One of the best things about living on Martha's Vineyard is how easily accessible the ocean is.
Some people enjoy their time in the water during the months of July and August in order to escape the summer heat. For most of those people, their primary goal is to have zero interaction with any aquatic creature when visiting the shoreline. For others, however, the main attraction is what's in the ocean.
The 71st annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby began September 11 and wraps up October 15. With all of the most popular beaches clear of summer tourists, the derby serves as a time for Vineyard residents and avid fishermen to soak up all the natural beauty of the island. With two categories for fish caught from the shore and from a boat, Vineyard anglers have a chance to compete against one another for grand prizes that include a boat, a truck, and fishing equipment.
Fishing in September and October is very different compared to May, June, and July. Most of the same fish are still in the waters surrounding the Vineyard in the fall, but strategy for procurement changes with the seasons. "In the spring fish move in bigger schools as they come north. I normally see more bait in June and July than now; I feel like I catch more fish in the spring on lures," said Tony Canha, who has fished on and around the Vineyard since he could hold a rod. When September rolls around, more people use bait instead of lures. The main reason? Fish that made it through the summer are smart enough not to bite unless it's the real thing they're about to chomp down on. Tony, who has been fishing the derby this year from his boat, Done Deal, has weighed in one monster bluefish so far but has yet to catch anything that's put him on the leaderboard.
From late-May to mid-July the most abundant populations of game fish off the coast of Martha's Vineyard are striped bass, bluefish, and fluke. While these fish do stick around until the water becomes too cold, there is another favorite fish touted by anglers from Edgartown to Aquinnah that shows up later in the season: the albie, or false albacore. Albies usually don't arrive in the waters of Martha's Vineyard until mid-August. They are a finicky warm water fish known for putting up quite a fight and they're not the first thing you'd want to throw on your grill. But albies offer a new challenge after a summer spent hunting down the elusive 42-inch striper that snapped off your line just before you could land it.
Recently, the weather has impacted the fishing. Evandro Medici, a resident of Martha's Vineyard, said, "The first day (of the derby) I caught six albies then only one sinse." Windy weather following rainy low-pressure systems often brings the fishing action to a screaming halt. The cold air that typically blows in behind a storm causes a steep, bite-killing rise in barometric pressure. Fish are more likely to bite when there is a drop in barometric pressure right before a storm rolls in. Hence Medici's six albies before the adverse weather and only one since the storms moved in.
Once the storms have passed, there should be more opportunity for fishermen to try to one-up each other on the leaderboard. In spite of the unsettled weather, this time of year is perfect for the derby because, with both the air and water temperature dropping and the days getting shorter, fish are more inclined to eat as much as they can before heading south for winter.
Derby season is one of the most treasured times of the year for Island residents. Bringing Islanders back together after a hectic summer, and encouraging us to savor the last trip to the shore before the island boards up for winter makes for plenty of good fish-tales to be told over the coming winter.
