Valuable Fishing Gear Stolen

Out-of-town teenagers were accused this week of stealing nearly $10,000 in fishing rods and reels from boats docked at Gone Fishing Marina on East Lake Drive in Montauk back in July.

East Hampton Town police detectives arrested Ryan Vincent Neil, 18, of Islip and Tyler Eric Mayoka, 17, of West Islip, Sgt. Daniel Roman said yesterday. They were each charged with three counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, on Dec. 17 at about 9:40 a.m. Two younger teens were charged as juveniles, Sergeant Roman said. 

Police said that on July 6, between 10:15 and 11 p.m., the young men, who had been in Montauk on a fishing trip, went to Gone Fishing Marina and took the high-end equipment from boats when no one was aboard. 

 According to the police report, Mr. Mayoka and Mr. Neil removed two Shimano Tiagra fishing rods, two Shimano 50-series fishing reels, two Lamiglas fishing rods, two Shimano fishing reels, one Penn spinning rod, and one custom graphite fishing rod from an 18-foot Wahoo center console and a 35-foot Cabo. The combined value was $3,775.

They allegedly also took $2,863 in items from a 22-foot Key West center console boat. They were a Penn warfare 30 series fishing reel, one Avet MXL fishing reel, one Avet SX fishing reel, one Tsunami shield 300 fishing reel, one Diawa Saltiga eight-foot fishing rod, one custom Lamiglas eight-foot fishing rod, one Tsunami seven-foot fishing rod, one custom Lamiglas seven-foot fishing rod, one Bass Pro Redfish 7-foot-6-inch fishing rod, and one Penn Conflict seven-foot fishing rod. 

They also went on a 32-inch Boston Whaler center console and took three Penn fishing rods outfitted with Penn conventional reels and one custom-made rod labeled “3M&R,” outfitted with a Shimano Static 10000 reel, worth $3,100.  

Detectives “recovered most of, if not all of the stolen equipment,” Sergeant Roman said. The defendants were released on their own recognizance. They will be in court after the new year.