OH, the halcyon days of summer and the slow wind down of the 2004 angling season. Happily, the best usually precedes the finale which for most anglers is mid-September. This is the time of the year which is considered by many to be the epitome of fishing in Bermuda.

Although this was predicated largely on the use of light tackle, it remains true to the present day. Right now there are yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, blue and white marlin and ever-increasing numbers of wahoo offshore. Much of the small game is present as well: mackerel, skipjack, rainbow runner, jacks and shark.

Just this past week a foreign fishing magazine crew was here to do a piece on the large tiger sharks that dominate the Banks during the height of summer. Shunned by local anglers, there are people in this world who consider big sharks the ultimate in game fishing excitement. To each their own.

The marlin bite seems to be improving with the brightness of the moon but with the wahoo action improving daily, there seems to be little emphasis on fishing the deep water. It has become a matter of dragging the heavy gear between the Edge or between the Banks. In fact, more than a few boats have put the 80's and 130's away for the year and are instead concentrating on wahoo gear.

Regular wahoo trolling has been producing mixed bags of wahoo, yellowfin and dolphin. The action is pretty widespread so it should not be too difficult to manage to find a few fish for the box. Just remember to always drag a daisy chain. This will allow you to catch potential live baits and it should not be forgotten that occasionally larger fish will attack such rigs. The size of the hooks, etc. means that the rig is best suited to smaller catches.

In this there is cause for great joy. On Challenger Bank at least, schools of frigate (juvenile) mackerel have been spotted and this should make for some of the best fishing to be had. Live-baiting for wahoo and the occasional yellowfin is fast and exciting and something which is unique to a few locations in the world.

Although very few will attempt it short of the Wahoo Tournament, live-baiting with frigates is well suited to light tackle fishing and can allow an individual to land a trophy wahoo on 20-lb test line quite easily. The situation can be a little difficult should a 100-pound plus Allison take a fancy to your offering but even then, it is not an impossible task.

Please note that time is running out to register for the Wahoo Tournament. The deadline is Tuesday coming, September 7, and entries must be made on the official entry form that is available in the newspapers. These should be dropped off at Flybridge Tackle on Church Street, Hamilton.

Participants are reminded that although this tournament is an event designed to promote sport fishing in general and the concept of fun on the water, it is also a serious tournament from the standpoint of competitive fishing. This means that the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) rules are the guideline for the fishing.

This means that there are many practices that are simply not allowed. These include fighting a fish with the rod in a rod holder; more than one person handling the rod at any stage once the fish is hooked ? this includes any mate on a charter boat who might strike the fish and then pass the rod to the angler ? and resting the rod on the deck or gunwale. These are merely a few of the more common acts that earn a fish disqualification.

It is a sad comment that many experienced anglers are just not as with the rules as they should be or, in many cases, think they are. The full set of rules is exceedingly comprehensive and even those who have a good working knowledge of these rules should be aware that they are changed on a rather regular basis as the IGFA ties to keep up with changing tactics and practices.

In fact, the representatives worldwide are often asked to comment on proposed changes. The most profound of these in recent years have been in relation to fly fishing but there have been several others that relate to the more traditional methods of angling.

those who are interested in learning the rules for the first time or brushing up on the current ones, complete copies of the IGFA rules can be had from the local IGFA representatives and are available for free on the Internet by download at .

While on the subject of rules, everyone who does any fishing at all should be aware of the Bermuda legislation relating to the taking of fish and other marine life. There was recent tournament where a fish that was landed was reputed to be undersized and this has led to problems between the organisers, fisheries enforcement and the participants in question.

It is far better to avoid such situations altogether by knowing and complying with the rules. It is interesting to note that some tournaments actually have in their rules a rider that disqualifies any fish that is not taken in accordance with the local legislation.

Although most of the rules involving protected species refer to fish that sports anglers are unlikely to catch, it should also be borne in mind that many shellfish and even corals are also protected by law.

In addition, there are quite a few minimum size restrictions on commonly caught species such as yellowtail snapper and white-water snapper. There are also bag limits and it is likely that the future will see an increase in the number of such restrictions as the demand continues to outpace the ever-shrinking resource.

It is interesting to note that just about everyone thinks that the rules apply mainly to commercial fishermen and that they are the ones who are associated with breaking the laws when, in fact, the laws apply equally to everyone and there are plenty of amateurs who transgress them at least as frequently as the pros.

Sea Horse Anglers Club members should note that the date for their annual members only tournament has been postponed from September 5 and will now be fished on the September 12, which will coincide with the MON Wahoo Tournament. This has been done in order to encourage a higher level of participation. Details as to the weigh-in, etc. can be had from committee members.

So, there you have it. Now is the time to get offshore and sample the best that Bermuda has to offer. Sooner is definitely better than later because we are also moving into that window that sees the possibility of tropical storm activity and that definitely puts a damper on any Tight lines!!!