Blue miracle in Vineyard waters

Fintastic!

That is the only word I can think of to describe the Derby experience I had today. I’m blessed to call Leigh and Kevin Lord friends. Kevin had texted me on Sept. 30, “I got an offer you can’t refuse. My biz partner is coming down the last week of the Derby from New Orleans. I’m taking him on a charter. Would you like to come?”

I replied, “OMGOSH!! Yes, please! THANK YOU[.]”

David arrived Monday, and Kevin took him bass fishing. “We got into fish, and he got a slot,” said Kevin, referring to the required keeper size of 28 inches to under 31 inches.

Tuesday was boat day. We left Memorial Wharf at 7:30 am aboard Cuyler Grace with Capt. Sandy Fisher at the helm. Kevin, David, myself, and John Piekos eagerly hoped for a weighable. Kevin, like me, is a shore fisherman who hops on a boat every now and then, usually with a purpose.

“I wanted my friend to weigh a fish in. Weighing in a fish in is part of the whole Derby magic,” said Kevin.

Sandy motored us out to the Rip at Chappy. While he and his first mate, also named Kevin, put the lures on and let the lines out, Kevin, John, and I were looking at the cars on the beach and chatting about which of our friends were out there casting for big blues.

The boat rocked hard through the Rip. Suddenly, a huge wave hit the front of the boat and washed over us, drenching everything that wasn’t undercover. We weren’t in danger, but the motion wasn’t pleasant.

Sandy said, “Let’s get out of this, find some calmer water. We’ll come back later at slack tide.”

Sandy found better waters, and the lines went back in. Within five minutes, bam! The right rod bent over, and the line began peeling. David jumped up and lifted the rod out of the holder and began reeling. The fish tailed and took more line. The fish jumped, and John and I both thought it looked like a tarpon.

Sandy quietly stated, “That’s a big fish.”

As David got the fish closer to the boat, we all saw how big it was. Sandy coached David to keep the line taught and steer the fish toward the net. Sandy scooped him up and plunked the fish and net down on the boat.

We all simply stared.

I’d been at weigh-in when Bruce Dew carried in his 19.91-pound shore bluefish on Oct. 4, and the fish at our feet looked bigger.

“You just caught the new grand leader,” Sandy said to David.

We all started congratulating David, making jokes about owning a Jeep Gladiator, and still staring at the fish. It was huge. Its tail was huge and truly gorgeous fanned out. We all told David he should keep the fish after weigh-in and get it mounted.

David, who had never been to the Vineyard before, never caught a bluefish before, and never seen a bluefish before, had no idea how beautiful and how incredible his fish was.

“I’m still in awe. I could tell it was a big fish. It tailed the first time it peeled out. I had no idea it was a winning fish,” said David, adding, “When you see the captain freaking out, you know it’s big.”

“I’ve never seen a blue that big,” said Sandy.

“I’ve been fishing here for 51 years and never seen a fish that big,” said Kevin, who is sixty-one and first started coming to Chappy with his family when he was 10 years old.

“I’ve been fishing for bluefish for fifteen minutes, but it was a quality fifteen minutes,” joked David.

The jokes and Derby dreams continued over the next hour as we trolled for more fish. At one point David said, “I don’t always catch bluefish, but when I do, I land 20-pounders.” We all had a good laugh.

Our spirits were high. So were our rods. Sandy navigated the waters between Cape Poge Light and the Rip, and our rods never bent over.

I asked David when he was going back to New Orleans. “I’m supposed to go back Thursday. Depending on what happens with this fish, I’ll either stay or fly back on Saturday.”

David has lived near New Orleans his whole life. He was born in Metairie and currently lives in Mandeville near Lake Pontchartrain. David started fishing as a kid. His dad had a boat. He got serious around age 12.

“I fish inshore mostly for reds. I do some offshore tuna fishing where you’re so tired you can’t move your arms,” said David, adding, “To be honest, I’m more of a hunter.”

We continued trolling, without any luck. While our rods didn’t move, our mouths didn’t stop talking about David’s bluefish and all the possibilities that lay ahead if he became a Derby Grand Leader. We also text a few of our friends, which meant nearly every Derby competitor had heard about the big blue within an hour.

Capt. Ed from Tenacious texted me to share the gossip, unaware that I was on Sandy’s boat. I took a picture of Sandy at the helm, and replied, “Guess where I am right now.”

David couldn’t believe how many people were texting us. “If I win that Jeep, I’m driving it home, and people will ask about it, and I’ll say I’m a legend on Martha’s Vineyard.” 

David was joking, but this moment will surely be cemented in all our memories.

For all of us on the boat, there is one factor that made David’s fish extra special: It was caught in Vineyard waters close to shore. As we rode back into Edgartown Harbor, we discussed the three current Boat Grand Leaders. Each of the fish was caught off of Nantucket. David’s bluefish is a Vineyard fish.

John Piekos, who is on the Derby Committee, said it best, “These are areas that I and other surfcasters fish during the Derby and all summer. To see such a beast caught off of those hallowed grounds is amazing. I was thrilled to witness such a magic Derby moment.”

Sandy never stopped grinning, and I can’t tell you how many times he opened his cooler to stare at David’s blue during the eight hours we were on the boat.

“I feel pretty badass,” said Sandy, who has had four previous Derby key winners caught on his boat. “One thing I know about fishing these waters is that you have to put your time in. We were in a rough, nasty spot. We got to a nice spot, and five minutes later, we had a near 21-pound blue on the line. Then eight hours later, we pull up to the dock with only one fish in the cooler. It’s epic!” said Sandy, a soft chuckle building. “People spend hundreds filling (gas) tanks going to Nantucket, and today, we caught it 300 yards off the beach with a guy who never caught a bluefish before in his life. It’s absolutely insane!”

We all met at Headquarters to share in the excitement of David’s weigh-in. At 7:02 pm on Tuesday, Oct. 13, David Gerhardt claimed the Boat Bluefish Grand Leader title with his 21.01-pound bluefish. I had tears in my eyes as weighmaster Mike Cassidy stated the official Derby weight.

I hope this Vineyard fish holds until 9 pm on Saturday. I’m invested. I witnessed every moment. I touched the fish. I felt the joy of the Derby with a friend’s friend who earned his first Fish Pin, a daily first place, and moved into the lead with his first-ever bluefish that could be a Derby key fish.

Oh, if you’re wondering about the lure, it’s still on Sandy’s boat. Sandy told David, “I’ll give to you on Sunday.” Guess who will be fishing with that lure for the next four days. Good luck, Sandy, and thanks for the boat ride. 

It was truly a fintastic day!

I hope to see you on the beach and at the Derby awards ceremony on Sunday celebrating five weeks of incredible Derby moments.