Only three days remain for the 80th Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby and the competition remains fierce as over 3,000 competitors vie for one of six spots on the grand leaderboard.

The ringing of the final bell takes place at the weigh-in station on Saturday at 9 p.m.

On Sunday, the awards ceremony at Farm Neck Golf Club will decide which of the six anglers leading their respective categories (shore and boat caught bluefish, bonito and false albacore) will take home the grand prize. Each angler will be given a key and whichever key turns the lock wins a new boat, donated by Eastern Boat Works.

Junior awards start at 11 a.m. and the all-tackle and fly rod division awards start at 1 p.m.

But with two days remaining it’s still anyone’s game.

Cooper Gilkes, owner of Coop’s Bait & Tackle in Edgartown, said even though the fish weighed in are hefty, it’s not over until that final bell rings.

Joe Regonlinski gets ready to cast.

Jeanna Shepard

Joe Regonlinski gets ready to cast.

Jeanna Shepard

“I don’t think anybody is safe,” Mr. Gilkes said.

On Wednesday, he stood at the front register of his tackle shop and gestured behind him to a mounted fish modeled after a striped bass he caught for the 1984 derby. It weighed over 48 pounds.

“It got beat the last day by Jack Coutinho by one ounce...” Mr. Gilkes said. “It’s not over until the bell rings.”

Case in point: later that same day a large crowd of anglers gathered at derby headquarters as weigh-master Mike Cassidy placed a large bluefish on the scale. The numbers climbed, eventually landing on 19.85 pounds. The crowd applauded and patted angler David Kadison on the back as Mr. Cassidy announced a new leader in the boat-caught bluefish division.

Though Mr. Kadison has won two grand prizes already, a Subaru SUV in 2018 and a boat in 2023, his 19.85 bluefish is a personal best. He knew it was a winner as soon as he reeled it in.

Boat fishing has better luck for most of the derby.

Ray Ewing

Boat fishing has better luck for most of the derby.

Ray Ewing

“Tomorrow I’m probably going to take the day off,” Mr. Kadison said. “I’ll fish Friday and Saturday [and] try to get a 20 pounder.”

Sam Bell has been on the grand leaderboard since opening day for his boat-caught 18.66-pound albacore. His fish was close to the state record, which is 19.5 pounds and held by Vineyarder Donald MacGillivray, who died in September.

“I’ve been putting in my time and effort for this fish,” Mr. Bell said. “I’ve always wanted to catch an albacore like this... and to have it be in our Northeast waters [is] pretty cool for me.”

Mr. Bell won a Chevy Silverado in 2013 for a 13.24-pound, boat-caught false albacore. He used to work at Larry’s Tackle Shop but now builds his own rods for Zack’s Custom Rods in Westport.

Sunrise is a perfect time for fishing.

Andrew Rice

Sunrise is a perfect time for fishing.

Andrew Rice

John Thurgood, a private chef who runs a catering business called Island-Sourced, is also vying to keep his 9.55-pound shore bonito on the top of the leaderboard. He’s been a grand leader before for a shore-caught bonito in 2020, but didn’t draw the winning key.

“It’s kind of miraculous...” Mr. Thurgood said. “With 3,000 to 4,000 people [competing] it is pretty statistically unfathomable. Even though I’ve done it before, I still [can’t] really believe it.”

The derby’s shore anglers had a rough start this year, with just over 30 shore-caught albacore weighed-in by the end of the third week. Some coined it “The Nantucket Derby,” since most of the big fish were caught in boats close to the sister island.

Where the action is, twice a day: the weigh-in station.

Tim Johnson

Where the action is, twice a day: the weigh-in station.

Tim Johnson

Emily Myrie, owner of Dock Street Coffee Shop where many competitors catch breakfast after weighing-in their fish, said each year she has a sense for how the derby’s going while listening to conversation behind the counter.

“There’s always someone who comes in with the story of the winning fish that got away,” Ms. Myrie said.

While September was slow on shore, October brought the blitz anglers were hoping for. Rods were bent all over the Island, from Lobsterville Beach to the Menemsha jetty to the shores of Cape Pogue and Wasque.

Neal Farrell has been fishing the derby since he was 18 years old. Now 49, he said he’s learned the last week of the derby is the most fun.

“There’s a lot of fireworks because usually the bigger fish start showing up in October,” Mr. Farrell said. “People start getting bumped.”

Eric Pachico fished at Lobsterville beach this past weekend during the northeaster and said he had plenty of company as other anglers braved the high winds and surf.

Mr. Pachico makes a living from outdoor carpentry and painting work, so when it’s raining he gets the day off. He enjoys what most think of as nasty conditions because he finally has the time to spend fishing. He also said changes in weather keep the fishing interesting.

“This whole storm, there wasn’t even that much weed,” Mr. Pachico said.

Gearing up.

Jeanna Shepard

Gearing up.

Jeanna Shepard

He caught a 13.92-pound bluefish and won a daily award Tuesday.

Mr. Pachico said the derby is really about community. His favorite memory from this year is not a fish he caught, but a moment on the shore. He was standing next to a father and young daughter who caught a small bluefish.

“She was so happy and jumping around...” he said. “Seeing that big smile on her face made my day.... It reminded me of when I used to take my daughter fishing at that age.”