Anglers line the Peconic waterfront in annual snapper derby
The 27th annual snapper tournament returned to the Peconic Riverfront Saturday, Sept. 13. Run by Riverhead Town Parks and Recreation, local merchants donated items for raffles and prizes. The tournament benefits the recreational scholarship fund.
The Montauk Surfcasters Association, the main sponsor of the contest for the last seven years, had rods and bait for kids to use and members were on hand to assist the anglers with baiting their rods and tying on lures.
Photos by Jeremy Garretson
The top angler of the youth division, made up of kids 15 and under, won a rod and reel donated by West Marine. Xavier Viera, age 10, took top honors followed by Miller Sumwalt, 11, and Julia D’Alsace, 6.
The top adult angler, Valerie Barr, won a rod and reel donated by Dynamic Automotive. Willy Walker and Jeff Sumwalt, won second and third place rods and reels donated by the Montauk Surfcasters Association.
Flanders Men’s Club provided the event with hot dogs and soda, and J&H Transfer, Riverhead Beverage, Long Ireland Brewery and Sandy Pond Golf Course made other donations to the tournament.
The contest is intended to inspire a lifelong love of fishing and the outdoors. Snappers are an abundant species that put up a good fight, and the date of the snapper tournament coincides with a large number of fish in the river, ensuring plenty of bites.
“And for any kid who’s never done it, especially a lot of these kids haven’t, and they get a fish on, their first time going, their adrenaline’s going, [and] they’re happy,” said Brian Connor, president of the MSA in a previous interview. “We usually see these kids coming back year after year. You know, it’s a great thing. We need kids to be outside more instead of inside on screens.”
