Snapper Derby 2025: Shelter Island’s Great Day of Fishing

On an Island obsessed with fishing, Shelter Island starts them young. 

The Lions Club 25th annual Snapper Derby was once again the most fun, down-to-earth and competitive sporting event of the summer, with highly coveted prizes for biggest snapper (a bluefish of less than a pound) the biggest bluefish, and most snappers caught and released. 

The fishing was slow this year. In spite of the adversity, a cohort of determined fishers brought in some of the best-looking and competitively-sized bluefish in memory from South Ferry, First Bridge, Second Bridge, and locations shrouded in mystery.

At Smith Cove in mid-morning, a tribe of snapper competitors blamed an early high tide that meant anglers who started after breakfast didn’t see much action until shortly before weigh-in at the end of the day. Hazel Parsons was fishing with her dad, Chris, who helpfully pointed out the violent action on her bobber as she chatted with a reporter.

Nearby, Henry Halem was reeling in a big one for an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers. Alas, it was a shoe.

At Second Bridge, Fenn Lennert, a trophy winner in previous years, fished with his brother Cassius. At midday, nothing was biting, but rumor had it that things turned around with the tide, and by weigh-in he had caught and released so many that he took home a fourth place trophy in that category.

Last year’s logo design winner, Jordan Merz, was the artist behind the saucy-eyed fish on the 2025 T-shirts worn by participants at the weigh-in, which began at 4 p.m. sharp.

The leaderboards were full of familiar fishing stars from the last few years, including Isabella Thilberg, Jackson Clark, Enzo Angelvy, Abigail Palmiotto, Dominick Palmiotto and Fenn Lennert.

Isabella Thilberg retained her title and her cool as Snapper Queen with a fourth year-in-a-row victory (‘22, ‘23, ‘24 and now ‘25) which she shared with a two-queen team of fishers, Imi Duncan Ryan and Louisa Clark. Last year, Isabella’s winning snapper was .990, just a tenth of a pound lighter than the cutoff. This year Isabella’s snapper was .995 of a pound, just like Imi and Louisa’s biggest little fish. 

In the Bluefish competition, brothers Gunnar and Aurik Stakey won first and second prize for the largest bluefish as their proud fishing family, Norma and Sawyer Clark, looked on.

Abigail Palmiotto dominated in the catch-and-release category. After taking fourth place in 2024, she reeled in 16 this year, winning the first-place trophy. She also scored a trophy for third place in the snapper competition.

The Lions Club Snapper Derby fundraising generated tens of thousands of dollars for scholarships, educational trips, and assisting Islanders in meeting essential needs, including utilities and medical expenses.

Here’s some more of the action: