Free Republic

They'll be talking about Molly's monster catch for generations. The West Tisbury 12-year-old is the winner of the monthlong Martha's Vineyard striped bass fishing tournament for her 49.2-pound giant. ``I thought it was an alligator,'' Molly Fischer said last night. ``I was scared of it when we brought it in the boat,'' she added. ``But it only took me 20 minutes to bring it in.'' Molly beat out more than 1,000 salty fishermen to win the 60th annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. She was declared the winner Sunday. ``The local fishermen are so excited,'' said Molly's...

YOU can add striped bass to the mix since today is the opener for the much sought after gamefish. Flounder and stripers will be the targets for anglers this weekend. Fishing for the winter flatties has been decent, with a few more fish being taken in Raritan and Jamaica Bays as the waters continue to warm. The fact is, anglers are releasing more stripers than they are catching winter flounder, a situation that won't be reversed until the fisheries are closed for a few years to allow the species to recover. It would hurt business the early part of the...