The weather through the week may not be doing too much to instil the thought of fishing in the heads of many but this should be ignored and attention paid to the calendar instead.

Thus far there have been a few wahoo caught here and there; some of the situations involved were occasions that make one suspect that maybe the spring run is in the process of organising itself. The one fly in the ointment would appear to be a distinct lack of bait offshore but that is not always obvious and there can be an influx in a very short time period. What is important to remember is that the so-called spring run is often short-lived with the fish covering a large amount of bottom in a very few days, often being found miles away the day after someone locates a concentration of fish.

It is not unheard of for the main body of fish to circumnavigate the island in a week or less. The take home message here is to be ready to take advantage of the run should it come to pass. To tarry or otherwise procrastinate is to miss out.

Despite the blustery weather that has disrupted anything approaching a concerted offshore effort, there are reports of school-sized tuna down on the Banks. This may be an indication that some bait has started to show up simply because tunas won’t stay if bait is not in abundance. Also remember that there are crustacean-like plankton that live at depth which are seasonally plentiful. Although these are not visible on the surface, all local tuna species, including mackerel, have been known to gorge themselves. Old-fashioned red and white lures or just plain red often get the fish’s attention.

Now to get the angler’s attention so that they can all plan their lives for the next few month’s here is the tournament schedule as produced by the Bermuda Game Fishing Association.

Most of the ever-popular tournaments are still more or less where they might be expected in the schedule: the Bacardi Tournament, Bermuda Regiment Tournament and The Royal Gazette Wahoo Tournament are also all pretty much as they have been in terms of entry and focus.

The month of July is pretty well given over to the big money competitions that take advantage of the seasonal arrival of big blue marlin. Although these tournaments tend to attract quite a few foreign sport fishing vessels, there is a stalwart group of locals who try their luck on a pretty regular basis. While these tournaments are not for the faint-hearted or those who lack deep pockets, the late July Bermuda Marlin Release Challenge offers the rest of the enthusiasts a sampling of the fast life on a more reasonable budget, both in terms of time and money.

Notable on the schedule is the reinstitution of the Bermuda Anglers Club International Light Tackle Tournament. This is to be a reincarnation of the tournament that had its origins in the Bermuda versus Bahamas tournaments of the 1950s that grew into the venerable international tournament that drew support from all over the world and then gradually slid downhill as circumstances changed, regular participants got older and new destinations opened up.

The new event is to feature just two classes of light tackle, 12-lb test and 30-lb test and is designed to attract junior participants, part of BAC’s ongoing commitment to recruiting another generation of keen anglers. As part of this and to engender interest in the event, the BAC is holding an open panel discussion on light tackle angling at the Blue Waters Anglers Club on May 2 at 7pm. It is free and all are invited; juniors especially encouraged, and there will be representatives from the three IGFA-recognised angling clubs on the panel.

Knowing the events that lie ahead and noting that the water temperature as reported in the daily weather report is already starting to creep upwards should see many start to pay some attention to their boats and angling gear. Time flies and the season is nigh when the fisher should go forth in search of Tight Lines!!!