On Sunday morning, the mood at the Steamship Wharf in Oak Bluffs was as bright as the December holiday season or a birthday eve.

At first light on Sunday morning, young anglers lined the Steamship Authority wharf in Oak Bluffs, rods and reels in hand, to fish in the annual kids derby.

The annual Kids Derby Day is Sunday, Sept. 16 from 6 to 8 a.m.

On Sunday morning the Oak Bluffs ferry wharf was filled as young anglers took to the pier for the annual Kids Derby, where fish are measured by length and then returned to the sea.

On Sunday, Sept. 17, kids ages 4 to 14 have the opportunity to fish from the Oak Bluffs Ferry Wharf during the annual Kids Derby.

Fishing poles bobbed like reeds and voices were hushed early Sunday as children waited to claim their spots at the Oak Bluffs Steamship wharf for the annual kids derby day. Hannah Gibb, 13, was the overall winner with a 19.75-inch shark.

It’s time to get the future generations of Vineyard fishermen and women hooked on the derby.

Early Sunday morning, Hannah Gibb was the first to arrive at the Oak Bluffs ferry gate, ready to cast off the Steamship Authority wharf as part of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby’s annual kids’ day, which kicked off at 6 a.m.

This years kids’ derby is Sunday, Sept. 20, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Just a short window of time, before the ferries roll in and take over.

Children from all over the Island converged on the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority dock at first light Sunday for the annual Kids’ Derby. Nine-year-old Myles Sprague took home the top prize for a 17.25-inch bluefish he caught, the largest fish of the day.