Wow! It's like instant summer.Gone is all the overcast and breeze. It is now the hot, humid and sunshiny summers that we refer to as Bermudaful days. Plenty of good reasons to either stay in the air conditioning or to head offshore in search of some sport.The fish are pleasing with all the summer species now present of the offshore grounds. Apart from the very seasonal blue and white marlins being present in fair numbers, there are lots of tuna of several varieties and even the rainbow runners seem to be everywhere. How can even the rankest amateur arrive back home without something to show for a day's effort?Last weekend saw a most successful fishing of the 58th annual Bermuda Regiment Tournament. The great weather conditions and fish that continue to please all contributed to making this a most enjoyable event for all the anglers that took part.One of the great things about this tournament is that there are awards for just about everything; whether the fish is caught on a handline or rod and reel, by species, by line test and in overall quantitiesThe overall winners suggest that rank does indeed have its privileges with the team of Lt. Col. W. White and Maj. Dill winning the High Point Team Average Weight and High Point Team. Lt. Col. White was also the Overall High Point Angler with 5397.96 points from his best weighable five fish.The line class winners were all based on the points per line test scheme and the winners were: on 8-lb test, the Lt. Col. came good again with a fish that scored 3,094.14 points; on 12-lb test WO2 J. Patterson had the winner which was a 50 pound yellowfin tuna that scored 1,736.11 points that also earned him the largest fish overall award, on 16-lb test; Stephen White had a fish that scored 976.56 points; Andre Nisbett won the 20-lb class category with 534.77 points and the 30-lb test class with a 49.5 pound yellowfin that not only took the line class but also the award for the largest yellowfin on 30-lb test. Anthony Hayward won the 50-lb test line class.Patterson's yellowfin tuna also earned him the awards for the High Point Fish by a Bermuda Regiment member and in the competition for the WO and Sgt's Mess members. Cpl. S. Nganga caught a 42.5 pound yellowfin that gave him the Corporal's and Below largest fish award.In the other species categories, the winners were: Sylvester Augustine whose 15.5 pound blackfin won Biggest Blackfin Tuna on 20-lb test line and Teka Ingraham who won the biggest blackfin on 30-lb test with a 23.5 pound fish. The largest wahoo on 30-lb test was a 40-pounder caught by Lt. Col. White.The Largest Fish caught by a Regimental Servicewoman was a 33 pound yellowfin tuna caught by LCpl. T. O'Connor.The prize for the smallest fish caught by a non-Mess member was a, not so small, 11 pound bonita caught on 16lb test by Hugh Murray. The award for the smallest fish caught by a mess member was won by WO2 A. Nesbitt.In the competition between the messes, it was the Sergeant's Mess that came out on top, defeating both the Officer's Mess and the Corporal's Mess to win both the trophies at stake.The largest shark was caught by D. Burgess; the High Point Fish caught by a Lady (points system) was Sophie White's 35 pound yellowfin caught on 12-lb test line while the Largest Fish caught by a Lady (open division) was Kim McCallan's 36.5 pound yellowfin tuna. The largest handline fish was caught by K. Nisbett.In the Junior category (under 16) the Boys' award went to Tremayne Bean with a 25.5 pound yellowfin on 16-lb test.The Serving Forces Member Trophy went to WO2 Patterson and C/Sgt. DeMelo on board Das Boat 1. The overall High Point Boat award was won by Capt. Kevin Winter's Playmate which amassed over 10,000 points. A great weekend and a fitting outcome for what is the Island's senior angling event.Things will go quiet now as the traditional angling pursuits give way to the big boys and the big blue marlin. Although there was a bit of an informal start to this aspect of the 2011 season with last weekend's Bermuda Billfish Release tournament, this did not deter the fish from making their presence known.Que Mas continuing her winning ways with a total of 1,200 points from two blue marlin and one white marlin release during the two-day event.These releases also won them the first daily release jackpot and the overall release jackpot. In second place was Margin Call with 500 points while Over Budget slipped into third place with two white marlin releases.Complete details of this event can be had on-line at: http://www.bermudareleasecup.com.That tournament was confined to the Dockyard area where the public missed some of the limelight but the sprouting of a forest of outriggers and towers at the Yacht Club has caught most people's attention in advance of the big fortnight that lies ahead.The Bermuda Blast gets off to a start on Sunday with Monday coinciding with the fishing of the 4th July Blue Marlin World Cup.Fished worldwide, as the name suggests Bermuda looks to improve on its already excellent record of six wins with three of those coming one year after another.It was last in 2009 that Bermuda took top spot but this is a location that cannot be easily dismissed even though there are a few other fabled fishing spots that will be contesting this event. The Blast then continues for two more days after which the Bermuda Big Game Classic will move on to centre stage.Although there have been quite a few marlin raised, hooked and released, it seems that it really hasn't hit the absolute peak that usually sees frenzied action. That may well lie just ahead as the dark moon starts to wax and the amount of effort increases markedly. Certainly with the amount of tuna and other bait out there, any billfish that happen this way are unlikely to leave such green pastures behind.Perhaps it is the slightly cooler than usual offshore water temperatures that have made the tropical species a little later in arriving and their numbers can only improve. In terms of quality, many of the blues caught and released have been better than 400 pounds and with the larger fish being females and with their spawning period thought to be in July, probably around the full moon; they can be expected to be carrying a fair bit of extra weight. That, and their usually fiery temper will undoubtedly lead some lucky anglers to some very Tight lines!!!