OUT of a clear blue sky ... well, actually after weeks of clear blue skies and truly summery conditions, the heavens opened and the winds picked up and the angling paused.

Despite the fact that we needed the rain for both tanks and gardens, it was disappointing to yet again have to postpone the Bacardi tournament although it will be rescheduled for later on. Also suffering from the downturn in weather conditions were the commercial and charter fleets.

The word "paused" is used advisedly as there will certainly be a return to the excellent light tackle action that has been the main attraction offshore lately. The yellowfin tuna are really pleasing chummers with many of the fish being of the larger school variety, running up to around 50 pounds rather than to the abundance of the fish. Numbers have been somewhat variable although this is more easily related to the state of the tide.

Given good conditions it should be possible to hook up at least a dozen times a day with the final tally being dependent on your prowess and the tackle involved. Of course, it would be irresponsible to dismiss Lady Luck, but with multiple opportunities available even the least lucky of us should be able to manage one or two nice Allisons.

There is also some really first class action to be had from blackfin tuna.

This species, which prefers warmer water, is really coming into its own at the moment and there are some trophy-sized blackfin on the offshore grounds.

Unlike the yellowfin that really prefers the Banks, the blackfin can be found just about anywhere on the Bermuda Platform, thus making it accessible by anglers who are limited to fishing Bermuda's Edge.

Blackfin will even come in over the deeper reef areas, offering some serious sporting challenges to those fishing anything deeper than about 20 fathoms.

The wahoo have gone into their summer mode and while they will continue to be taken on the troll, the angling emphasis shifts so much toward chumming that the troll effort is almost negligible. Expect some nice 'hoos to show up in chum slicks and frustrate anglers who can see them but will be unable to catch them.

One hint is to chum with tiny pieces of chum and to try to get the wahoo to "light" up. When the stripes are really prominent, the fish has moved into feeding mode and is likely to be a little less cautious. Beyond that, every angler has his own bag of tricks and, well, there you have it. Also willing to please is an almost endless supply of smaller game: rainbow runner, jacks, bonita and amberjack, to name a few. All of these are good game fish and some are also excellent table fare. All told, there is no reason why any fishing trip should come back empty-handed.

Talking of coming back empty-handed, there is one form of fishing that is almost solely geared to leaving fish in the sea and that is marlin fishing.

Truth to tell, the billfishing has been slow, for a variety of reasons including the weather. Increasing effort, coupled with the arrival of the foreign boats that specialise in this type of fishing and it will become readily apparent what sort of year this is going to be for the big game enthusiast.

One noteworthy catch was made by a boat hunting marlin and that was a yellowfin in the 120-pound bracket that ate a lure trolled by Capt. Peter Rans' Overproof. Sometimes we think that only marlin can be taken that way but all the blue water species can and do occur in the deep water surrounding the Island and even though you may be rigged for marlin, the resulting strike could be anything from a mako shark to a bigeye tuna.

All part of the excitement big game trolling; one thing is for sure, whatever eats one of those large plugs it doesn't see won't be small! Look for rapid improvement over the next couple of weeks as effort intensifies.

This week saw the commencement of the Bermuda Anglers Club 39th International Light Tackle Tournament (ILTT). As was the case last year and the year before, this is a qualifying event for the Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship 2005. This year's competition sees six teams disputing the trophy whilst fishing aboard local charter boats.

The early contender for high point fish was a nice 71.6-pound yellowfin taken by Crayton Greene on the first day. This took his team (Wayne Booth and Bill DuVal) into the lead with 6,411 points followed by Rum'N'Chum with 5,594 points with the third place team holding 4,309 points. The other teams are off the pace but plenty of changes are expected as the week progresses.

This tournament which has always been, as the name suggests, a light tackle tournament, sees the anglers fishing 12-pound test primarily for yellowfin tuna. In recent years there have been release points awarded by the use of light tackle means that a lot of points can be garnered from just a few weighable fish.

Blackfin tuna are also an important species for scoring points. In fact, in one memorable year about 25 years ago, a single angler caught enough blackfin tuna to go from a non-runner to runaway winner on the final day. All the other recognised game species are also eligible and given their abundance offshore, the event should prove most exciting.

The teams rotate boats daily, fishing four of five days during the week with a lay day at the midway point. The weigh-ins are held at Spanish Point Boat Club and start at around 4.30 pm each day. The weigh-in is open to the public and it can be fun to be there on the final day (this afternoon) as there have often been major upsets at the finish.

Actually, the ILTT boasts a rather long and interesting history. It had its roots in a challenge meet that was sponsored by the Trade Development Board, a forerunner of the Department of Tourism.

It involved the Bermuda Anglers Club which, incidentally, was the only angling club at the time, and the Bahamas Anglers Club. The latter team would come up to sample the local fishing during the mid-summer and there were provisions for a return match in the Bahamas during the Bermuda off-season.

For some years, this was the format. It was then expanded and it became an invitational event, attracting participation from some of the most famous clubs in the world at that time. One must remember that light tackle fishing in particular was still in its infancy and salt water angling was very much a pursuit of the rich and famous.

One has only to look at the ILTT trophy to see some of the great names that won the event over the years. The Miami Rod and Reel Club, for instance, had a quite illustrious history and figures prominently in American light tackle angling annals.

That organisation was a multiple winner of the ILTT. The event became truly international with teams from the United States, the Caribbean and Europe all figuring in it over time. The ILTT produced many records both local and on the world stage, many of which still stand, and it can be credited with bringing to the attention of the world, the island's potential for Tight lines!!!