THIS is shaping up to be one of the best angling seasons in recent years. Everything seems to be going right and, barring any unforeseen phenomena like hurricanes, there should be some spectacular opportunities for all anglers. Light tackle, unlimited gear and even fly fishers should all be able to find something suitable to test their mettle.

Against this backdrop, the 2002 Bermuda Anglers Club International Light Tackle Tournament turned out to be a roaring success. The weather was as good as might been expected with only one lumpy day out of the four fished and the fish were ultra-co-operative. There was a total of 239 fish caught by the seven three-person teams - that works out to just shy of 60 point scoring fish each day! Not only were there lots of fish, with many being releases but there was also great variety as Almaco jack, wahoo and even barracuda shared the limelight with the usual yellowfin and blackfin tunas.

The High Point Angler, coming from behind to finish with a flourish, was veteran Gene Duval who amassed a total of 7,440 points. In second place was Buddy Sowers with 5,580 points while Brian Lines finished up in third with 5,315.5 points. After that the competition got fierce with the next five places separated by less than 1,000 points.

High Point Fish honours went to Lisa Booth who had a fine 75.2 pound yellowfin on 12-lb test. During the course of the four days there were a number of contenders for this award, including some that never quite made it into the boat as the usual popped lines, chaffed lines and pulled hooks provided disappointments.

Another notable catch was Pete Rose's 63.2 pound Almaco jack which is a potential world record. The present IGFA 12-lb test record is 53 pounds even taken last July off Argus Bank. There may be a little problem with this present application as the line used is believed to have been Maxima Chameleon and it often overtests. The IGFA only certify records based on manufacturer's stated test. So if the line was 12-lb test and it overtests at, say 14 pounds, then the entry is not eligible for the 16-lb test class.

Again there is the anomaly that although this rather epic catch is definitely world class, it is smaller than the existing 8-lb, 12-lb, 30-lb and 50-lb Bermuda records. It seems that bonita fishing has too long been a Bermudian speciality! The winning team was the Sand Haulers, consisting of Bobby Rego, Danny Fox and Buddy Sowers, with a total of 14,089.5 points. The three-woman team, the Tuna Teasers came second with 13,008 points and hosts Bermuda Anglers Club took third with 12,210 points.

The High Point Boat was Capt. Alan Card's Challenger which just edged out Capt. Keith Winter's Playmate.

There is an abundance of fish on the Banks. Clouds of robins, scads of small tunas, especially blackfin, rainbow runners and an assortment of other species. In the fish eat fish world of the open sea, this collection of would-be bait must surely attract and hold all the major predators. There just have to be some big blue marlin lurking off the edge of the drop-off, and sliding in closer for the occasional feeding frenzy.

Thus far, there has been little in the way of marlin action although this is more than likely due to the lack of effort being put in. The marlin specialists have been concentrating on chumming and have basically just been putting in the drag to and from the Banks. That will all likely change over the next week or so, as the moon comes full and marlin mania starts to set in. After all, it is not all that long until the July 4 and the Blue Marlin World Cup.

In advance of that event, word is that Capt. James Barnes' Captivator will be arriving early next week with the stated intention of terrorising the local blue marlin population. There are also indications that a number of other foreign-based boats will be arriving to fish the Bermuda Big Game Classic, slated for July 12-14. All that will contribute to the serious effort put in looking for a world-beater. Who knows, this could be the year of the big fish and lead to a re-focussing of billfish attention on Bermuda.

Leaving the blue water and moving closer to shore, there is plenty of small game to be had. Reef fishing is nothing short of top class with many of the offshore species putting in an appearance. Bonita, mackerel and barracuda are all present but the real emphasis should be on the grey snapper and yellowtails. Bottom bouncing will yield the usual crop of coney and barber with the odd red hind.

The channels are starting to produce whitewaters in good numbers and the yellowtails often please here as well. Turbots should ensure that any expedition does not go unrewarded.

Specialists working the sandy flats should have their fill of shots at trophy bonefish while palometa are nothing short of abundant off the South Shore beaches. Great ultralight tackle sport!

This weekend will see what will probably be the largest flotilla of the season as tall and sundry put to sea in the Bacardi Tournament. A favourite with the occasional anglers as well as the pros, good conditions will almost certainly guarantee a crowd on the Banks. For this reason, it may pay to try somewhere less well worked. Long Point off the northern Edge has always been a good spot for large blackfin tuna and Allisons occasionally show there as well, although it is a little early for yellowfin down north. Up there, the robins are pretty reliable and there should be some good opportunities for a shot at a trophy amberjack or bonita (Almaco jack).

Wahoo are a little more problematical. Although there are still some to be caught by trolling, the majority of these fish are of the summertime variety, that is, small as in less than 20 pounds. Live-baiting may produce something a bit larger but, considering the time of year, a 40-pounder would be a big 'hoo.

The surest bet for a winner would be a big yellowfin tuna and there are enough of these around to make life interesting. Fish over 100 pounds have been seen but are not numerous, middleweights in the 70 to 90 pound bracket probably represent the best bet and the fact that competitors are not limited to the gossamer strands that the light tacklers are, makes these fish the target of choice. Rest assured that whatever the tackle, an Allison of this ilk will most assuredly provide Tight lines!!!