The Macallan Wahoo Tournament held its prize presentation this week and it was really nice to see something of a rebirth of interest in light tackle. Once the backbone of angling in Bermuda and certainly what put the Island on the map in the 1950s and 1960s, it was lost in the 1980s and has been a lingering ailment in most angling clubs.

To start with: what is “light” tackle?

Basically, it was any class of tackle rated at 30lb test or less. Most line classes have their roots back in the Dacron line days, when the number of threads in the line defined its breaking strength. Really old accounts will refer to line strength by citing the number of threads rather than the breaking weight. As nylon line, especially monofilament, came into being this was revised to the now-used line-test classes, with the real gossamer lines such as 2, 4, 6 and 8lb test all eventually being recognised.

A cursory review will show that it was 12, 20 and 30lb line that comprised the recognised classes of light tackle. Apart from its imminent suitability for the type of fish it was likely to be exposed to, light tackle was indeed lighter in that the rods and reels and associated gear were not particularly heavy and was much less of a burden on the angler than the weighty, unwieldy, heavy gear being utilised for large tuna and marlin.

Think back to the early days of Bermuda fishing. Inshore, the bonefish was king with purists pursuing the species off the beaches. Later came an interest in some of the reef fish such as the Bermuda chub. A 12lb test line was certainly capable of bettering even the largest of those.

As the interests expanded offshore, it was quickly found that 20lb or 30lb test was easily a match for the yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna and wahoo that were the highlights of the chum line.

Most of the blackfin weighed less than 30lb, most yellowfin topped out at around 60-70lb and the 115lb wahoo caught by Leo Barboza in 1961 is still the world line-class record. So, it was suitable for Bermuda fishing, but what went wrong?

There were probably a lot of underlying reasons for abandoning this gear in favour of the heavier line classes.

For a start as the 1980s wound down and the 1990s beckoned, the prices of oil and other commodities soared. This greatly increased the cost of a day on the water for both the sportsman and the commercial fishermen.

Where, back in the glory days, one or two fish would suffice to cover costs now it was imperative that more fish be brought home or to the marketplace. Heavier gear meant higher-strike drags, which should result in better hookups when trolling and the much increased likelihood of catching fish when chumming. This led to the proliferation of the middle classes of tackle as 50lb test and 80lb test became far more common.

Also at this time came the realisation that blue marlin were far more common here than first thought. Each year a few small blues were caught but they were for the most part occasional captures — the result of leaving a line out when traversing the deep water between the Banks or Edge. It was often common practice to wind up lines when travelling between these destinations.

More time was being spent in the deep water with the middle-class tackle that was quickly proving to be inadequate for some of the blue marlin that made their presence known. Very rapidly the 130lb test rigs, the heaviest recognised class of tackle, became commonplace and that is how it stands today.

Also notable is the number of light-tackle tournaments that have gone by the board. Most tournaments now focus on the largest fish or something similar. It is only within the angling clubs that any notice is paid of the feats of the few light tackle anglers that remain.

Thus it was refreshing to see that the Overall High Point Angler of the Macallan tournament was Alan Richardson with 992.25 points accrued when he caught a 37.8lb wahoo on 12lb line test. It must be added that catching such a fish on light line remains no mean feat. This type of fishing calls for skill and patience, things that seem in short supply these days.

Most encouraging in the tournament was Junior winner Oscar Lima with a 36.7lb wahoo on 20lb test line. Other notable catches in the tournament included line-test winner Danny Fox with a 34.1lb wahoo on 20lb test and Zach Lewis, who caught a 23.9lb fish on 16lb test line. Cornell Bean had a fine 51.5lb fish on 30lb test to round things out.

Although a blustery weekend is predicted, light tackle works fine inshore as well as offshore and with the fish as co-operative as they are now, it is a great time to grab that light spinning rod and to try for some light Tight Lines