A dominant Bermuda — Azores high pressure system, the prevalence of huge, towering cumulus clouds against a bright blue sky, and moderate breezes from the west and southwest with the ever so occasional rain shower that seemingly comes out of nowhere and lasts for just a few minutes — does that describe high summer in Bermuda or what?

It certainly describes ideal conditions for billfish and you should be in no doubt that the billfish season is well and truly under way, and it won’t be long until the big money starts changing hands.

Certainly marlin have forced their way into the action as the number of encounters has risen steadily over the past week or so, with more local boats putting in the effort and now the arriving battlewagons are testing out the deep water to see what it holds for their future.

Even boats more interested in wahoo and the yellowfin tuna that have finally started to set up on the Banks have had run-ins with billfish.

This past weekend, after catching a nice big blue marlin estimated at 800lbs plus, captain Alan DeSilva’s Mako turned it loose and it swam away in fine condition. Captain Brooks Rans’s Mattanza had another big blue this week that they were forced to boat when they were unable to resuscitate it after about 20 minutes.

This fish tipped the scale at 724lbs, again displaying some of the quality of the blue marlin to be had in local waters.

Dragging smaller lures or baits over the deep water will get the attention of the white marlin that are also cruising in the local area. Although it is the blue marlin that gets most of the attention, this secondary species has been surprisingly numerous in several billfish tournaments during the past couple of years. An athletic, albeit lighter weight contender, it is capable of putting on a spectacular aerial display when the tackle is suitable.

While most of the limelight is focused on the big fish, and the big bucks, many anglers continue to work over the smaller species that are to be had on the Banks and Bermuda’s Edge. Tuna of both the blackfin and yellowfin variety are pleasing, as is a plethora of smaller game in the shape of mackerel, jacks and rainbow runners.

Staying closer to home also offers some opportunities for a bit of fresh fish and angling action. One of these which is well suited to someone who does not want to spend all day in the sun, or to venture too far, is the white water snapper. Once seen as a bit of a speciality fishery, more and more small boaters are taking advantage of the accessibility that the pursuit of this species offers.

There has always been some confusion over what fish this really is. Some people confuse them with what is the real silk snapper which, although superficially similar, actually differs quite markedly. Both species occur here with the whitewater, actually the lane snapper, the more common near shore species.

Most genuine silk snappers are caught in deeper water and might have given some credence to the name “red snapper” that was popular years ago. Further confusion arises from the glass-eye snappers which appear red as do the wenchman which is another snapper-like deep water fish. There is also a genuine red snapper but it does not really occur here, being limited to the continental shelf areas of the United States down to northern Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico.

While silk snappers tend to be caught somewhat deeper, the lane snapper also has a colour variety with more pink that makes it resemble a silk even more closely. The real giveaway sign is the dark spot that is located on the side of the lane snapper toward the tail. The law limits the taking of this fish to a maximum of 30 in any given 24-hour period. Although the average fish weighs somewhat under a pound, they do make for a nice fillet and their proclivity to taking baits means that once a school is located, it is easy to catch the legal bag limit.

Almost amazingly, the present world record for this normally diminutive fish is a whopping 8lbs, 3oz. For most anglers, anything more than a 1½lbs is bragging rights. Although not really a game fish, largely because of its size, like all snappers, the lane snapper will give a fair account of itself.

So, for many the formula might be a short trip late on an afternoon to what amounts to a few hundred yards from land; a bit of chum overboard and a few lines sent back to await the arrival of the tasty, co-operative fish that are capable of providing even the youngest anglers with some Tight Lines!