As a child I was terrified of monsters. My parents took my brother and me to the drive-in many times. There was usually a kid’s movie before the feature film. We were supposed to watch the children’s flick, then fall asleep in the car. During one outing I woke up, and there on the giant screen was a huge, scary monster. While “Young Frankenstein” with Gene Wilder was supposed to be a comedy, I was scarred for life.
Fortunately, I’m no longer afraid of monsters. In fact, I’m seeking them out just like every other Derby angler. The 80th Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby is tipping the scales day after day, as monster albies and blues are consistently filling up the daily leaderboard.
Sam Bell still holds the Grand Leader position with his 18.66-pound boat albie. Julian Pepper weighed in an 18.35-pound boat albie on Monday night this week, which keeps us wondering if there’s a record-breaking albie still to be caught this Derby.
Shore fishermen are finally seeing a scattering of albies within casting range. Boaters have weighed in 202 albies to date. Shore fishermen have brought in only 30 albies.
I was relieved last Tuesday night when 10 shore albies were carried into Derby Headquarters. Evan Hammond bumped Cameron Maciel out of the lead with a 13.87-pound fish. Evan’s lead lasted a short but sweet two days, until Cosmo Creagna placed a 15.77-pound shore albie on the weigh table.
Cosmo is an incredible fisherman. He’s been known to bottom-fish with four to eight rods in the water. He’s won numerous Derby awards, including Top Rod. When Cosmo suggested I switch to a 30-pound leader instead of 20, I took his advice immediately.
I couldn’t wait to hear about his catch. “He hit and ran. I was reeling like a crazy man. I couldn’t palm this one,” said Cosmo, continuing, “A shark went after it twice. When the shark tried to grab it again, the albie ran for shore. The albie was spooked to shore.
He semi-beached himself trying to get away from the shark.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime day. The water would boil for two to three minutes, then go quiet for five to seven minutes, then boil again. It kept happening. I got lucky,” said Cosmo, who currently leads the Shore Triple Crown as well as Shore Grand Leader albie.
Bluefish Super Saturday was basically a sunny beach day for all but one shore fisherman. Many of us tried to catch a blue, either casting, chunking, or both, but only Jake Trautner, of Camden, Conn., was successful.
Jake grew up visiting his family’s summer home throughout his childhood. His uncle, Jim Smith, taught him how to fish. This year he decided to enter the Derby, driving up and fishing on the weekends. “My goal was to weigh one in,” said Jake.
Jake and his brother Owen fished on Friday, but didn’t catch a Derby weighable. They bought some fresh bunker, and decided to go bass fishing that night. “I was going for stripers, and got lucky,” said Jake of his 4.21-pound bluefish, which also earned Jake his First Fish Pin.
“When I weighed it in in the morning, I thought it was cool, but I didn’t expect it to win,” said Jake, who ended up being the only shore angler to weigh in a bluefish. “It was awesome.”
The boaters had way more luck. Stephen Van Tol reeled in first place and $500 with a 16.63-pound blue. Rob Alexander took second and $300 for his 15.50-pound fish, and Abram Kirschenbaum pulled in third place and $200 with his 15.38-pound blue.
Matt Stedman didn’t win the Bluefish Super Saturday, but I think he’s pretty darn happy in the boat bluefish Grand Leader position. Last Wednesday, Matt and his brother Zack headed over to Nantucket. They were trolling deep divers when Matt’s rod peeled.
The blue was a monster, all 19.61 pounds of it. “I’m very, very grateful,” said Matt, “but I doubt it will hold.”
Matt and Zack, who are fishing their fourth Derby, are leading the boat team competition. Zack is first (46.57 pounds) in the Triple Crown, with Matt in second (44.89 pounds), and Zack is second overall for boat bonito (9.99 pounds), third overall boat blue (18.61 pounds), and third overall boat albie (17.97 pounds).
With all their potential awards, the most fun they’re having is when they take their four children out fishing. “We are a Derby family. All four of our kids have the sickness as well,” said Matt. “They are absolutely amazing!”
When Matt and Zach take Calvin, Brooke, Colton, and Scarlett fishing, the dads are not allowed to fish. “We are not allowed any fish at all, unless it’s a sea bass,” joked Matt. “The kids take turns on the rods, either youngest to oldest or oldest to youngest. Each kid picks out their color rubber band. It’s a lot of fun.”
Fishing is fun, but it’s also life lessons for the Stedman family. “It’s a great time to spend on the boat with just the dads. There is no screen time,” said Matt. “Fishing shows the kids a lot of grit. Someone’s going to win and someone’s going to lose. They cheer each other on.”
All four Stedman children have earned daily pins, and I’m sure we’ll see their names on the leaderboard again.
Another family team is collecting Derby awards. Curtis LaVigne and his daughter Cameron are on the beach together almost every morning before school. Curtis has picked up numerous daily pins for bonitos and bluefish. He only needs a fourth-place daily to earn a hat trick with bonitos.
“This is the first year I’ve weighed in a shore bonito. They eluded me for years,” said Curtis, who earned a second-place daily on Monday, which happened to be his 19th wedding anniversary.
“I tell where to find them, and he catches them,” said Cam, 12, who won the Junior Shore Weekly Bonito last week with a 4.02-pound bone.
Cam is in seventh grade at Edgartown School. You’d be hard-pressed to keep up with her. When Cam’s not fishing, she’s on two hockey teams and a soccer team. The morning she caught her winning bonito was the same day as school pictures.
“It’s quite the process to get ready for school picture day in the truck on the way to weigh-in,” said Curtis.
Team C.A.L. is currently in 10h place. “It’s our initials. It was my idea,” said Cam.
Cookies at Coop’s
I love stopping into Coop’s Bait and Tackle any day of the year, but it’s especially sweet during the Derby. As you walk into the store, you get that first whiff of heaven. No, it’s not a 10-pound bonito. It’s chocolate chip cookies. I got the inside scoop the other day when I was eating my second cookie in two days.
“Bonnie Deitz first made them when she was in college at Bridgewater State. She was coming home for the weekend to go fishing with the guys. She baked the cookies at college and brought them for the guys to eat after fishing, so they wouldn’t fall asleep on those winding roads on the way home. It worked. We named them Lucky Bass Cookies,” said Coop’s daughter, Tina Polleys.
Lela and Tina continued the tradition, which became a Derby institution. The Lucky Derby Cookies are available every day of the Derby, and they honor Bonnie, who passed away on Sept. 19.
Don’t forget to sign up for OctoberFish at Larry’s Tackle Shop. It’s only $40, and there are great prizes and a super-fun party. If you’ve got a line in the water during October, you can double your fun by entering OctoberFish.
I hope to see you on the beach, and at weigh-in.
