This is ridiculous! Here it is the hottest month of the year, when the fishing should be approaching its best and the sea conditions about as welcoming as they ever are and what is happening — pretty much nothing!

In the normal scheme of things, August is a slow month, largely a result of the sweltering temperatures, with the real fish activity occurring early in the morning and the very late afternoon. Those times were the prime periods for the yellowfin tuna that so often have pleased at this time of the year. In between, scads of small game such as rainbow runners, jacks and mackerel would invade chum slicks, while barracuda and the occasional wahoo lurked near by, observing the proceedings and, every so often, darting in to take advantage of a hapless hooked mackerel or robin.

Blackfin tuna were often at their peak with numerous records having been set over the years on various classes of light tackle. Over the deeper reef areas and the crowns of the Banks, there would be mammoth yellowtail snappers that would require large quantities of ice to prevent the catch from spoiling. Rounding out the proceedings would be the hefty tiger sharks and a selection of smaller sharks that were pretty much ubiquitous, leading some skippers to refer to Argus as “Shark Bank”.

The deep water would be exceptionally productive of blue marlin, mainly in the 150-300lb range, with the occasional grander candidates putting in an appearance — all in all, conjuring up a happy picture for the angler and the charter skipper. Sadly, that is not the situation at all now.

For whatever reason, the yellowfin tuna have all but disappeared and this may be a cause behind the relative dearth of billfish. In all likelihood, the presence of schools of tuna on and around the Banks had to be a magnet for marlin and their absence has forced the apex predators to search farther and farther afield to find the occasional morsel. This means a dilution of numbers and, hence, the marlin appear to be less numerous than usual.

There is still quality to be had, even if the numbers leave something to be desired. Capt Alan Card’s Challenger was rewarded with a fish estimated to be in excess of 700lbs after a couple of days’ unproductive trolling of the normally rich deep water. Other charter boats report similar results and hours of effort are rewarded occasionally with the positive note being the size of the marlin. Anglers pursuing the ultimate challenge welcome a large marlin as the object of their pursuit and true aficionados accept that it takes a significant commitment of time and effort to accomplish the feat.

Perhaps a stroke of good fortune, the Billfish Release Challenge tournament, slated for last weekend, was postponed because of the iffy weather conditions that accompanied the rainy skies. The organisers recognised that the tournament would benefit from conditions that encouraged participation and increased the likelihood of a pleasant day afloat whether or not the fish co-operated. With more than a dozen boats electing to take part in this locals-only event, such a postponement can be seen only as a positive move to help to ensure that a good time is had by all. The lapse of a week should result in improved weather conditions and, quite possibly, an increase in fish activity. The latter situation can change markedly over a short period and now is just about the time when something monumental is normally expected to occur.

What usually would have the fishermen and anglers keeping an eye out at this juncture would be the imminent arrival of the frigate mackerel. These are, in fact, merely juvenile little tunny, locally known as “mackerel”. They usually occur in large schools, covering the bottom from inshore harbours and coves all the way out to Bermuda’s Edge and the Banks, where the predators would take full advantage of the bait bonanza. The concentration of these baitfish attracts the wahoo and tuna and, once here, the predators have little reason to leave the area. So their numbers increase, as does competition between the individuals, both of which lead often to spectacular fishing.

The negative is that the “frigates” have been in short supply in recent years, with last year’s autumnal wahoo run turning out to be a bit of a non-event. With the significant opportunity for commercial anglers to build up a stash of wahoo to tide them over the winter months — now not so far distant — still in question, the next few weeks will prove critical. For the moment, more than just a few will be keeping their fingers crossed.

The Third Annual Bermuda Anglers Club Junior Fishing Tournament will take place tomorrow, with fishing starting at 8.30am, rain or shine. The only requirement is for the competitors to bring their catches to the weigh-in at the Flagpole on Front Street between 3pm and 5pm. With age-group categories for boys and girls, all tackle types recognised and both shore and boat-caught fish being eligible, the only thing the youngsters have to do is get up, get out and find themselves some Tight Lines!!!