Freeport Hudson Anglers 48th Annual Shark Tournament succeeds

The boats headed out to Jones Bay and came back with winners

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But at 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 19, as sunrise approached and the clouds over Guy Lombardo Marina lightened, the Freeport Hudson Anglers 48th annual Shark Tournament stood in doubt.

“Clouds don’t really bother us, and neither does rain,” FHA President Dave Gross said. “Our main concerns are the offshore winds because they create rough seas.” A Coast Guard advisory had been issued. Winds of 20 knots or greater would cancel the event.

But the wind speed was only 15 knots that morning, so the tournament was on. By 6 a.m., 26 small vessels headed out past the green-gray waves of Jones Inlet.

Throughout a sweltering day, anglers baited their circular hooks and dropped sinkers to reach the sharks at depth. A few boats motored as far as 80 miles into the Atlantic to find bigger specimens. Fishermen hardly noticed the heat or the rolling motion of the deck under their feet as they maneuvered their rods against the strength of thrashing creatures that might weigh several hundred pounds.

“Typical sharks of Jones Inlet are threshers, blue sharks and makos,” Gross said. “The size range is impressive. Someone caught a thresher a couple of years ago that weighed in at 540 pounds.”

The afternoon shadows were lengthening as the first boat passed the check-in point near Meadowbrook Bridge. The catch of sharks aboard any boat that radioed the checkpoint after 6 p.m. would be disqualified.

The returning boats flocked into Guy Lombardo Marina, the crews unloaded their catches and cheers went up as the winners were announced. The crew of Our Passion, captained by Jacob D’Ottavio, took first place with a 345-pound thresher. D’Ottavio reeled in the winning fish and his crew took home a total of $42,065 in prize money.

Second place went to the crew of No Time, captained by Nick Sevene. John Farren was the angler who manned the reel, landing a 233.4-pound thresher, and the crew’s prize money totaled $5,771.

Nor far behind for third place was the crew of the Black Pearl, captained by Bryan Wetherall. Angler Frank Sollecito reeled in the 201.4-pound thresher, and the crew’s total was $503.

Among the prizes, 6 percent of the money from entry fees went to the tagging contest. If an immature shark is caught, it won’t qualify as a catch, but if contestants are willing to tag it before releasing it back into the ocean, then marine biologists can study the tags and track shark migration. Returned tabs are placed in a hopper for a drawing. Three tags were returned by the crew of the boat Cannon Ball 2, earning roughly $200.

Two members of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Katie Viducic and Kate Zewinski, also attended the event, collecting measurements and samples for scientific purposes.

None of the sharks turned in by contest winners went to waste. For all 48 years that the tournament has been held, the shark meat has gone to local charities to be grilled, fried or used in delicious soups.

“The Freeport Hudson Anglers would like to thank all of our participants and sponsors for another great year at the Town of Hempstead’s Guy Lombardo Marina,” said a post-contest news release. “We look forward to seeing you in 2022 for the 49th Annual Freeport-Hudson Anglers Shark Tournament and Fifth Annual Fluke Frenzy.”