ALL too quickly the year 2006 has flown by and with it we saw the start and finish of an entire fishing season. Just before we are lost in the hoopla of New Year festivities and our focus shifts to the season ahead, it is fitting to pay homage to the fishing season that was.The bottom line is that it was a funny year for wahoo. In the last few years, there has been a substantial early spring run when both numbers and size of fish was pretty impressive. Granted, there was a spring run this year but it certainly wasn’t anything to set the fleet afire. Overall, numbers were okay but that burst of activity was short-lived and many of the commercial boats and serious anglers had little to show for their efforts by the time mid-May swung around.

As usual, the summer months had little concerted wahoo activity and although there was the odd decent hit, most boats soon turned their attention to other species, notably billfish and tuna.

As August waned on and September showed on the horizon, there was concern that the autumnal run might simply not happen. The first bit of encouragement came when the frigate mackerel turned up on the offshore grounds. This was really promising and the Mid-Ocean News Wahoo tournament had one of its best years ever both in terms of quality and quantity. Then all too soon, everything went quiet with good catches proving to be more sporadic than reliable. This situation turned out to be the norm for this year and, despite some boats managing double figures into December, most anglers turned their attention elsewhere.

In early summer, with the wahoo tapering off, the obvious candidate of choice was the yellowfin tuna. This hard-battling species has won respect the world over but it is here in Bermuda that the art of chumming the fish to right behind the boat has become a fine art. Sadly, this year failed to see the sometimes incredibly reliable numbers and consistent behaviour that built Bermuda’s international reputation as a light tackle hot spot.

Later in the year and still continuing was the influx of Allisons that included both school-sized specimens and a smattering of larger tuna. At the moment there are still reasonable numbers on both Banks and it is more than likely that the East End will produce a few given good tide conditions and plenty of chum being tossed overboard.

On an associated note, the blackfin tuna were pretty much left to their own devices. They are largely ignored by both the commercial fishermen and anglers. This is a shame because there are some really nice specimens to be had and there is no doubt that this is one of the world’s great light tackle species.

Now, as successful as the season’s tournaments were, the billfish story was completely different to what has been the norm in recent years. The billfishing got off to a start around the usual time.

Anytime after mid-April can see the blue marlin starting to show. Things heated up through May and by mid-June the action was where you might expect it to be. The Bermuda Blast, World Cup, Big Game Classic, Sea Horse Bermuda Billfish, and even the Bermuda Triangle Tournaments all drew plenty of participation despite the fact that the yacht club was inundated with sailboats celebrating the centenary of the Newport to Bermuda race. Until these boats departed there was a shortage of dockage for the visiting battlewagons. This was sorted out and just about everyday saw a millionaire’s fleet make for the productive deep waters offshore. There the action was fast with frequent run-ins with fish over 500 pounds. Just what the doctor ordered. Most memorable and ending happily was the remarkable spearing of Ian Card when a large blue charged the boat and went airborne. Nothing short of a miracle was called for and everyone who pursues marlin should learn that caution and care are the watchwords when dealing with a fish that is both armed and dangerous.

The onset of the hurricane season saw most of the visitors head for safer harbours and bigger money tournaments. Almost coincidentally, the number of blues being caught dropped off markedly with only Capt. Allen DeSilva’s DeMako racking up a respectable score. Whether this was the result of a lack of effort, sudden shift in the fish’s movement pattern or, maybe, the sheer number of fish that had met up with hooks and decided that they would be better off elsewhere is unclear. One can only hope that the late spring next year will see a return to expectations.

A better than usual year was had with dolphin. Seldom really numerous in local waters when compared with locations to our south or west, there were more than usual and some of the fish caught exhibited a quality that has not been seen for some years. Some rather nice specimens bettering the 20-pound mark were caught with the majority coming on the heavier tackle preferred by commercial boats.

Somehow, amazing as it may seem, the bottom species continued to provide the commercial operators with a living and gave sports fishermen a good deal of action as well. It is really mind-boggling when you consider that for generations literally tons of hinds, coneys and rockfish have come off a relatively small piece of bottom that has been worked over by fish pots, hook and line and other off-beat yet innovative methods.

While considered to be bottom species by some that group of fish known as the “floating fish” have also been remarkably consistent for human generations. Amberjack and bonita have been steady pickings for many years and this year was no exception, with some fine examples of each being caught. In a way, the emphasis on catching the fish using heavier tackle has precluded anglers from experiencing the battle that is offered by these incredibly game species that command the respect of chef and diner alike.

Often included in this category as well as being recognised as a reef species, it was the yellowtail snapper that got Bermuda back into the limelight as far as records are concerned. During the summer, three new fly tackle records were accepted by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and, by world standards, the fish involved were more than noteworthy. The really surprising thing is that when compared with the book of Bermuda records, the fish that gained such accolade were not exceptional. One has to think that with the recent acceptance of the yellowtail as a line class species that all the records should be held here in Bermuda. The fact of the matter is that the sportsman has again dismissed the yellowtail from the local repertoire in favour of larger, more glamorous species and the commercial man simply uses tackle and techniques that don’t fit in with the rules and regulations set up by IGFA.

While such operators are often disparaged by the sporting purist, it should also be noted that this is one of very few places in the world where the commercial fishery closely mimics the sports fishery. The tackle and techniques involved are virtually identical and really the only criticism that can be made is that the commercial boats use tackle unsuited to the size of the fish and that this pretty much precludes new records. Not surprising, considering that the commercial man is more interested in making a living than in collecting certificates for angling prowess. Do not doubt for one minute that there are fish out there that can write your name into the record books.

That pretty much sums up the angling year. Now there is a new season to look forward to and who knows what it might bring. Therein lies the stuff of angler’s dreams and the eternally springing hopes of trophy Tight lines!!!