FISHING THE BERMUDA TRIPLE CROWN

A summer-tournament highlight gets even better this year

- SAM WHITE

Ah, Bermuda. It's nearly impossible to have a bad time when visiting this beautiful, serenely peaceful island. Perhaps it's due to the location, some 600 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and essentially Middle of Nowhere, Atlantic Ocean. Maybe it's the laid-back island vibe, or the relatively high per-capita income level of the 65,000 or so full-time local residents a nod to its historic ties as a hub of international finance and investment banking. Or it could be the marlin fishing. Let's be more specific-the big blue marlin fishing. According to Grander Watch (granderwatch.com), there have been 19 Atlantic blues weighing more than 1,000 pounds put on the scale in Bermuda in modern times. The winner of the worldwide Blue Marlin World Cup has come from those storied waters eight times since 1985; only Kona has had more winners at nine, and usually with a much larger fleet fishing there. So, what makes it so productive? As with nearly every other big-blue fishery on the planet, it's a combination of bait and structure, and Bermuda has plenty of both. This summer, the 19th anniversary of the storied Bermuda Triple Crown tournament series celebrates the finest in competition in one of the sport's top destinations. The event, the Bermuda Billfish Bla