MARLIN, marlin, marlin!IS there any angler talking about anything else?

Well, it could very well be money, money, money!

This is July and there is a full slate of billfish tournaments that will be fished here with a rather considerable amount of cash at stake. Certainly rather a lot by our standards and enough to attract plenty of overseas participation at least until the big, big money tournaments and the fear of hurricanes send the visiting fleet back to the mainland.

The first of the major July tournaments was the Bermuda Blast that was fished on Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week. Despite some rather grouchy weather in advance of the event, there were still 40 boats registered to take part and this meant that there was quite a bit of cash up for grabs.

The first day saw a flurry of activity with 21 billfish being caught and released. Seven of these were white marlin which score 200 points as opposed to a blue release that scores 500 points.

Day one saw three boats tied for the early lead with two blue marlin releases apiece. The visiting boat Front Runner found itself in a bit of a weird position with two white marlin releases (400 points) that still had them not only behind the leaders but also behind the eight boats that were able to release one blue on the first day.

The second day was fished in concert with the Blue Marlin World Cup. Again, the bite was good with the Blast’s emphasis on release. The surprisingly large numbers of whites continued to make their presence felt with eight more being released along with 13 blues.

The two first day releases and the boated fish (scoring one point per pound) left Grander <$>in the overall lead (1568 points), thus securing a first place finish. Que Mas>had three blue marlin releases (1500 points), enough for second place and Queen of Heart$>slipped into third with one release and a very valuable boated fish.

Overall, a highly successful event with the 40-strong fleet posting a total haul of 16 white marlin and 28 blue marlin, all but two of which were released. Surely an indication of great happenings and the stuff that legends are made of! The Blue Marlin World Cup took place with over 140 boats fishing in 18 different locations worldwide on Wednesday July 4th. Bermuda has figured enough in the running in recent years to justify a significant portion of the entries to elect to fish here.

Early reported catches included a fish in Madeira and another in Angola. It was only the latter that made the qualifying weigh, coming in at 513 pounds. Then it was time to cross the Atlantic to Bermuda where over 30% of the boats entered worldwide were to fish. Fortunately for all concerned the weather had moderated somewhat and the bite remained as hot as it had been the last few days. It wasn’t the lack of fish that was of concern but the 500-pound minimum that meant that not only did a participant have to catch a fish, but they would have to catch a big one. Hot boat Grand<$>came to the wicket with a fish in the morning that would qualify when it was weighed in at 568 pounds.

The action livened up late in the day when Capt. Peter Olander’s Queen of Hea<$>hooked up just before four o’clock. Half an hour or so saw the fish boated and on its way back to the weigh station where it tipped the scales at 728 pounds. A good fish that both qualified and was then the lead contender with Pacific hotspots Tahiti and Hawaii yet to fish. This made for a long night but one that was well worth it when angler Lovince Cann and his crew got the word that the competition had not managed to come up with a better fish and that, for the fifth time (and four out of the last five years), Bermuda had provided the winner of the Blue Marlin World Cup. Congratulations to the Queen of Hes <$>and crew for keeping Bermuda well and truly on the big-game fishing map!

This weekend the action continues when the Bermuda Triangle Tournament gets underway. Slated for fishing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, this event also concentrates on releases using observers to confirm catches. Expect continued good action as a further build up to next week’s 7th Annual Bermuda Big Game Classic (11-15th July). Watch this space.

Those of us either lacking the interest or the means to pursue such leviathans will be pleased to know that there are still some wahoo around that will reward trollers who ply their trade along the drop-off. Numbers are nowhere as good as they were a few weeks ago but the pickings are somewhat better than most would expect this late into the summer.

People often do not realise just how short the fishing season can be. It gets underway in May, is in full swing by June, concentrates on billfish in July, eases off in August and comes to a crescendo finish in early September.

Chumming on the Banks is still not as productive of yellowfin tuna as many would like. There is no shortage of small game in the form of rainbow runners, mackerel and jacks. So far, at least, the barracuda have kept a low profile as have the tiger sharks but we can expect them to assert their authority any time now. Certainly by August, they will be all over the Banks doing their job of keeping the robins away and hacking up any hooked mackerel.

One thing worth considering is that a little directed effort will pay off with some nice blackfins. Once a mainstay of the local sport fishery, the blackfin tuna is now often ignored. This is a shame because, on suitable tackle, preferably in the 8 - 20 lb test range, the blackfin puts up a great performance.

The quirky bit is that so often the season revolves around school-sized Allisons (20-30 pound range) yet the blackfin are not sought after. Although the average blackfin is probably in the 15-25 pound bracket, these fish are capable of a more spirited performance than their yellowfin cousins. Plenty of potentially great action for light tackle enthusiasts. That’s the subtle difference between anglers and fishermen. The latter need something to show for their efforts while the former are quite happy to spend their offshore days on the end of some exciting Tight lines!!!