THE glorious weather at the weekend saw loads of boats take advantage of the calm conditions and head offshore in hopes of wetting a line. Although there were few really noteworthy hauls, most everyone enjoyed some degree of success, dependent on the type of fishing undertaken.

The trolling is definitely slacking off, as the wahoo are fewer and further between. Although it is still possible to run up to double figures, the bulk of the action comes from smaller 'hoos. One tactic is to go to small hooks (6/0's and 7/0's) and single small rigged garfish. One drawback to this is that although you will get the hook-ups the use of anything much heavier than 30-lb test runs the risk of straightening out the hook. With the almost universal use of 50-lb test and higher, this is not really an option but light tacklers might want to give it a try. Those small hooks can be made needle sharp, as well.

There is a nice crop of yellowfin around. A few fish in the 100 pounds plus range have been caught both while chumming and on the troll. Perhaps surprisingly, a few biggies have been raised along the South Shore drop-off. Not usually considered a prime tuna area, some hefty Allisons have been sighted and at least one caught recently between Elbow Beach and Southwest breaker.

On the more traditional tuna grounds, the Banks, the chumming has been raising a majority of school fish in the 20 to 35 pound bracket but there have been a smattering of considerably larger fish, including some ranging into the better than 100 pound class.

Traversing the deep water and dragging anything suitable should elicit a response from the billfish. There are still a few whites around but it is the blues that have been making the news. Capt. Russell Young's Sea Wolfe and Capt. Keith Winter's Playmate both joined the ranks of the successful recently and there have been loads of other reports of marlin action. This can only improve over the next few weeks and especially as the moon waxes toward full on the 24th. Anytime now should see a mention of a monster, if not the fish actually being brought ashore as Bermuda maintains its reputation for big fish.

In that vein, the July 4th Blue Marlin World Cup is not all that far in the offing and by mid-July the focus will be almost totally on billfish as the Second Bermuda Big Game Classic kicks off. Something worth bearing in mind is that although there are incentives for early entry into the latter, it is likely that most locals will wait until nearer the time when they can better appraise the weather and the fishing, before committing their money.

It rather looks like this year will be as good as last year, in terms of a bumper crop of Almaco jack (bonita). Things have certainly got off to a good start with a potential world line class record taken by Peter Rans last week. The bonita weighed in at 52 lbs. 8 oz and was caught on 30-lb. test line. The catch was made aboard Brian Lines' Margin Call, which was fishing off the southeastern corner of Argus Bank.

The existing line class record is held by a 43 lbs. 4 oz specimen taken off Key West, Florida in 2001. It is noteworthy that this species only became eligible for world records in 2001. This, even though, the species has long been recognised as a game fish locally. For this reason, many of the Bermuda records exceed the current world marks. In this particular instance, the Bermuda 30-lb test record is a whopping 73 lbs. 8 oz., held by Edmund Powell who made the catch in July, 1975.

Numbers are also good. Chumming in the 20 to 25 fathom range should result in schools of smaller bonitas with the occasional larger fish putting in an appearance. Live baits fished in mid-water usually get the bigger fish's attention but in the absence of live offerings a whole squid or fresh fillet off a mackerel often produces.

Such chumming should also get the yellowtail snappers up. Although it is a mite early, reports have been good and there is a nice class of fish around. Just remember that "yelltons" spoil quickly so it is advisable to have plenty of ice on hand.

Chumming a bit deeper should get the rainbow runners and blackfin tuna up. There is a particularly nice crop of rainbows this year - many of these fish are on the large side and there will probably be a couple of potential record-sized fish available as well. Best of all, they are almost always willing to please and they can be counted on to give a good account of themselves on reasonable tackle.

The Bermuda Anglers Club International Light Tackle Tournament (ILTT) got off to a start on the holiday Monday. This year's premier event sees seven three-person teams competing for the honours. The first day saw a couple of real trophy yellowfin brought to gaff on 12-lb test - a notable feat for anyone and the stuff of which the reputation of the ILTT was built. Given the quality of fish available, this year's event should be a real pleaser and could well come down to the final weigh-in this afternoon (14th June) at Spanish Point Boat Club.

Looking ahead, next weekend sees the ever-popular Bacardi Rum Tournament. Much favoured by casual anglers this tournament usually sees a large entry and, if the conditions are anywhere near good, Challenger Bank ends up resembling City Hall car park. It is unfortunate that the structure of the tournament does not discriminate between line classes with only the biggest of the eligible species being considered worthy of recognition. High Point Angler honours are based on the individual's five best fish, so there is a tendency to use relatively heavy gear. Fortunately, billfish are specifically excluded from the competition, so it will be the wahoo and yellowfin that will bear the brunt of fishing pressure. Expect the Allisons to figure prominently among the overall winners and, rest assured, they will provide the bulk of the Tight lines!!!