With darkness coming a lot earlier than it did just a few days ago and that distinctive feel in the air that some of the more thin-blooded refer to as chilly, almost everyone is moving into their winter mode.

Throw in the aftermath of last month’s tropical activity and boat owners are doubly wary of leaving their craft on moorings. Winter gales often do as much damage to anchored boats as their summertime counterparts and, for many, the safest option is to put the boat into the yard.

Not that it isn’t possible to fish all year long here. Proof of that can be found in the annals of the fishermen and sports anglers who have committed their experiences to print.

First off, the Government Fishing Information Bureau (then part of the Tourism Department) openly advertised the angling season as being from May through November. That was probably stretching things a little, but an inquiry would probably reveal one or more benign such months that allowed anglers to get in some decent fishing activity. The norm would probably have been the sort of month that is experienced today.

Various writers reported catching blue marlin during every calendar month of the year although they admit that this is a bit unusual for the “off-season”. The Gibbons brothers (Coral Sea), one of the more innovative charter crews to have graced this Island, used to chum for yellowfin tuna with some success all the way through December. So what does this tell today’s angler?

With the hype and fishermen’s exaggerations laid aside, things then were pretty much as they have been for years. Yellowfin have stayed on the grounds all winter and there have been odd marlin caught in the cooler months. White marlin are the more likely but, given the size of the ocean and the vast movements conducted by migratory fish, the odd blue marlin has to pass this way pretty much continuously.

What makes this particular year noteworthy is that it has not followed any of the long-standing patterns that commercial fishermen and avid anglers have come to expect.

Recent activity has been very sparse indeed but trollers have managed to catch up to about a half-dozen wahoo with the odd small tuna or dolphin providing a bit of colour.

Seaweed continues to be a nuisance but it is a far cry from the issue that iit was a few weeks ago. The problem is inconsistency: one day may draw a blank and the next see enough fish to justify the effort. Probably worth the risk for the commercial operator who goes just about every day the weather allows and has a good chance of things averaging out. It is a different proposition for the weekender who has a bit of a one-shot stab at things.

Easier on fuel consumption and likely to produce something for the table is bottom fishing. The Banks and parts of Bermuda’s Edge continue, perhaps almost miraculously, to yield up hinds, coneys and barbers, all of which are white meat fish.

There are bonuses in the form of amber, bonita, gwelly and rockfish. Although a challenge to clean, triggerfish (turbot) also are likely to please and good in the galley. Not exactly the stuff that sport fishing is made of but a positive note when all is said and done.

Deeper-water bottom bouncing can be a lot of work but it can pay off. This takes place a little farther off the Banks and Edge in water that is somewhere between 50 and a 100-fathoms.

It has been done by rod and reel and even hand line but electric reels can save a lot of winding.

A slow drift also helps because the drop-off is steep and the depth can change markedly over a very short distance.

The technique best suited for the denizens of the deep water involves using multiple circle hooks with large, tough baits like squid or octopus. The mere thought of having to wind up and re-bait is depressing unless the would-be bait thief remains attached.

Down there are the so-called “red snappers” and the very occasional John Paw grouper that certainly commercial fishermen are familiar with.

Vertical line operators also run into gummy sharks and deep water thresher sharks, neither of which are much use to anyone. But there is another species that is occasionally caught on vertical lines and sometimes by anglers working deeper-than-usual water with heavy bottom rigs. This rather desirable species is the wreckfish. Resembling a grouper, the meat is firm and flaky with good flavour.

Although the wreckfish rejoices in the scientific name Polyprion americanus, this has little to do with its range, considering that the present all-tackle world record is a 190-pounder caught off New Zealand.

This is a deep-water species that is found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Not present in large schools, it gets its name from frequenting wrecks or other bottom structures. Both Challenger and Argus Banks fit the general description of that type of habitat as do any deep reefs.

Such reefs do not have to be based on corals but can be rocky.

Working these deep areas can be boring because such fish are few and far between but catching one is rewarding with their size usually meaning that the lucky angler can head home having enjoyed some rather productive tight lines!!!