Put aside the cobwebs of winter and grab the season’s angling by the horns, as it were. Although it is, arguably, early dates yet, the month will rapidly fleet past and it will be May, when there is no disagreement that it is fishing season. By then, it is also likely that some of the best opportunities will have become things of the past.

While it has been a bit of a guessing game up to now, with the lobster season now past, the offshore effort will increase and that will provide a much clearer picture of the potential for action. One important thing to bear in mind is that early-season fishing is volatile and can shift markedly from one day to the next.

There is no doubt that there are both wahoo and tuna out there as well as a smattering of other species, some of which can be considered bait for the more predatory species. At this stage, most amateurs would be happy to land some fresh fish, so quantity really is not an issue. A quick run along the southwest edge in exchange for a wahoo or two more than justifies the effort and, while that is the fine for the present, things will change next month when competitive angling takes the limelight.

Now that the tournament calendar has been published, those who take their angling a bit more seriously can start to think about setting themselves the challenge of securing a line-class world record.

The first thing to take into consideration is that tournament fishing really does not lend itself to setting records. While it has happened, it is rather unlikely given the circumstances that surround most tournaments.

In most competitions, the object to the exercise is to amass points from whatever species happens to take the line, provided that it makes the minimum weight requirement. The other thing is that the lighter the line, the more the points. That is where a serious attempt at a world record starts to come apart. There are species that do attain large sizes here and which lend themselves to some concerted effort. Setting a record as a target takes some work: it can be happenstance, but a little calculating can make a world of difference. Gone are the days when any “big” fish had the potential to be a record.

It pays to have some idea of what a record-sized fish may be, both for the species and on the class of tackle used. Do not be deluded into thinking that records can be set here for species that are uncommon or which never attain anywhere near their maximum size locally.

Using this logic, there are a number of species here that fall into the realm of the possible. The second thing is to examine the line-class records: there are strange gaps or smaller-than-expected fish on certain line classes and this is where the potential opens.

The key to this, as evidenced by the success of several “professionals” whose names pepper the record book, is to concentrate on a species at a time and not use the shotgun approach preferred by so many local anglers.

The blackfin tuna just about qualifies here — as do the amberjack, Almaco jack (bonita) and horse-eye jack and other jack species that seldom are sought after by anglers. They grow large and, certainly for the blackfin, there was a time when all the records were held here.

Extreme size attainment, by species, includes the yellowtail snapper, possibly the grey snapper and some of the grouper species, although the abundance of the latter and legislation severely affects the possibilities there. The latter is a shame because a lot of the existing records easily can be broken locally were they not protected species.

Looking for world line-class or all-tackle records in Bermuda is a niche industry. Gone are the halcyon days when records for tuna, in particular, were broken week in, week out.

If it is the really heavy stuff that is being used, 80-130lb test, then the real candidates are the blue marlin and, just maybe, some of the large sharks. The latter are unreliable around here, with little pattern to their occurrence and, surprisingly, little interest on the part of the angling fraternity. The really big bluefin are probably those that have been gorging themselves on bait, rather than migrating, and shallower water has to give the angler some advantage. So Bermuda is probably not an ideal location for a record-breaker.

A good example of trying to pursue the impossible, or highly unlikely, would be setting out to set the record for sunfish. While they do occur here and they can be big, as evidenced by the 500lb-plus beast that washed up this past week, are they really worth pursuing? Probably not.

The IGFA does maintain records for such species, but it will probably be a good while before another one is seen in local waters, not to mention fishing for one with a hook and line. What fisheries there are in the world use nets or other methods. They tend to be by-catches of the swordfish and gill net fisheries and find markets in Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

One thing for certain, given that a 500-pounder is a small specimen, hooking into one on any tackle can certainly be considered Tight Lines!!!