Say what you will: it is now, for want of a better word with all politically correctness set aside, “fishing” season. This means that the weekenders and those with the luxury of being able to head out at will can now plan to wage a campaign on the game fish that call Bermuda home.The start of the merry month of May has always heralded the game fishing season even though the same species, mostly wahoo and tuna, are mainstays of the commercial fishery as well. The term “fishing season” is true enough, but the time period in question actually refers to angling season but, then again, so few make the distinction between the verbs, which in this case are actually gerunds.For the record, classically, literature and use has ‘angling” as the pursuit of fish for sport while “fishing” is for the taking of fish for gain. Back in the heady days when tourism was just starting to take advantage of reduced fares and airplane travel was losing some of its novelty, Bermuda was one of the first island resorts on the scene to make game fishing (angling) an attraction. Eastern Airlines (you have to be a certain age to remember them) even had a Flying Fisherman programme to encourage people to fly to exotic destinations like Bermuda to catch equally exotic game fish.The period May through November was touted by the Department of Tourism (Trade Development Board to real old-timers) as the peak time, carefully acknowledging that the others months were likely to be uncomfortable offshore even though there was some suggestion that the fish might still be out there.Now that we are in the season, there is still some question as to whether to not the fish are aware that they should be pleasing. There has been a spate of good wahoo action down at the east end with a nice class of fish being caught. Numbers were more than fair but the extent of this aspect of what possibly amount to the start of the spring run really is not known.As effort increases, a better picture of the offshore situation will emerge. There has been some wahoo activity best described as “spotty” with a few tuna being caught. Whether this is the prelude to something bigger or the extent of the action to be expected from trolling will certainly becoming clearer over the next week or so.Bait appears to be a bit thin on the ground offshore and that probably has something to do with the lack of concentrated activity. After all, when the bait is spread out so must be the predators. The plus side to this is that the fish are on the move, looking for food; the down side is that the fish and you might not be in the same place.What action there is at the moment seems to be limited to wahoo (which is good and could be better), yellowfin tuna and blackfin tuna. As the water warms up the latter species becomes more common and certainly more active. As it is a favourite food of the blue marlin, the fact that the blues become common as summer progresses really isn’t a mystery at all. In fact, it won’t be too long now before the overseas battle fleet starts showing up in the marinas. Who says it isn’t summer yet?The recent modification of the seasonally protected areas will allow anglers and commercial operators to access some of the productive areas generally referred to as Sally Tucker’s even though this means different places to different people. It will particularly suit small boaters who want to fish some of the shallower reef areas known as the “inner bottom”. Some good porgy fishing is to be had in this region and there are often yellowtail snappers and other species willing to please. Just remember that there are a number of minimum size regulations in place for certain species and the shallower areas tend to be home to smaller specimens. Not that there aren’t some full size amberjack and rockfish cruising through these areas from time to time.Also, when the moon is right, those who know where and when to go should have a good shot at grey snapper even though the best of this usually requires night fishing. The area where those in the know used to harvest large grunts at a certain time has also been closed to fishing off the East End and this is probably a good thing. Although there weren’t that many taking advantage of the aggregation, it doesn’t take much of an impact to have a severely deleterious effect on a fish population. The exploitation of various grouper grounds both locally and throughout the Caribbean which led to a decimation of grouper populations is testament to that.The use of GPS coordinates to mark the seasonally protected areas is a major advance on the previously recognised line-of-sight reference points that defined the areas. The legal acceptance of such coordinates also means that it is far easier for enforcement officials to fix whether or not a boat is in the prohibited area. As with most things, the new definition is a bit of a two-edged sword, so boaters should be acutely aware of their positioning.Apropos of nothing much, but an observation, the Australian Lizard Island Black Marlin tournament is again soliciting participants for the October event. Apart from requiring a sail past by the competing boats at 9.30 in the morning, fishing does not commence until 11 o’clock. Perhaps that is where fishermen meet the concept of banker’s hours unlike our local events that have us crawling around in the dark, awakening spouses and children with the prospect of arriving back in the dark, duly dishevelled, smelly and, all too often, disappointed.Returning to our traditional early angling hours, this Sunday, the Bermuda Anglers Club host their first fun tournament and although this is the season’s first competitive event, it is restricted to members and guests. Not that that needs to keep the rest of us home; there are other opportunities and fish don’t ask whose lien they are about to latch on to. Angling clubs also recognise catches made throughout the season and anything caught over the next six months will count for some of the seasonal or annual awards that the clubs have.Advertisements for the season’s first major event have also been in the press with the annual Bacardi tournament already figuring in people’s agenda. Entry forms are available and should be submitted in advance of the deadline. It may seem eons away but it really is only a few weeks and there is the great summer holiday weekend in between. That latter bit also means that the boat has to be in working order and suitably stocked with the picnicking paraphernalia. So, for many, there is a weekend or two of work that must be done before you can entertain any thought of Tight lines!!!