The Galilee Fishing Tournament of Hope and Seafood Festival was a big success this weekend. The top striped bass landed in the boat division by Fred Lewie of Bolton, Conn., weighted in at a whopping 44.85 pounds. This topped last year’s big fish by about 7.5 pounds.

Adult anglers competed in boat and shore divisions for the striped bass, summer flounder (fluke) and bluefish. In addition to these species, the Junior Division anglers fished for black sea bass and scup. Steve Anderson took first place in the adult fluke division with a 4.55-pound fish and Kathy Hardy of Warwick took the Junior Boat division with a 3.6-pound fluke. See complete listing of winners below.

The Seafood Festival was also a huge hit, with more than 65 venders (last year about 22 exhibitors participated). Director Janet Coit of the Department of Environmental Management, co-sponsors of the event, said, “It was very exciting walking the exhibits, children got to walk through a fishing net that was on display, tour a fishing boat, fish on the dock and much more. Our staff did a great job working the event.”

Steve Medeiros, president of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA), said, “Traffic both Saturday and Sunday were excellent. We estimate that several thousand people attended.” Medeiros continued, “We had bad sea conditions Saturday. Many anglers said they had to deal with five- to six-foot seas coming into the Port of Galilee, but overall it was a very good event.”

Tournament proceeds will go to the Narragansett Parks & Recreation Financial Aid Program, the Point Judith Fisherman’s Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Foundation. RISAA took a leading role organizing the tournament and Seafood Festival. Photos of tournament winners can be seen at www.galileetourney.com.

Tournament winners

Black sea bass (Juniors only) Junior Boat Division winners were 1st place Kathryn Hardy (3.25 lbs.), 2nd Nathaniel Ambrad and 3rd Jillian LeBlanc.

Bluefish Junior Boat Division winner was 1st Nathaniel Ambrad. Junior Shore Division winners were 1st Sophia Garzoli (.39 lbs.), 2nd Alex Greenberg and 3rd Michael Cohen. Adult Boat Division winners were 1st place Glen Corsetti (11.90 lbs.), 2nd Donald Smith and 3rd Peter Vican. Bluefish Adult Shore Division 1st place winner was Thomas McGuire (5.25 lbs), 2nd Rick Boyd and 3rd Rich Clarke.

Fluke Junior Boat Division winners 1st Kathryn Hardy (3.60 lbs.), 2nd Noah Roebuck. Adult Boat Division winners were 1st place Steve Anderson (4.55 lbs.), 2nd Travis Barao and 3rd Gilbert Barao. Fluke Shore Division 1st place Priscilla Bogdan (2.20 lbs.).

Scup (Juniors only) Junior Boat Division winners were 1st Nate Ambrad (2.05 lbs.), 2nd Joey Scrofani, 3rd Robinson Hoopes. Junior Shore Division 1st place Alex Greenberg (.90 lbs.), 2nd Sophia Garzoli.

Striped bass Adult Boat Division winners were 1st place Fred Lewie (44.85 lbs), 2nd Corey Smith (36.70 lbs.) and 3rd Rich Carroll (35.80 lbs.). Adult Shore Division 1st place Kevin Brignole (17.80 lbs.), 2nd Rick Boyd and 3rd Rich Clarke.

Newport International Boat Show

So you want to buy a boat. You are in luck. It is the perfect time of year as sellers of both new and used boats are anxious to sell. And, this is the perfect week to look at a lot of boats, all at one time, at the 43rd Annual Newport International Boat Show from Thursday, Sept. 12 through Sunday, Sept. 15. The show features boats of all types from 15 to 85 feet and it takes place on the Newport waterfront along American’s Cup Avenue. Show hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.newportboatshow.com for details.

Where’s the bite

Striped bass fishing continued to be slow from shore and boats. Mike Gill of Quaker Lane Outfitters, North Kingstown, said, “Shore anglers are tossing eels and all types of artificial baits with very few bumps.” I fished the Pine Hill Prudence Island area Saturday and managed to catch three small school bass. Mike Wake of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, “Bass are being picked up with both small and large baits along Watch Hill reef, but shore anglers are having a very tough time landing fish.” Sam Busenbark of Bucko’s Tackle & Bait, Fall River, Mass., said, “The striped bass have just not arrived yet in our bays.”

Summer flounder (fluke) bite is still good at Block Island and fair in other places, said Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters. Angler John Graydon of Warwick and his party managed to land some nice keeper fluke fishing around Block Island Saturday. “Fluke seem to have moved to deeper water in the 50-foot range,” said Mike Gill of Quaker Lane. Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said, “Our full day boat had the best week of the entire season ... with a tremendous amount of anglers limiting out … our biggest fish of the week was taken by … Connie Tu of Warwick, R.I., who boated a 10.8-pound fluke.”

Weakfish and Northern Kingfish continue to make their presence known in our waters. Sam Busenbark of Bucko’s Tackle said, “Customers have been hitting some good sized Kingfish and in good numbers near the battleship on the river in Fall River. Kevin Pellegrino caught a 24-inch weakfish Saturday while anchored at Hog Island scup fishing with a jig tipped with squid. Kevin said, ‘It was a beautiful fish.’”

Scup has been good all summer, however, this week it slowed a bit with anglers still catching large fish but in fewer numbers. Roger Simpson of the Frances Fleet said porgy (scup) fishing was only fair this week.

Tautog fishing is still slow, however, Sam Busenbark of Bucko’s Tackle said, “Anglers are landing keeper tautog in the 16-inch to 18-inch range in good number from the Sakonnet River to off Brenton Reef, Newport.”

Black sea bass fishing has been good, however a lot of shorts are being caught. Angler Rick Sustello fished the Clay Head Block Island area Saturday and said, “We worked … our way south [of the red can] in about 35 to 70 feet of water … We continued repeating the drift … As the wind speed picked up, so did the action … We caught countess shorts and two short fluke but limited out on black sea.”

Offshore fishing was slow this week. The Frances Fleet reported catching a mix of yellow fine tuna and albacore, a Wahoo and a few Mahi.

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license, a charter fishing license, and is a member of the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council. Your fishing photos in JPEG form, stories, comments and questions are welcome… there’s more than one way to catch a fish. Visit Captain Dave’s No Fluke website at www.noflukefishing.com; his blog at www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com, or e-mail him at dmontifish@verizon.net.