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Photos: What a day for snapper fishing

RACHEL YOUNG PHOTO | Nick Raynor, 14, of Riverhead has participated in the snapper tournament for the past several years.

The docks along the Peconic Riverfront were filled with fishing enthusiasts today for the Town of Riverhead Recreation Department’s 16th annual Snapper Tournament.

Recreation program coordinator Jim Janecek said about 130 people registered for the event, which focuses on getting children and adults interested in fishing and raising money for the recreation department’s scholarship fund.

Winners of the adult (over age 16) and youth divisions (under age 16) were chosen based on the size of the fish they caught and awarded a rod and reel. Trophies were awarded to the top-three finishers in each division.

Nick Raynor, 14, of Riverhead said he’s been fishing “all his life” and that this was the fifth or sixth year he’s participated in the tournament. On Saturday, he caught a snapper measuring 9 and 2/8 inches, putting him in third place for the youth division as of 1 p.m.

“The Snapper derby is a good program,” said Nick, who is a freshman at Bishop McGann-Mercy High School. “It’s fun. I come every year and I plan to keep coming every year.”

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