Under bright sun, the Bacardi weigh station added some colour and interest to the Dockyard area as hundreds of tourists off the cruise ships docked there paraded by the proceedings.

The largest fish in the tournament came off Capt Edward Barnes’s Class A boat, Hoodini, with Ronnie Stervinou catching a 65.4 pound wahoo, one of their four wahoo taken along Bermuda’s southwestern Edge.

Wahoo were by far the dominant species brought to the weigh-in with 15 of them in total. It was this species that provided High Point Angler Donna Barnes with the 86.3 points that gave her the win. She had caught five, three of which were eligible. Other notable wahoo were Greg Bluck’s 47.8 pounder and Paul Fox’s 44.4 pound fish.

Although there were a number of tuna brought to the weigh-in the majority were blackfin which simply did not cover the minimum weight requirement.

There was a single nice yellowfin caught by Jan Brewer that, at 48 pounds, won that category in Class B and contributed significantly to making that boat, Capt Richard Brewer’s Tangalooma, the Overall High Point Boat and winner of the Bacardi Rum Trophy.

As previously suggested, it was the “Other” category that proved elusive. Four barracuda were weighed in although there was just one big one that narrowly missed the eligible weight. As a result, this category went begging in all the boat classes.

What was a bit surprising was that the boat that finished up in second overall was a Class A boat, one of the smaller ones.

It was a near run thing with the Class B winner being mere tenths of a point ahead. Either way, this is a departure from previous years when the Class C professional boats always seemed to hold the edge. It all just goes to show that boat size is not everything and should provide some encouragement for small boaters into the future.

With the first of the larger competitive events completed, the fishing still seems a little odd for this time of the year. Good numbers of wahoo are still being had although these should ease up as the water continues to warm up.

Recently, one commercial boat managed to get as many as fifteen which varied in size from the ‘teens to the mid-thirties. There are larger fish out there but trolling does have that degree of randomness built in. Whatever chooses to bite, bites. Unlike chum fishing where, to some extent, one can pick an individual target. This technique is especially applied when light-tackle fishing of tuna, either as a record attempt or for club tournament points.

Numbers of yellowfin are being seen on the Banks and although there is no question that they are there, it is proving difficult to get them into feeding mode and susceptible to chum lines.

Live robins have been most successful although the schools of yellowfin should settle down and become more predictable. The strong tides that the easterly winds exacerbated over the last couple of weeks may have made it necessary for the tuna to remain on the move and preventing them from settling in any specific area.

The blackfin have been willing to please fairly consistently and offer great fun on the lighter gear, including spinning tackle.

Quite apart from using the latter as a static device, using a spinner as it was designed to present an artificial lure can also provide some excitement when a tuna or even a rainbow runner hits the proffered lure.

There are lots of small game out there, the usual selection of mackerel, rainbow runners and; just now, a bunch of jacks. Although there is some disagreement to the food quality of these species, there is no denying that they are game and they do offer some potential for records, as they do grow large here.

Bottom bouncers are bringing some nice red hinds in from the banks, along with the other bottom fish that don’t qualify as game fish but are sure valued for their culinary quality. So, plenty of options for all out on the briny.

Things go quiet for the next week or so before the invitation-only Bermuda Fly Fishing tournament takes place midweek followed by the ever-popular Bermuda Regiment Tournament which is slated for Sunday, June 28. The latter is open to the general public and forms will be available from Regiment HQ, at various tackle shops, marinas and clubs.

As the month tapers to an end, the emphasis shifts to billfish with the first of the marlin events, the fun-orientated Bermuda Billfish Release Cup taking place in advance of the Bermuda Blast (July 3-7) incorporating the worldwide Blue Marlin World Cup on Saturday, July 4.

Those wanting to move into the world of high stakes gaming can find all the details they need at www.bluemarlinworldcup.com on the internet. Indulging in this with any illusion of richness, requires some exceedingly Tight lines!!!