THERE is no denying it. By Bermuda standards summer has started and a quick glance at our northern and western neighbours shows that their respective holiday schedules have also heralded the outdoor season. Despite a bit of cooler than usual breezes, summer is now upon us and there can be no more excuses for leaving the boat on the moorings. There are fish out there just waiting to be caught.The wahoo action continues albeit without the superlatives of just over a week ago. While some good catches have been reported, the areas of concentration seem to be dotted around the Island giving the impression that the spring run is following its usual pattern of having the fish schools move rapidly, covering a great deal of bottom before dispersing and going into summertime mode.

Still, some effort should see a good chance of managing four or more wahoo with the average size being reasonable. This, in advance of the onset of the summertime “lizards” that have trouble weighing-in in the ‘teens.

The bottom line is that there are some wahoo around, even quite good numbers in places. The places themselves are a bit unpredictable but the fish will please if you are lucky enough to troll over them. Let the water warm up a few more degrees and they will start to loose interest and it will be time for the angler to make the adjustment and move on into more productive techniques.

A quick reflection and interpretation of some of the conversations to come out of the huge wahoo haul reported last week is needed. It looks like Captain Craigin Curtis does hold the honours for most wahoo taken in Bermuda in a single day. Depending on who’s counting he has bettered the old Sea Wolfe’s record by at least one fish. Given that records are made to be broken, this is a great result. The only other observation that should be left in the annals of angling lore is the fact that the Sea Wolfe’s>haul apparently was made on a half-day trip. Without putting too fine a point on it, most of us are probably relieved that we weren’t the angler or mate during such a flurry of activity. That many fish means more strikes, more rigged baits, more gaffing and re-rigging than most of us do in a week much less an afternoon! It is against such a mixed report that this weekend should see a flotilla go in search of competition suited to the annual Bacardi Rum tournament. This is a bit of a tough call this year. If memory serves, the species of choice was yellowfin tuna. This tournament was often held in early June when the chumming is supposed to be building up to peak activity. Many years have seen massive hauls of yellowfin taken on a wide variety of line classes with the commercial boats making a very significant showing.

This year the event is fractionally earlier than usual — not that that should matter — but the offshore scene is a bit out of kilter as well. The emphasis has been on wahoo with some notable catches having already been made. Some nice yellowfin have been taken by trollers but the sort of numbers and size that is preferred by the chummers haven’t put in a major appearance yet. This could change any day and considering that a number of boats will opt for this type of fishing it should give the rest of us a pretty good picture of just what is happening offshore.

Small game should be on the increase and there should be plenty of opportunities for fun on the right gear with rainbow runners, jacks, mackerel and even the odd dolphin that might put in an appearance. Blackfin tuna are also a great game fish but one seldom sought after by modern anglers.

Most skippers tend to try to get a chumming lie into deeper water where the exposure to Allisons should be better. There’s nothing wrong with staying a mite on the shallow side. With a good tide, the chum will carry out into the deep, luring in any yellowfin in the area. It is while it’s drifting out toward the deep that the chum gets its greatest exposure to blackfin. It is possible to lure a school of blackfin that will afford some great light tackle angling on conventional tackle. For even more fun try using a top-water plug on spinning gear or go for the ultimate thrill with a fly rod. While not the biggest fish in the sea, the blackfin is quite possibly the feistiest and always gives a good account of itself.

Nearer shore, grey snappers are starting to take up residence around bridges and docks. When the summer heat is at its utmost, they are invariably on the shady side of any structure but, during early days, such as now, they are more in cruise mode and are staking out their territories. Try chumming an area on a regular basis for the next couple of weeks before trying to outwit what might be the smartest fish in local waters. A contents of a tin of cheap catfood thrown overboard in a snapper-likely spot over a period of a week or so can get surprising results.

Off the sandy beaches, palometa (pompano) are showing up in better numbers and the fish are tending to be a bit larger than their winter counterparts. Bonefish are also common although no one seems to be looking for them. Grassy flats like Somerset Long Bay are good hunting grounds but even the sandy bottom off most South Shore beaches harbours some nice-sized bones. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.

The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Offshore Championship Tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico started this week with two teams representing Bermuda interests. The object is to release as many billfish as possible with the striped marlin being the most numerous fish in that area. With 63 teams from 30 countries, this is a highly competitive event. The fishing was reasonably good on the first day with a total of 92 billfish being released. This compares with over 100 releases in the 2005 event. The team taking the early lead was a Mexican team with eight releases the first day. This was two fish ahead of the second place team from California, USA with a New Zealand team in third. Being early days, the two Bermuda teams are still in with a good chance, lying as they are in sixth and 13th place with four and two releases respectively.

Like it or not it is fishing season. The big battle wagons of the foreign fleet will be arriving any day now and start to look for the big blues that are expected during early June. If you insist on trolling lighter gear over the Churn and other deep water you could be in for some very Tight lines!!!