Hoff Father-Son Duo Dominates Largest Clam Contest

While the Napeague clams were yet again crowned the biggest, competition was fierce at the East Hampton Town Trustees' annual Largest Clam Contest.

So fierce, in fact, that one of the 42 entries was disqualified for tampering. Trustee Stephanie Talmage-Forsberg would say only that the, "The clam was not alive and not in its natural state."

Controversy aside, there was plenty to be proud of, with heavy clams earning diggers bragging rights.

Edward Hoff Jr.'s 2.4-pound clam from Napeague Harbor was the overall largest clam. His 10-year-old son's clam wasn't far behind — Edward Hoff III, who also won last year, brought in a clam that weighed in at 2.36-pounds, taking the youth category for Napeague. It was also the largest of any of the youth clams.

In Three Mile Harbor, Urban Reininger's 1.91-pound clam won in the adult category, while Ethan Stillwachs's 1.84-pound clam was the largest in the youth section.

Denis Curles brought in a 1.85-pound clam that won the Accabonac Harbor category. Elizabeth Branche won the youth category for that harbor with a 1.23-pound find.

The Montauk Harbor clams were the smallest. Ryan Persan's .62-pound clam won the adult category, and his daughter Laila Persan's .45-pounder won the youth category.

There was also a clam chowder contest. Tina Schultz's entry was not only named the best red clam chowder, but the best clam chowder overall. Linda Calder's entry was named the best white clam chowder.