WHEN the Bermuda Anglers Club (BAC) International Light Tackle Tournament starts on Monday, participants will be hoping to reel in the catch that will land them a spot in next year's prestigious Rolex/International Game Fish Association Offshore Championship.

The local tournament, now in its 37th year, was this year accepted as a qualifying event for the four-year-old championship, co-hosted by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), an organisation best known for maintaining world gamefish records in freshwater, saltwater, fly fishing and junior angler categories.

Its winner will go on to compete in the championship which this year was represented by 81 tournaments from 26 countries - a total of 20,000 anglers.

According to BAC director James Pearman, being accepted as a qualifying event was a real coup for the Bermuda club.

"Rolex and the IGFA joined up to do an inshore and offshore championship and this year we applied to the IGFA, which puts out the book of world records each year, to become part of the Rolex/IGFA circuit of tournaments.

"It's an honour to be allowed to join this tournament of champions. The winner goes on to compete against anglers from around the world.

"It's taken a real effort on our part to rebuild the tournament and this will give us more exposure. Last year we had four teams, this year we have seven and we're hoping for at least a dozen next year. It's a prestigious event and it means more publicity for us as a result of being mentioned in their news release and their quarterly news letter.

"The release went out to all the major fishing magazines, as well as ESPN and channels dedicated to sportfishing."

Bermuda's International Light Tackle Tournament grew out of a Government-sponsored tournament between the Bahamas and Bermuda. Although the running of the tournament and the trophy passed to the BAC in 1961, Bahamian anglers continue to fly into the island each year in order to participate.

The public is invited to come out in support of the tournament, which runs all next week out of the Spanish Point Boat Club (SPBC) except for Tuesday.

The competition begins at 6.30 each morning and weigh-in will take place at the club dock around 4.30 p.m. So that no one team has an advantage over the others, the seven teams will fish from a rotation of boats.

"We've had world records made and beaten here as a result of our tournament," said Mr. Pearman. "Over the years, the tournament has done very well for tourism. (The fishermen) aren't out to win, just to move on to the next competition; after 36 years, there's a bit of prestige attached to winning this tournament as well.

"We're hoping to get people out to watch. They can watch from the water or from the dock at SPBC. We invite everyone to come out and support the local team or any of their friends and, with Monday being a holiday, it's a great time for us to start. We've had a hard time in the past few years getting people who are keen to fish and if (the anglers) see that a large crowd has come to cheer them on, it will add to the atmosphere."

There is still room for anglers interested in participating in the tournament - however, they must first become a member of the IGFA which can be done through the Bermuda Anglers Club at a reduced rate of $35.

Various prizes will be given and the top male and female anglers will receive, courtesy of Crissons Ltd. and Rolex, a Rolex.

n For more information, please contact the Bermuda Anglers Club.