Remembering Luke Gurney, honoring his legacy
It’s been three years since the Island lost a treasured father, son, and friend to a tragic fishing accident. To honor the legacy of beloved Islander Luke Gurney, more than 350 fishermen from across...
Bluefish are in
Saturday was a good day for bluefish. I have been hearing from several people that they haven’t seen bluefish in large numbers, or of any substantial size, except for in a few isolated spots....
Scup is an underrated eating fish
This week I didn’t get out fishing much. With only one day to wet a line, and the ambition to cook my catch, my friend and I set our sights on bluefish. We did...
Learning to fish all over again
For several years, I have thought about trying my hand at fly-fishing. Something about the intention and focus it requires just speaks to me. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself walking into...
Letting the good times fly
More than 200 fly-fishermen from all over the Island, the country, and the world turned out for the 28th annual Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club Fly Rod Striped Bass Catch and Release Tournament.
Just...
Fishing Report: Stripers moving in relentlessly
Fishing, to me, is worth losing a little sleep over. This week I sacrificed my slumber for the opportunity to fish several times. I am often reminded of how fortunate I am to live...
Fishing Report: Tourneys spring into action
It was a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. The towns and beaches were flooded with visitors and Island residents alike enjoying the sunny weather. Though I personally worked most of the weekend, I still found...
Spring migration
Spring is in the air, and I have been clamoring to get back out on the beaches to fish from shore. Though I did make it out a few times to fish for holdovers,...
Late season blitz
With fewer and fewer boats in the water, I have been fishing mostly from shore. I seldom leave home without a bag full of tackle boxes, and a couple of poles on my car....
Fall bite is on
The weather finally feels like fall. Cold nights, brisk mornings, and steady winds. You don’t have to look far to find the avid anglers on the Island willing to brave the winds and rain....
Derby days are gone, but the fish are not
The Derby is over, and the crowds of anglers have largely left the beaches and jetties. The Derby headquarters is now vacant. Boats are being hauled for the season, but the fish are not...
Homesick for some real fishing
Last week my wife and I traveled to Santa Barbara, Calif., to visit our insanely cute newborn nephew and, of course, his parents. Meeting my nephew and seeing our family was amazing, but traveling...
Coming home with friends, but no fish
Somehow it seems that September came and went faster than the rest of the summer. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and between working and fishing the Derby, it was a mix...
Colder water is on the way
The second week of the Derby is over, and things are heating up. Bait fish continue to surround the Island, and the leaderboard has been shaken up several times. With continued north wind, colder...
Derby fever interrupted by terrible loss
Suddenly on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at the height of the Derby, we lost an avid fisherman, a beloved Islander, and a Derby legacy with the passing of Ed Jerome. Ed was integral in cementing...
The joy of fishing
Don’t you just hate it when ... you’re fishing in a channel and you hook up on what feels like the bonito of your dreams, and through the corner of your eye you spot...
The most wonderful time of year
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The congestion on the roads and beaches is starting to clear up, the bait fish are everywhere, and the Derby is upon us. Every year anglers...
Summer tourist season coasts into the final leg
August could have been a great time to catch up on responsibilities around the house before the five-week Derby begins Sept. 9, but I’ve found chasing baitfish and looking for bonito was time well...
Oak Bluffs fireworks were not the only show last week
Last week a good friend of ours, Henrik Olsson, came to visit the Island from Key West. Henrik is the kind of friend who is always up for an adventure. He had never visited...
Making friends while fishing is a shore thing
I learned to fish for bonito and false albacore from the ferry pier in Oak Bluffs. The regulars who taught me were David Duarte, Arthur Winters, Harold Hill, Kevin Hall, Wayne Coutinho, and a...