No sooner is reference made to the normally calm August conditions than the winds start to blow. Any comments about tropical systems are to be strongly discouraged, for sure. No sense upsetting Mother Nature!

In any event, last week’s Blue Marlin Release Challenge was postponed due to the less than favourable weather. The purpose of the event is to encourage local anglers to fish for billfish in less exacting circumstances.

The entry fee is far more realistic for most local anglers than the big July tournaments, the rules, while adhering to international standards, are less demanding, and there is more emphasis on having a good time rather then the sometimes near cut-throat competition found in the big money competitions.

Late entrants or those whose travels or calendars precluded them from what would have been last week’s tournament can contact Wayne Correia at C-Mart or Trevor Gillis at Temperature Control for details.

There is no doubt that there are still numerous billfish on the offshore grounds with the more commonly encountered variety being blue marlin. For various reasons, most of these will be fish in the smaller size range, although there are undoubtedly some full-size versions cruising through.

While the preference will be for artificial lures, many natural baits will work and a 200lbs blue would not think twice about taking a rigged bait intended for a wahoo or tuna. Out there in the deep it is pretty much, anything goes.

If billfish don’t “float your boat”, apart from the numerous small game that will give any sort of light tackle a good workout, the tuna clan should also be at peak. Blackfin seem to inhabit most of the top of the Banks, but can also be caught along Bermuda’s Edge.

Even when chumming for small game, blackfin are likely to put in an appearance and give most gear a good going over.

Yellowfin tuna, which are usually most sought after by chummers on the Banks at this time of the year, are definitely out there as well, but careful attention may need to be paid to the type of day.

Certainly, if it is bright, hot and sunny, the fish will prefer the early morning or late afternoon. It is difficult to entice them into the surface waters during the heat of the day and the near floodlit conditions.

Anglers limited to working Bermuda’s Edge might want to try dragging some naturally rigged baits when working the areas back of North Rock, towards the East End and thereabouts. Some years, small schools of large yellowfin often run along that drop-off. Do not expect much in the way of numbers, but there should be some quality available. If this proves to be the case, there are probably also some hefty blue marlin lurking around.

Compared with last year, the wahoo fishing this year is not much short of excellent. Even at this late stage there seem to be enough around to justify trolling for them. It is also interesting that there seem to be at least two different age groups in the local area.

The main one of these is the one expected at this time of the year: smaller fish weighing in the ‘teens, often referred to as “lizards”. The other, eminently more desirable, are larger and presumably older fish, often weighing up into the 40lbs-plus range.

Numbers are also good, considering that it is high summer. Catches of half a dozen or more are being had fairly consistently by commercial boats, so it shouldn’t be too hard to score on this account.

It is definitely time to start perusing this newspaper to ensure that an entry form for the 50th Royal Gazette Wahoo Tournament is obtained in good time for submission. It would be a crying shame to miss out on this landmark event that has proven so popular over the years, dating back to when not only did locals take part but residents on the former military bases were also a part of the event.

The one thing that the event has always required is the submission of completed original forms clipped from the newspaper.

Photocopies and electronic versions have not been accepted and with the advertisements only appearing in some issues of the newspaper, one really has to be paying attention to ensure that an original can be obtained, completed and then handed in to Flybridge Tackle on Church Street by the 31st August deadline.

This is considered the last major tournament of the year, amazing how yet another season has whizzed by.

Sea conditions in early September are usually acceptable and there are those who will argue that September offers the best fishing that Bermuda has to offer.

There are also great prizes as detailed in the advert and they are awarded for the largest wahoo, the largest entries on each of four light tackle categories, high point junior and high point boat.

So, as long as the entry is in, there are lots of possibilities to latch on to some winning Tight Lines!