Updated October 15
The 73rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby came to an end with a jam-packed awards ceremony Sunday afternoon.
Fishermen and women, young and old, gathered under a tent at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs for the nearly three-hour awards ceremony.
The ceremony began with Derby committee member John Custer giving a heartfelt speech on the lasting legacy of former President Ed Jerome, who died last month.
“It was [Jerome’s] vision to rescue and strengthen the organization and event. That vision, in 1986, became a reality, and we are all here today as proof,” Custer said. “Nobody worked harder than him to keep it alive. Ed loved fishing, he valued family and friendship, he was committed to children and their education, and he loved the Island.”
Custer asked the crowd to stand up and thank Jerome’s wife Maryanne, who was sitting in the front row. The audience cheered and clapped as Custer embraced Maryanne.
“Let’s all celebrate Ed by celebrating the Derby, fishing, family, friendship, education, community, tradition, sportsmanship; all of these which Ed promoted are on display today,” Custer said.
Chairman Joe El-Deiry also shared words of praise for Jerome. The entire Derby committee went up on stage to present El-Deiry with a framed picture of a rainbow that appeared over the water in Menemsha two days after Jerome passed.
This year marked a new record for Derby contestants, who totaled 3,541. A total of 13,594 pounds of fish were weighed in.
For grand slams, there were 15 all-tackle boat, 14 all-tackle shore, five juniors, and three mini juniors. Sixteen hat tricks were recorded as well.
El-Deiry thanked the various donors to the Derby’s scholarship foundation, which gave out $37,500 in scholarships to Island students last June.
Stephen Pietruska, who goes by “Striper” Steve, made history with his 39.20-pound striped bass. The catch, made by boat, marked the fifth time Pietruska had won the top honor for largest bass. Pietruska’s son, Stephen Pietruska II, came in right behind his dad with a 32.39-pound bass.
Three years ago Pietruska led the Derby with a 41.98-pound bass and won a Chevy Colorado truck for the grand prize. Pietruska’s wife, Sandy, told The Times her husband is the “striper king,” which makes her the “striper queen.”
While there were a bevy of prizes of cash, rods, reels, shirts, coolers, tackle boxes, hats, boots, and much more, the biggest prizes of the day were a Cape Codder 19 from Cape Codder Boats and a 2018 Subaru from Clay Subaru.
Bluefish was the key at the key ceremony, where the shore and boat grand leaders randomly choose a key from a bucket, then try to unlock a large padlock for the grand prize of a car or a boat.
David Kadison, who led the Derby with an 18.49-pound bluefish caught from a boat, threw his hands up and shouted as his key clicked in the lock, awarding him a brand new 2018 Subaru Forester. Kadison’s family ran up to the stage to hug him as the crowd cheered and clapped. Kadison, with a big smile and a lack of words, thanked the Derby and his wife: “This just feels really good.”
Paul Hoffman, who led the Derby with a 13.08-pound bluefish from the shore, won the Cape Codder 19. “Unbelievable, I don’t know what to say … thank you so much,” Hoffman said.
Other grand leaders in boat fishing included Pietruska with his 39.20-pound bass, Raymond Cabot with a 11.75-pound bonito, and Gary Look with a 15.75-pound false albacore. Shore fishing, the leaders were Ollie Becker with a 37.69-pound bass, Stephen Sawyer Jr. with a 6.76-pound bonito, and Ken Zaiatz with a 12.85-pound false albacore.
Along with the first, second, and third prizes, several memorial awards are given out to contestants who hit certain criteria, such as the Ray Metcalf memorial award for heaviest bass, which went to David Nash, and the photo release contest award, to Amanda Vernon who took a picture of her husband Micah with their son, Tegan, releasing a false albacore in West Chop.
The Beaulieu/Loud Memorial family fishing award was given to the Kleeman family, who all fish and all participated in the Derby. Volkert Kleeman, who cleaned up in the junior division with a first-place boat bluefish and a second-place boat bonito, was recognized for his compassion toward Maryanne Jerome after the passing of her husband Ed.
Updated to include more details and more photos from Sunday’s awards ceremony. -Ed.
