To fish or not to fish? Honestly, is that really a question?
For some of us, the only question is when to fish.
And alongside the 141 entries in this year’s 34th annual Octoberfish, hosted by Larry’s Tackle Shop, there were also the topics of who was catching and where the fish were hiding. Unlike in previous years, the 2026 competition saw few fish weighed in during the last two weeks of the month, and only three changes in award standings.
The competition takes place throughout the month of October, so if you’re on-Island, it can help anyone going through Derby withdrawals. Octoberfish offers the same main divisions as the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, with the addition of the After Derby leader awards for the largest bluefish, bonito, and false albacore caught after the close of the Derby. There is also a key ceremony.
Fishermen gathered at noon on Halloween to cheer on the winners and to win a few treats of their own in the generous raffle organized by owners Melissa and Peter Sliwkowski. The event began with lunch and plenty of fish stories and laughter.
Peter called up Ralph Peckham, who “[had] all his fingers,” for the After Derby Bluefish award. Last year, Ralph caught the winning After Derby blue (10.55 pounds) but got his thumb chomped on. He stopped at Larry’s to weigh in the fish before continuing on to the hospital. This year, Ralph caught a bigger blue and accepted his prizes bandage-free.
Ralph was fishing at sunset on Oct. 20 when he caught the blue. He’d been spending many hours at Lobsterville but chose to be on Chappy that day. “I felt the wind was right on Chappy, and there wasn’t a crowd of people,” said Ralph. “I was just blind-casting.”
After reeling in a striper, Ralph continued casting until he felt another tug on the line. He reeled in a chunky 15.90-pound blue. “It was the only one I’ve caught. I’ve been back and haven’t gotten another one,” said Ralph, who won a pair of Premio pliers.
Ralph’s bluefish didn’t make the top three, which were all caught during the Derby. Ben Ciciora won the Shore Bluefish with his 19.69-pound blue that finished second in the Derby. Bob Bottary finished second (16.67 pounds) with Dave Balon third (16.33 pounds).
Ben’s bluefish was the third-heaviest blue weighed in throughout the Derby’s 81 years. Unfortunately for Ben, the second-largest bluefish in Derby history was also caught this year, Bruce Dew’s winning 19.91-pounder. Abe Williams holds the Derby record with a 20.58-pound shore bluefish caught in 1998.
“I got to the Rip, and nothing was going on. We moved down around the corner,” said Ben. “We were chunking. It was my first bait and first fish. When I put it on the scale, it was bouncing around 20 pounds.”
Ben wasn’t sure his scale was accurate. The fish was the same length, 37 inches, as the 15-pounder he’d also weighed in during the Derby. He placed his fish in a cooler, put another piece of bait on his hook, and cast his line. “My friends started yelling, ‘You gotta go now.’”
Ben left the beach, drove to morning weigh-in, and soundly moved into second place. “Seeing the 19 pounds on the scale, being so close, it was definitely a little disappointing. That fish would’ve won the other 80 years,” said Ben, who froze his blue and plans to have it skin-mounted.
Ben took home $700, a 2027 Trustees of Reservations OSV pass, and a fin-tastic customized print from Abe Pieciak. Second- and third-place winners in each division collected prize checks for $420 and $280, respectively.
David Kadison won first for Boat Bluefish with the blue he caught on Oct. 10 and finished third in the Derby behind Grand Winner David Gerhardt (21.01 pounds) and second-placed Lilly Gwin (18.74 pounds).
The Shore Bonito division looked exactly as it did at the Derby awards. Cam Maciel (9.13 pounds) and Alex Bettencourt (8.10 pounds) took first and second, respectively, with their Derby fish, while Lenny Beford, who finished third in the Derby with a 7.61-pound bonito, bettered his third with a 7.90-pound bone that also took first place in the After Derby Bonito division.
The Boat Bonito category saw the only After Derby change in the top three. On Oct. 26, Todd Steckbeck caught a 6.45-pound bonito to move into third, bumping Andrew Jacobs off the leaderboard. Christian Fisher, the only junior in any of the top three placings, earned second (6.64 pounds). Marc Fairstein secured top honors in the Boat Bonito division with a 7.91-pound bone he caught in early October that also picked up a first-place daily in the Derby.
Marc was fishing near Tarpaulin Cove. “I saw a small break and got over there just in time,” said Marc. The bonito gave Marc his first-ever Derby Triple Crown. Marc lives in West Tisbury and works as a photographer and videographer. This year is only his second time entering Octoberfish. In addition to the $700 check, Marc won a Bull Bay BOLT 7’6” rod and a customized Abe Pieciak print. “The win is unexpected,” he said, “and I didn’t expect these prizes.”
For the first time in the history of Octoberfish, there were zero albies weighed in. As in zero, nada, zilch. Not one from shore. Not one from the boat. Without albie awards, the crowd inside Larry’s stepped closer to the reel cabinet for the Key Ceremony. Inside the cabinet sat a Tsunami SaltX 3000 AT spinning reel and a Daiwa Saltist SD conventional reel. Peter called the shore winners: Ben and Cam. Matt Strem stood in for Cam Maciel, who was off-Island for work. Matt went first, unlocking the cabinet, and winning the Tsunami Salt for Cam.
David and Marc were given keys for the boat divisions. David put his key in the lock, turned, and the lock remained closed. Marc won the Daiwa Saltist. “It’s a little awesome,” said Marc, holding all his swag.
The Key Ceremony ended, and raffle mania began. Melissa spends two months collecting donations from vendors. “Abe surprised us with these beautiful trophies, and we had a new vendor, Indigo, who gave us 10 gift cards,” said Melissa.
“We collected well over 300 items,” said Larry’s manager, Julian Pepper.
The raffle is free. Every person who walks through the door for the Octoberfish party receives an entry that is guaranteed to win. My raffle prize included a tote bag, a fabulous lure, and a gift card to Indigo, located on Upper Main Street in Edgartown, which I can’t wait to use: My family loves Indian food. Everyone got treats sweeter than candy. It was a wonderful conclusion to the festive event.
Then — just like that — it’s November. We turned the clocks back; the days already feel shorter and darker, and most of the fish have begun their migration south. Fishing isn’t over. There are tautog to be jigged, stripers to be caught, and a few bonito and bluefish still swimming around.
That said, the days of outdoor showers, fresh-caught fish, and equally freshly picked garden vegetables are limited, which makes every cast, every vegetable, and every outdoor shower all the more precious.
I hope to see you on the beach, perhaps bundled in scarves, hats, and mittens, breathing in the salt air, tasting the promise of stripers, blues, bones, and albies returning.
