Louisiana native takes home grand prize at 81st Derby

Updated Oct. 21.

David M. Gerhardt traveled all the way from Louisiana this fall to fish for the first time on Martha’s Vineyard. And he was just in time for the last week of the Derby. Before last Tuesday, Gerhardt had never even seen a bluefish, let alone caught one, but when he landed a giant one, it became clear to him and everyone fishing with him that there was a good chance he’d just secured a spot on the daily leaderboard and possibly even a Derby key.

By the time the crowd gathered for the 81st annual Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby Awards Ceremony on Sunday afternoon, Gerhardt, 44, was not just a daily leader — his 21.1-pound bluefish was one of the six grand prize winners, and he was given one of the six coveted keys.

And then came the moment when Derby President John Custer ceremoniously saw which of the leaders’ keys would open a padlock and who would get to drive away with the big prize, a Jeep Gladiator Mojave X. 

The crowd was hushed as the first four keys failed to open the lock, and then Custer tried Gerhardt’s key, and … click. He was the winner. It all came so easy, but then the shock of his win started to set in as he was swarmed by the crowd and left speechless.

“It felt overwhelming and surreal, to say the least,” said Gerhardt, who hails from Mandeville, La., just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, or “the Big Easy,” as the city is referred to in a state famous for its reputation for leisure, sportsmanship, sweet jazz, and, well, just having a good time. 

“Honestly, I was just excited to catch a bluefish,” Gerhardt said after posing for photos with his new Jeep Gladiator wrapped in specialized “Vineyard” camo and a Derby logo. 

Gerhardt’s winning fish was caught Tuesday morning from the boat of Island resident Sandy Fisher. It was the only weighable one Gerhardt caught on his trip to the Island, and he happened to land it off Wasque Point, only 30 minutes into an all-day trip. 

The Island-wide fishing Derby is more than just about catching fish, and the awards ceremony on Sunday celebrated the support that the fishing community and the Derby have received to keep it going for more than 80 years, John Custer, president of the Derby, said.

“Nothing lasts for more than 80 years unless it has strong support, and the Island community continues to get behind the Derby,” Custer said during the award ceremony.

Other contenders for the grand prize were Bruce Dew III with a 19.91-pound bluefish, Sherry Countryman with a 19.91-pound false albacore, Angela Fisher with a 13.7-pound false albacore, David Kadison with a 10.98-pound bonito, and Cameron Maciel with a 9.13-pound bonito. Countryman netted a state record weight for her false albacore, but she couldn’t make it to the ceremony. Still, she made up for it with a cardboard cutout of herself present under the tent.

Other winners of the Derby included first-place triple crown winners who netted the biggest cumulative weight for bluefish, bonito, and false albacore. Those anglers were David Kadison at a total of 43.35 pounds, Thomas Rapone with 36.2 pounds, and Jay Harrison at 34.65 pounds. The junior triple crown winner was Christian Fisher with 37.7 pounds, and mini junior winners were Calvin Stedman at 36.21 pounds and Clifton Colby netting 21.66 pounds.

Team Tongatapu, made up of Tyler Poole and Dmitri Consolati, was awarded the Bob “Hawkeye” Jacobs Award for recording a shore triple crown for a total weight of 39.14 pounds.

The Albies, Blues, and Bones Award went to Ethan Hartmann and Jackson Munson for the largest shore catch of false albacore, bluefish, and bonito hooked by an angler between 15 and 18 years old; no false albacore were caught to place in this award category.

The R.W. Cutler Bike Shop Award went to Emmett Sylva and Latham Kurth, with the Edgartown-based bike rental shop donating bicycles to the first-place junior boat and shore winners whose names were drawn randomly Saturday night.

Other award winners in categories for shore and boat fish received placards and prizes for adults, juniors, and mini juniors. And this year, the Kids’ Mini Derby was renamed the Cooper and Lela Gilkes Kids’ Day Derby in recognition of the Gilkes’ commitment to the Island fishing community.

This year, the annual Derby had 3,044 participants, down slightly from the previous year’s 3,200, Custer said. 

“I always say as long as we get 3,000 registrants, that support allows us to do what we need to do, and we are grateful for that support,” Custer said at the ceremony.

And the Derby’s support of the Island goes beyond the awards tent, as the tournament raises money for scholarships. In June 2026, the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby awarded 12 Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School graduates scholarships totaling $115,000, which was the same as the previous year, but still a record high. Income and expenses from this year’s Derby still need to be totaled, but Custer told The Times that income doesn’t come only from registrations, but also income from the online auction, and raffle and merchandise sales.

Gerhardt told Lisa Belcastro, The Times’ fishing columnist, that both the winning bluefish and the Jeep truck will be shipped to him in Louisiana. 

“It was probably the best fishing trip I have ever been on where we only caught one fish,” Gerhardt told The Times. “Never been to Martha’s Vineyard, never fished in the tournament, and never caught a bluefish.”

Editor’s note: Updated to print edition of story with additional details from the Derby’s awards ceremony.