THERE'S some hot angling action that probably just isn't going to get much better, no matter what your target species is. The inshore fishing is good with plenty of grey snappers lurking around various structures in the company of other species that are eminently well suited to fillets.

Around the inshore bays, the bonefishing is excellent and there are plenty of pompano (palometa) willing to please off the South Shore beaches. Numbers of barracuda should suddenly appear over the grass flats on the west side where they can provide some good sport on light tackle and artificial lures.

Turning attention to the offshore scene, at the start of the week, the billfish action got off to a wild start with almost 50 boats signing up for the Bermuda Blast. This two day tournament combines a release event with participation in the July 4 Blue Marlin World Cup.

Day One saw a total catch of 15 blue marlin and five white marlin all of which were released. There were some unfortunate difficulties with securing time/date stamped release photos and this led to some disqualifications. While on the one hand this is a tough way out, there is now so much money in the pot that there is not slack to be had and every team had better act as a professional.

Moving on, day two saw the fleet having the option of boating one fish per boat, provided that the fish was over 500 pounds, thus being eligible for the Blue Marlin World Cup.

Return visitor boats Won Buy Land and Rum Bum both figured fairly prominently in the pay out and Brian Lines' Off Piste weighed in a 570-pound blue that earned them a share in the tournament's pay-out and also secured the local Blue Marlin World Cup Calcutta.

Although it took a while to get confirmation, the World Cup winning fish was caught in the eastern Atlantic. On hearing this rumour, most people immediately thought of Madeira or the Canary Islands, but, in fact, it was the Cape Verde Islands where angler Christopher Brand fished aboard the Happy Hooker and successfully boated an 850-pound blue to claim 2006 honours.

The Bermuda Regiment tournament was held on Sunday and, returning to the scene of its past successes this event saw a wide variety of prizes and lots of winners. A fine time was had by all the participants as calm seas and sunny skies made for a great day out.

The prize presentation is slated for Saturday, July 8, at Warwick Camp where the following prizes will be presented.

The High Point Boat award was won by Capt. Junior Bean's Nothing's Easy which amassed a total of 1192.4 points.

The largest fish caught on rod and reel was a nice 54-pound bonita caught by Quartermaster-Captain Warren Furbert. This capture also earned him the award for member of the Regiment and the line class award for 50-lb test.

The 30-lb test line class award was won by Walter Trott with a 29lb 8oz bonita.

The 8-lb test line class award was won by a 13lb 4oz bonita caught by Kurt Madeiros.

Quinton Butterfield won the 12-lb test line category with a 22lb 8oz bonita.

Johnny Robson won the 16-lb test line class with a 17lb 4oz barracuda.

The High Point Team based on average weight (250.97 points) was won by the Teasers which consisted of Quinton Butterfield, Calvin Bascombe, Chester Ray and Boozer Wilkinson.

The High Point Fish caught by a junior boy was a 19lb 6oz blackfin tuna caught by Jai-Onni Outerbridge.

In the species/line class awards, Gavin Lee had the largest blackfin tuna on 20-lb test with a 19lb 12oz specimen. The largest Blackfin tuna on 30-lb test was a 21 lb fish caught by Jay Pedro. The largest wahoo caught on 30-lb test was a 20-pounder caught by Tim Olden.

The largest shark weighed 111lb 12oz and was caught by Scott Henderson. This earned him an award for this species.

In a special category for Members of the WO and Sgts' mess, the winner was Regimental Sergeant Major Errol Mackenzie with a 25-pound wahoo. This fish also won the 20-lb test line class award.

The largest fish caught on a hand line was an 8lb turbot caught by Clayton Fleming.

In the more amusing categories, the smallest fish caught by a Mess-member was a 10-pound barracuda caught by Sergeant Jason Smith while the smallest capture by a non-Mess member was a respectable 21lb bonita caught by Marcus King.

Honours between the Officers', Corporals' Mess and Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess were firmly decided in favour of the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess when their team #2 (Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Errol Mackenzie and WO2 Erskine Brangman) racked up 128.25 points. This was also good enough to secure for that team the Best Services team award.

As is evidenced by the catches made in this popular tournament, the offshore fishing is showing a distinct lack of yellowfin tuna. The effect of this is that chummers have re-directed their efforts towards other species, notably Almaco jack (bonita) and blackfin tuna.

Although Bermuda continues to be home to some quality blackfin tuna, there has been a steady decline in the number of records held here. The weights themselves are also showing signs of increasing. For many years, the local marks hovered around 42 pounds.

Some larger fish were taken more recently, say in the last ten years, with the Florida Keys making a marked showing, eventually raising the all-tackle bar to 45lbs 8oz. Things took on a different complexion when American angler Matthew Pullen, caught a 49lb 6oz blackfin off Marathon Key. This fish has the potential to be recognised as the I.G.F.A. 30-lb test record and the new all-tackle record.

This weekend will see the offshore fleet again going in search of big blue marlin in the Bermuda Triangle event. This is almost exclusively a release competition, so it is unlikely that any fish will be brought to the weigh-in. Rather than relying on photographs to confirm releases, each boat will be carrying an observer who will be charged with confirming releases. Each evening will no doubt see both the crews and the observers swapping stories and recounting their tales.

And rest assured that the action doesn't stop there. The second leg of the Bermuda Triple Crown starts with the Sixth Annual Bermuda Big Game Classic on July 12. With plenty of foreign boats having arrived on site and the continued challenge thrown down by local craft, a record number of entrants are expected.

Almost coincidental with a full moon, the expected good weather conditions should see the deep water well worked all around the island. With that much effort and expertise, it is almost certain that some qualifying (minimum 500 pounds) fish will be brought to the weigh station at Barr's Bay where an appreciative crowd comes to take part in the hustle and bustle of an international big game fishing tournament.

Tight lines!!