The halcyon days of summer are here and now. Time for sunscreen, picnics, beaches, and less traffic because the schools are out.

There will be blue skies, calm seas, big puffy clouds, rain showers that appear out of nowhere and the heat will keep people in air conditioning. For six months out of the year, people look forward to summer and it is now here.

Procrastinators had better take note. Sunday sees the summer solstice as the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, about 24 degrees north of the Equator.

That is as far as it goes before heading back southward, shortening the days in the northern hemisphere and eventually allowing winter to become dominant.

Of course, on the plus side, it gives us the season of summer until the shift in the heat and lighting patterns give way to autumn and beyond.

So, anyone putting off the summer boating and fishing until later should be warned; as has been said: time and the tides wait for no one. It is fishing season now and it won’t last for ever. Be guided accordingly.

The inclement weather earlier this week put a bit of a damper on proceedings as many boats decided to stay in and leave the sloppy seas to someone else.

As a result, there was little to report until moderating conditions saw a return to action.

With the long-range forecast looking at fine conditions starting this weekend, and a public holiday to boot, it is likely that the fishing effort will increase considerably.

Wahoo, normally the mainstay for spring fishing have taken a back seat to the species more associated with the summer’s warmer waters.

Yellowfin tuna remain very much in evidence although it may take a little while to find them if they have moved on from the areas that 
they frequented last week.

Once located, they provide near endless action for chummers and while they give a great performance on classes of tackle better suited to their present size range, most anglers are simply thrilled to catch one.

Trolling will still produce fish although it will start to be sporadic and as the reduction in wahoo activity does not always have other species compensating for it.

Sometimes dolphin or barracuda will take trolled baits and billfish are always a possibility, but these can be few and sometimes far between.

With today’s fuel prices, most anglers are content to drop the hook on the Edge or on the Banks and to chum where quite apart from the allisons, there is variety in the form of several species of jacks, rainbow runners, amberjack, bonita, barracuda and some of the best blackfin tuna action in the world.

Even wahoo will pay a visit to a chum line and while most anglers will be fishing monofilament leaders, there are ways to catch them as well.

While not a game fish by any matter of means, the sometimes-ubiquitous ocean robin can be the key to some spectacular sport fishing.

Live-baiting is always exciting and just about anything, just about everything, will take one. Fished deep, amberjack, rockfish and often, really unlikely species will all try to inhale a robin.

Dropping a line down to the bottom may not produce the excitement of big game species but hind, coney, porgy and barber will all make for tasty white fish fillets. Something a bit more traditional for the pot.

Over the next week or so, expect an influx of the foreign sport fishing boats.

While some are here for the month-long Bermuda Triple Crown, many of them come with a bigger prize in mind: the Blue Marlin World Cup event on July 4.

Fished worldwide on that day, each location has eight hours in which to produce a trophy marlin that will garner a huge cash prize. With a minimum eligible weight of 500 pounds, the fish will very definitely be a trophy fish.

The tournament, which has been fished since 1985, has seen winners come from ten different hotspots with both Bermuda and Kona, Hawaii figuring prominently.

The proximity to the United States East Coast makes Bermuda relatively easy to get to and its reputation for producing large blue marlin make it a go-to for a lot of high rollers seeking the ultimate prize, not to mention serious bragging rights.

The deadline for entry in this real big bucks event is July 2 at 6pm [EST] and as of today the only funds accepted will be via wire transfer or credit card.

The website with all the details and necessary contact numbers is www.bluemarlinworldcup.com.

As will come as no surprise this weekend should have seen the Royal Bermuda Regiment Tournament but that also seems to have become a victim of the pandemic and its associated cancellations.

There is no word on any rescheduling, but it will certainly resume in happier times.

For now, probably the best course of action is to take advantage of the season and to head out to wet a lien and indulge in some Tight Lines!!!