FACE it, the summer season kicks off next weekend with the first of the season's tournaments slated for next Sunday. The odd cold front really should be a thing of the past now and it is time to start planning some weekends afloat. All too often some really exciting early season fishing is missed out on by the amateur simply because the boat isn't ready or because of a lack of organisation.

Get on with it - there appears to be a little bit of time before things should go really wild! The wahoo have been exceedingly spotty; but having said that, there have been some really nice catches as well. A lot of the action has been on Bermuda's edge, notably along the South Shore. The Banks have been a little less reliable although conventional wisdom would suggest that things should be starting to happen out there, wahoo-wise.

Catches have been highly variable but there is a suggestion that the run is occurring. The strikes often come as multiples, with doubles not at all uncommon. Many of the fish are quite sizeable, in the 40-pound range with some going considerably larger.

There are yellowfin on the Banks and some pretty persistent reports that there are some on Sally Tucker's as well. A lot of the chumming effort seems to be going to waste and yet the fish aren't too inclined to take a troll. One or two boats have had some yellowfin success and it is really only a matter of time before things should cut loose.

The fact that there is a full moon this weekend will not have been lost on those who have a passion for billfish. There is every likelihood that a blue, probably in the 400-pound bracket, will be brought to boatside very shortly. The water is warm enough, although not optimal, for blues and they have already been raised this month. So, a bright moon and maybe just a little extra effort in the deepwater and something should happen.

Although white marlin usually precede the blues, this species has a tendency to run with wahoo and so often the best strategy is to work the drop-offs for wahoo carrying at least one really bright rig. Hot pink lures or skirts, with or without a bait, often get a white's attention. Hot pink and blue combinations are also effective and, rest assured that if a blue comes along, he won't ignore those offerings either!

Dolphin generally like warmer water as well but there have been a few around. With the warming trend certain to continue, things can only improve on this front. Again the best strategy for these is similar to that for white marlin: go wahoo fishing and carry at least one bright rig of suitable size. Dolphin like greens and yellows - maybe they tend toward cannibalism?

Inshore, the jacks are well and truly back in the harbours and bays, tormenting any aggregation of bait. Trolling small spoons or 'minnow"-type lures often gets results. Don't expect giants - the average fish is just a couple of pounds - but every so often a bonita or amber may just lash on. Going to larger lures, such as Rapalas, is only to invite undesirables like snakefish to grab hold! Still, for those limited to small boats or those wishing to try out ultralight spinning or fly tackle, these fish can offer a lot of fun.

By all accounts the Key West Invitational Light Tackle Tournament was a great success with fine weather and plenty of fish. Unfortunately, the defending champions, Bobby Rego and Danny Fox were unable to repeat and ended up settling for seventh place. This was better than two other Bermuda teams, M&M and Bermuda Chubs who placed eighth and ninth, respectively.

The overall winners, the Islanders (Ralph Eickelback and Colin Rose), from the Bahamas, amassed a total of 46,058 points. This total was well clear of the Bermuda Onions (Keith Winter and Andy Down) who managed 39,670 points. Cindy and Peter Mitchell (Sans Enfant) came fourth.

The actual angling consisted mostly of running out to the shrimp boats some 40 miles off Key West and working that area for little tunny (mackerel) and blackfin tuna. The fish were thick and of good size with the blackfin ranging up to about 30 pounds and the little tunny often going better than 15 pounds. Given that the tackle used was 6-lb and 8-lb test, the action had to be heated and a number of fish were broken off.

The release format of this event also meant that once the limit of tuna and little tunny had been caught, then it was time to head inshore to concentrate on permit or tarpon for more points.

In notable individual performances, Andy Down was High Rod on fly tackle for three days. Peter Mitchell caught the only sailfish of the tournament and Cindy Mitchell managed to catch two tarpon in under an hour which gave her team a boost. There were also two potential world records, a 31-pound blackfin taken on 6-lb fly tippet by Glenda Kelly and an 8lb 8oz gag grouper taken on 6-lb line by Mark Mitchell.

Anglers who are computer literate and who like to surf the web and do other cyber things will welcome a new discussion board/message board/chat room on http://www.eboards4all.com/147165/. This is a private address and, as such, it is necessary to sign up and obtain a password. It is titled Bermuda Fishing and is billed as a free site where anyone can post anything about the local fishing scene. Although it is too early to tell how much of a response this is going to generate, it is a good idea and might just be another vehicle whereby Bermuda fishing can be publicised.

A reminder to all the weekend anglers: the Protected Species Order (hind grounds) comes into effect on May 1 (this Wednesday). This means that select bits of bottom like the Southwest Edge and back off of Northeast Pointers will be off limits for chumming and bottom fishing until September. A bit of a shame, especially considering that Jackie Sheen and his Sharpshooter hit a mother lode of barbers down to the southwest last week, filling up a cooler in no time - that's Tight lines!!!