Now is the time to be out there. The weather has been conducive enough and the fish active enough to justify most runs out onto the briny deep. While the charter and commercial fleets have been making the most of it, being unprepared has kept most of the weekend warriors missing out on the action and it does not look like things are going to get too much better too quickly.

The weekend weather ahead looks to be likely to put a damper on any plans and the following one is that one weekend every year that the boat is spoken for by those who usually have no intention of venturing anywhere off terra firma.

Unfortunate, that; with catches of wahoo, tuna and the occasional dolphinfish (mahi mahi) fairly consistent offshore with trolling continuing to be the main producer. The bottom fishing has gone a bit flat, particularly as the seasonal limits on red hinds and the exclusion from the hind grounds (seasonally protected areas) have all come into force. Chumming effort is in its infancy at the moment but all that is about to change, if history is to be believed.

Although keeping low profile, there is no doubt that with all the bait and other activity around the Edge and banks, there are blue marlin and other billfish cruising the depths. Encounters so far have been minimal as practice has most fishermen avoiding those areas most likely to elicit attention from these species. Old habits die hard, and it was once normal practice to take up lines while traversing the deep water between the Edge and Challenger Banks and ditto for the trip from Challenger to Argus. Still that did not prevent the occasional run-in and one is well overdue now.

Looking beyond the forthcoming holiday weekend, competitive things shift back into gear with the 5th Annual Blue Waters Angling Club Open Tournament. This event is actually the modern re-creation of the old Bacardi Tournament, once the most popular angling event on the Island.

In keeping with the original format, there are no limits on the tackle used with just three categories of fish recognised: Wahoo, Tuna (several species) and “Other” game fish. The real separation comes from the fact that there are three boat categories: essentially small and large amateur boats and then a class for professional boats. The rules and entry forms are being passed around on social media although C-Mart on North Shore and Blue Waters Club headquarters will also have the necessary.

This can be a most interesting tournament as the time of year will have seen most boats moving from trolling to concentrating on chumming. There is a lot of sense to this but, as always in fishing, nothing is 100 per cent reliable. By June, the water has warmed up sufficiently to have had the wahoo run peter out with the fish spreading out over the local area. Trolling was predominantly intended to take advantage of the spring wahoo run and while other migratory species would get in on the action, wahoo were the target.

With warmer water, catching numbers of wahoo become more difficult and the vast majority of the fish are typical summer schoolies. There are, of course, exceptions as even the billfishing boats of next month occasionally catch a hefty wahoo specimen. But anglers looking for the overall biggest fish will probably revert to chumming.

Chumming is primarily aimed at large yellowfin tuna. Again, there are caveats, while this is most effective at this time of the year, it is most attractive to schooling fish. These range from baitfish like robins, through mackerel, rainbow runners and blackfin tuna on up to the yellowfin. It is that latter species that, realistically, is going to provide the largest specimens likely to be encountered in the slick. Bluefins are a very remote possibility, and the real dreamers will have a big-eye cruising through, but Bermuda summertime chumming is summarised by the smaller blackfin and larger yellowfin, once called-Allison, tunas.

What’s the catch, so to speak? Well, the largest yellowfin caught in this part of the ocean are caught trolling. The real big fish, over a hundred pounds, seem to prefer moving targets, again occasionally surprising boats trolling for marlin. Oh, some big yellowfins have come out of chum lines but not as many as some would have you think.

And that brings us to the “Other” category. With billfish and sharks excluded, the most likely game fish to be encountered in the large range would be amberjack and, maybe, bonita with the former running considerably larger than the other. Chumming is the “go to” here and these are the species that often hang out at the very bottom of the slick just above the reef bottom. Live baits are the order of the day here but that means having to catch them first, which puts the angler back into basic chumming. Lots of possibilities for success in this tournament and it would be nice to see more people taking part in it. It is open to all residents, has very few gear restrictions and has great prizes spread over the various categories.

With a short week ahead, most will be busy preparing coolers, umbrellas and the sound system for a great day of summer fun. One should hope that the weather is not too perfect because how do you really enjoy the picnic and friends while dreaming of sunny, calm seas and Tight Lines!!!