Fly rod fishing tourney returns

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The 29th Fly Rod Striped Bass Catch and Release Tournament returns on June 12. Hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club, the tournament will be held with a different format than in previous years. 

In previous tournaments, the club awarded plaques for the most striped bass caught and released. However, studies have shown that caught-and-released bass have a mortality rate of nine percent. Fly fishing release has a lower mortality rate, but the club decided to change the tournament from being the number of fish caught to filling a capture quota. Whichever team finishes its quota earliest will determine the winners. Hooks must either be barbless or have the barbs crushed down. 

“There is a twist to the fun,” tournament chairman Cooper “Coop” Gilkes said in a press release. “If I’m on fire, my fish can’t be applied to my team member’s quota — he or she has to carry his or her own weight. That’ll add to the fun because team members who have filled their quota will be giving their slower team members the business.”

There is a $45 entry fee with a breakfast and awards ceremony on the morning of June 13 at the Rod and Gun Club off Third Street in Edgartown. 

Information about the tournament can be found at mvrodandgun.org/catch-release-tournament. If there are any further questions, please contact Cooper Gilkes at 508-627-3909 or Nelson Sigelman at nelson.sigelman@gmail.com.