IT finally seems like winter with the passage of North Atlantic depressions bringing gale-like conditions and what Bermudians call “chilly” conditions. It may seem cold but the thermometer doesn’t lie and neither does Mother Nature.If it really got cold, all the birds would head south for the winter; but they don’t. In fact, during the winter and early spring, Bermuda sees all kinds of visiting birds that are resting enroute to destinations farther north. One thing worth bearing in mind is, in the absence of frozen ground and the dormancy of trees and other plants, food supplies remain readily available. After all, there are flowers present year round and this makes for insects that birds eat and other plants are producing seed, another bird food. Just look at the loquat trees that are starting to bear ripe fruit. Not to mention the year-round junk that we consider litter but that a bird can salvage a living from.

The real tell-tale is the offshore scene. The fish that live and visit here are definitely tropical varieties. In fact, almost all of the fish species that occur locally are derived from the Caribbean region. This is worth a few moments’ thought.

The Caribbean with its coral reefs and colourful fish species is over 1,000 miles away. North Carolina and the rest of the East Coast is a lot closer; but for some reason, the marine fauna bears much more semblance to the islands of the Bahamas and points south. In the normal scheme of things, we do not play host to schools of bluefish, striped bass or even red fish or sea trout that are the backbone of the sport fishing along the eastern seaboard. Granted, many of these species are dependent on estuarine systems with levels of freshwater input and the resulting complex environmental systems. But temperature also plays a role as many of these fisheries are seasonal.

The presence of the Gulf Stream between Bermuda and the East Coast does help to ameliorate temperatures coming off the continent but we do not actually lie in that great warm water flow. The existence of an oceanographic phenomenon known as the Sargasso Sea actually has a lot to do with our mild conditions. This body of water, smack bang in the middle of the northwest Atlantic, is largely defined by temperature, specifically the 18|0xb0|C water (that is water at just below 65|0xb0|F).

Tying in with this, for whatever reason, is the fact that most of the hardier corals need water above 61|0xb0|F to survive. A look at the wintertime low water temperatures, for the past however many years that you care to look, show that the lowest point usually occurs in February with a slight warming tendency starting in March. Although the water continues to warm through the summer, it is the onset of the cooling and its duration that has a lot to do with the actual coolest winter point.

Despite plenty of comments to the contrary, the water remains warm enough even inshore for corals to survive (maybe not flourish but survive). Similarly, parrotfish, jacks, angelfish, damselfish, triggerfish and groupers all make it through the winter. Maybe not as obviously as they make their presence known during the summer, they are nonetheless present. Their activity levels may also fall off due to their being cold-blooded creatures but they are present year-round and can be caught or seen all year long.

Farther offshore, even the warmest water species like blue marlin can be found. Even though this fish is normally associated with high summer, a look at the records will show that it has been caught every month of the year.

Numbers do drop off but there are always a few wahoo or yellowfin about and these often please surprisingly well during February and March. Isn’t the spring wahoo run often as early as late March which is now six or seven weeks away? The blackfin tuna, amberjack, bonita and other game species are also resident and are here twelve months out of the year.

Mackerel (false albacore) are also thought of as a summertime fish but these are nothing short of plentiful during the winter months and, even now, quite large specimens can be seen rushing around inshore waters in the various bays and sounds.

Still inshore and along the beaches, bonefish (a real tropical species) and pompano are common. Wintry conditions such as rough, stirred up waters make it harder to locate these fish but they are still there and willing to bite.

Accepting that a Bermuda winter is one that most of the northern hemisphere would delight in having, there is no doubt that the weather is not conducive to getting the anglers out. Quite apart from the comfort, or lack of it associated with heavy weather, there is the obvious element of safety to be considered.

There is also the annual hauling and general maintenance to take into consideration. There is some advantage to doing it sooner rather than later even though procrastination tends to run deep in anglers. Getting the boat organised is usually the most off-putting part of the angling scene but it is one that can help while the winter away then allowing you to make the most of the forthcoming season.

While quite a few commercial operators take advantage of any decent weather and head offshore to try to drag up a living off the bottom, the sports anglers tend to stay at home and many of them decide that the best fishing that they can do at this time of the year is vicarious. This makes a visit to the Big Game Room at the Miami Boat Show a great place to visit in mid-February. The dates are 15-19th February 2007 at the Miami Convention Center and lots of information can be had on the internet at www.miamiboatshow.com.

The Big Game Room is a relatively new innovation that now sees hundreds of charter boat captains, deep sea fishing aficionados, tackle and gear manufacturers joining forces with boat and marine suppliers and builders to put on a display that completely covers every aspect of salt water fishing.

New products and tackle items are on show. There are demonstration on the use of tackle and techniques and a whole bunch of opportunities to rub shoulders with a widely diverse group of people who share one great love: Tight lines!!!