The fish were biting for Riverhead’s 25th Annual Snapper Tournament Saturday: photos

Riverhead’s 25th Annual Snapper Tournament took place Saturday on the Peconic Riverfront.

Kids and adults of all ages participated, hoping to hook the biggest fish and take home a trophy and a new fishing rod and reel. Fifty-four youth and 23 adults registered for this year’s tournament, an event run by the Riverhead Recreation Department.

Snappers are young-of-the-year bluefish that are typically abundant in the river in the late summer months. They grow quickly because they are voracious eaters and will strike at any lure smaller than themselves — making them fun to catch and a great introduction to angling for youngsters. They head for warmer southern waters in autumn.

“It’s a fun day and a cool social fishing experience,” said David Huey of Riverhead, who was at the tournament with his two daughters, Sierra, age 8 and Laila, age 9.

The biggest catch of the day was hauled in by Lindsey Lange, age 7, who landed a 10-3/8″ snapper. Lindsey was the first-place winner in the youth division, followed by Graham Davey, age 9, who caught a 10″ fish and Zac Sawler, age 9, who brought in a 9-7/8″ snapper.

In the adult division, the winners were Don Visek, with a 10-3/8″ catch, Jeremy Eastwood, with a 9-7/8″ catch and Chris Pyzynski, who landed a 9-5/8″ snapper.

All six winners were presented with a trophy and a rod and reel combo donated by the Montauk Surfcasters Association.

The first 50 youth who registered received rods and reels donated by the Montauk Surfcasters Association. The first 65 registrants received snapper tournament t-shirts.

A Chinese auction for prizes donated by local businesses raised over $1,000 for the Riverhead Recreation Department Youth Scholarship Fund, which helps kids attend camps and programs.

The Recreation Department presented Flanders Men’s Club and Riverhead Beverage with plaques thanking them for providing hot dogs and drinks at all 25 snapper tournaments.