Counting down the days

Twelve days, seven hours, 50 minutes, and eight seconds.

If you know, you know.

In case you recently arrived on Martha’s Vineyard from another country, or another planet, the countdown to the 81st Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby has truly begun.

Fishermen all over the Island are spooling reels with new line, changing out hooks on favorite lures, stopping into Coop’s, Dick’s, and Larry’s to check out the latest lures in case any of them look like the winning lure, preparing trucks and boats, and running any errands that will need to be done before Oct. 19, because life gets put on hold from Sept. 13 through Oct. 18.

Here’s a few of my favorite words: “Derby registration is officially open.” We’ve got two options to register: We can fill out the forms online or fill them out by hand at the tackle store. I love the ease of online, so that’s what I did. However you choose to register, we’ve got to pick up our pins before we start fishing.

We also get to select our hats. I can’t wait! Is anybody else hoping they have pink and blue hats? Hey, it’s Vineyard Vines, so this is totally in the realm of possibility. A girl can certainly hope!

I need to go to Larry’s to pick up my number, then head over to Coop’s to pick up Dave Balon’s number and register our team, Bone Appetit. We can’t register our teams until both team members have picked their numbers.

In years past, an angler could fish from shore or boat and earn prizes in each division, but fishermen had to enter their team in either the shore or boat division, not both. This year we can double our team fun. The Derby Committee voted to allow teams the option of fishing in one or both divisions.

Dave and I are going to enter both. We usually go out once or twice on Tenacious with Capt. Ed. Perhaps this year we’ll go out five times, since there are five weeks in the Derby. (Look, Dave, I can count to five!)

And don’t forget, if you haven’t done it yet, check to make sure your saltwater fishing license is current. It’s required for the Derby. 

Oak Bluffs library family fishing

If you have some aspiring fishermen in your family, don’t miss the Oak Bluffs library’s final family fishing event this Friday, Sept. 4, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Librarian Jonathan Burke brings the fishing rods, gear, and bait to the Oak Bluffs fishing pier and teaches young children how to fish on the first Friday of the month in July, August, and September.

“About six to eight years ago, we decided to add fishing rods to our Library of Things, which is a collection of things that people can check out. Someone said, ‘Jonathan, why don’t you start a fishing program?’ I said, ‘Sure,’ and it’s been hugely successful,” said Jonathan Burke.

The kids catch a lot of scup, with the occasional puffer fish, sea bass, or flounder. Families pop in and out during the two-hour event. Children will fish for around 30 minutes, hopefully landing at least one fish during their turn on the rod.

“Watching a kid who’s never fished before get a fish on, reel it in, and see it for the first time, there’s something absolutely priceless about seeing a kid catch their first fish,” said Jonathan.

The Kids’ Derby is Sunday, Sept. 20. If you want to give your children a little practice, or a first lesson, stop by the Oak Bluffs fishing pier this Friday and spend some quality time with Jonathan. There is no registration required, just show up. You can read more here: https://oakbluffslibrary.org/event/family-fishing-offsite-3/.

MVSA annual used tackle sale

While you’re gearing up for the Derby or helping a friend or child get ready, don’t miss the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association’s (MVSA) annual used tackle sale this Saturday, Sept. 5, from 8 am to 1 pm in the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) parking lot.

There will be more than 100 rods and reels to choose from, more lures than you want to count, kayaks, fishing gear, waders, boots, tackle, flies, tackle boxes, sand spikes, anchors, and just about anything else you need for boat or shore fishing. All of the fin-tastic items are priced to sell.

Don’t worry for a second that you’re shelling out too much money on fishing gear. At the tackle sale, you’ll truly be spending to help others.

The Surfcasters donate all the proceeds from the tackle sale to MVRHS students and Island veterans. Last year, the Surfcasters raised over $25,000 at the sale. They gave away two $7,500 scholarships in June at the MVRHS awards night, and they also donated $10,000 to furnish one of the housing units in the new veterans’ housing in Oak Bluffs. They will be doing the same with the proceeds from this year’s sale. So buy generously!

If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned catching big blues, bones, or albies, the reason is sadly simple: I haven’t. I caught fish this weekend, but not Derby fish. I heard of a few small blues landed, but we’re all crossing our collective fingers that the blues, bones, and albies will show up for the Derby.

I hope to see you on the beach, and I hope the Derby fish are swimming near us within casting range.