Recently at the 64th Derby Ceremony, there was a ton of applause that a Charter Boat Captain had won a lot of the categories. I personally didn't find it that INCREDIBLE that they had been so succesfull. I mean these guys fish everyday, all day. What's the big deal? I would have been more impressed if an infant would have taken most of the categories, but someone who does it for a living?? I'll take a raincheck. I personally don't think that they should even be able to fish the Derby, or be able to take people out who are signed up for the derby. I mean someone could basically pay Five-hundred dollars to have a "proffesional fisherman" bait thier hooks, and do everything just short of changing their diaper just to have them huck up a 50LB striper. In the meantime I am sitting in a busted lawn Chair off Gayhead fishing with Bunker gizzards; cold, soaked, irritable and tired. As you are all reading this your probably thinking i'm jealous, and your right! But the fact is that the Derby means alot to SOME people, and that is more than having someone who fishes EVERYDAY and knows the spots take these people out to catch the winner. I know it will never happen, but Maybe the DC can look at this and re-think at least some aspect of this whole idea. So, in closing maybe next year I will clean out my children's college funds and pay for one trip on a charter to catch some weighable fish.
If you think all it takes to win is a professional fisherman, look at the daily weigh ins. See how many pro's caught something worthy. Like you I only shore fish, however I don't sit under the cliff's the whole time. If one spot is'nt producing I'll move around the island till I find the fish. The people who won put their time in, just like most of us. I suggest you rethink your approach.
While Mr. Surly may have a unique style of expressing his point of view, his point is well taken. I for one agree with him, the extreme being one person who apparently paid an island resident $500 a day, each day, to charter his boat and lend his expertise, just because of an overwhelming desire get on the big board (see David Kinney's blog on davidkinney.net). Regarding island fishing "professionals" in general, there no doubt that they are unbelievable fisherman (and women) who help give the island its unique reputation as the fishing capital of the East Coast, a reputation and distinction that we all take great pride in. That being said, however, I agree that these folks able to dominate certain categories of the derby in a way that makes it less interesting for the rest of the crowd.
Perhaps it is time for the Derby Committee to look at a special category for charter caught fish, and/or fishing "professionals" in general, similar to the way there used to be Resident and Non-Resident categories in the derby years ago.
I realize that agreeing with Mr. Surly's general premise may cause a ruckus, but I believe that it is possible for us to discuss these issues in a civilized way on this forum, with the goal of trying to make the derby as good as it can be.
lobstaville, the idea of a "charter category" is one of the most ignorant things I have ever read. My mind is spinning right now with how little you must know about the island, charter captains, island clients or derby fishing and its history for me to fully explain how silly that idea is.
Maybe there should be a new category for people who can't afford a charter and have limited fishing skills. If they catch a big fish they are immediately disqualified for either having cheated or having lied about their fishing abilities!
It is true that the Charter guys spend more time at or on the water than many of us do. The fact that they get paid for it does make it easier for them, but they are still spending the time and effort to hone their skills and be where the fish are. The main advantage I see is that most of them work out of tackle shops. Many fishermen love to brag about finding fish and catching them when they go into a tackle shop, so the Charter guys are privy to more up to date info than most of us are. With cell phones they can share info with each other on an hourly basis. This is what they should do, it's called networking. Poetically....they are birds of a feather working together. (sorry, I couldn't resist) So, if the Charter guys are bugging you...expand your network. Share with someone, and if they share back with info that proves to be good, then you have another guy for your network. Every tournament has Charter guys, guys with bigger boats, guys who don't have to work, and guys who have been fishing the waters since they were four years old. Life ain't fair. Although there are prizes to be won, I think the main idea of the Derby is to have an excuse to go fishing and enjoy it. If it were only about the prizes the only people at the awards ceremony would be the winners.
Silverfisher - I am not ignorant to the history of the derby, the relationship between island businesses and clients, and the reason the contest was formed by the Chamber of Commerce in 1946 (to extend the fall shoulder season to benefit island businesses). However, it is possible for sporting events and contests to evolve with the times, and it doesn't seem out of the question that a distinction be made between pros and amateurs, the way there is in many other sports.
Oh, and last time I checked, the derby was held in America, where we are allowed - even encouraged - to express differing opinions without being bullied or called a "loser" or "ignorant." How's life in the Peoples' Republic of Closemindedness?
Silverfisher - "loser" and "ignorant", I guess you must have had a very poor 2009 derby. Did you not catch anything or are you just an angry dick head?
Many other tournaments have a 'guide' division, which recognizes the fact that these guys are at an inherent advantage in fishing their local waters and are privy to info which traveling anglers do not posses.
Not everyone is privy to everyone elses info. That's fishing everywhere. By the way, what charter capts are we talking about as I don't think a single grand leader was a charter skipper. Are you talking about the fly category that approximately 15 people fish? Save your breath, who cares about who caught a small fish on an inefficient tool?
whooooo....."silverfisher"....you are playing with dangerous words.....Are you talking about the fly category that approximately 15 people fish? Save your breath, who cares about who caught a small fish on an inefficient tool? AND, many more than 15 flyrodders entered the Derby this year. Check your figures.
I chose not to visit the Vineyard this year for the Derby competition for many reasons.....mainly because albies aren't visiting the Vineyard shorelines for flyrodders anymore.
For you to say, small fish are caught on an "inefficient tool", aka a flyrod?
You obviously don't know what you're talking about.
Many "large" have been caught on a flyrod. Check with Dave Skok, two times winner of the shore flyrod division.
If you care to google it, you'll realize not only "large" are taken on a spin rod but also a flyrod.
Mediocre sized albies sometimes win on the fly, other than that a "large"-sweet fly rodder lingo-has not been weighed in in the derby since Lori or Kib. Also, how on earth do you know that albies aren't visiting Vineyard shorelines for flyrodders anymore?
Hey flysully, don't let silverfisher's posts get to you. If you read some other topics, you will find his comments do not bring much to the discussion. In fact you may discover his I.Q. is about the same as the number of species in the derby. Now in response to Albies on our shorelines, I will say, just like all 4 species in the derby, the shore fishing has been in a downward spiral the last several years. However, it is what kind of time you put into the derby that will show up in indvidual results. I know for example that I had to make some fishing spot moves to catch anything worth weighing in, and did'nt, as a result this was the first year that I did not weigh a fish. My best year was 9 pins with 11 fish, all shore. That year I moved around until I found fish. And when it got slow, I moved my spot until I found them again. My point being, hope you try next year. AS discouraging as the fishing seemed, you know that when you do hook up it is a blast and worth every minute of every hour of every day.
as far as the small fish on the fly scenario is concerned i'll offer the following: you'll clearly never catch as big a bass on fly as conventional. having said that, the fish that actually win the fly category are usually decent...25lb from shore last year and 29lb from boat the previous. as far as the other fish are concerned, what constitutes a 'large' or whatever changes from year to year. last year, the second biggest boat bluefish in the entire tournament was taken on fly, and that guy was in the overall lead for weeks. the first place fly boat albie was half a pound short of the overall lead. the first place fly rod shore bonito would have taken 4th in the all tackle division. so while most think that the fly division is the figure skating to the derby's Olympics (which it admittedly basically is), it still represents a relatively significant portion of the overall enrollment in the tournament and consistently bears some quality fish...wbc
