplies & Boat Charters Business Listing |
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