The 80th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby is off to a strong start with officials noting some sizable bluefish and false albacore already landed in the first days.
The Derby opened on Sunday and at the top of the leaderboard that evening Kevin Peters had weighed in an 18.06 bluefish from a boat; Sam Bell had landed an 18.66-pound albacore from a boat.
“Apparently, the fish were very hungry,” said Joe El-Deiry, chairman of Derby Committee, noting there were some sizable fish as well. “I don’t remember having a derby where so many big fish were weighed in.”
Weigh-ins for the Derby started at 8 am Sunday morning at the Edgartown weigh-in shack, located on Edgartown Harbor. Surrounded by fishing lovers and local anglers, first in line Sunday morning was J.R. Thomas, a long-time Islander who has been fishing the derby since he was five. He sat on his cooler with a 21-inch Bonito waiting to weigh in.
The opening ceremony was held Sunday morning as well. Derby president John Custer, joined by Ed and Steve Amaral, performed a short opening ceremony consisting of the retiring of the old derby bells and welcoming a new one. The Amaral brothers were given the designation of ringing the first weigh-in bell this year, a Derby tradition. The Derby, in its 80th year, is celebrating fishermen that are in the 80s and beyond who are still fishing the annual tournament. Steve Amaral has fished every Derby except for one, a year when he was in military service.
The new bell was named in memory and honor of Ed Jerome, the late and former longtime Derby president. The bell was gifted by Derby volunteers.
“The derby is something everyone can get behind and fish shoulder to shoulder and let their shared passion for fishing bring people together, the world we live in needs more of that,” said Custer in the opening ceremony.
“Amen,” added a supportive angler from the crowd.