THE passage of a cold front coupled with a North Atlantic depression put paid to any idea of fishing at the weekend and, in most minds, at least, this will be the shape of things to come for the next few months.

Quite apart from the fact that there were plenty of high seas running, one suspects that even if one could safely get offshore that the fishing would not be up to much. A good indicator is the colour of the water off South Shore. When the milkiness extends just about as far as the eye can see, it is a pretty safe bet that any blue-water game fish will have headed off away from the suspended matter that gives the water that cloudy colouration.

For most of the past week, the water along Bermuda's Edge and beyond has been that off-shade and so the probability of any wahoo or tuna activity has been negligible.

There have been a few fish out on the Banks but there are very few boats that are prepared to burn fuel in the hope of catching the odd wahoo or tuna. If the weather is good enough to allow one to get offshore then the object of the exercise is to get some marketable fish at the least possible cost and this means drift fishing over the tops of the Banks in the hope that coneys, hinds, and the occasional amber or bonita will please.

A few hardy amateurs have considered venturing into the channels and over the deeper reefs in search of some fresh fish but opportunities have been severely limited especially for those who are restricted to venturing out only on weekends. Sadly, this is unlikely to improve for another month or so.

Bottom bouncing over the reefs should result in a haul of barbers, coneys, the odd red hind, and, at this time of the year, big blue-boned porgies often please. Turbot (triggerfish) often show up in large schools and while they are a nuisance to clean, they do make for some fine white fillets. Such can at least make a trip out on the water worthwhile even if it won't be particularly exciting.

The commercial fleet has looked to their lobster traps as a primary source of income as these can often be accessed without having to actually go out on the ocean. That is sound strategy when the weather often precludes a high seas expedition for a week or more at a time.

The sportsman takes an even dimmer view of proceedings, preferring to stand by and watch the commercial men eke out a living and waiting for the more promising blue skies and calm seas that spring will bring.

Not to say that there may not be some game fish out there. Just about everyone knows that the yellowfin tuna and wahoo remain in local waters throughout the year and it seems that the blackfin tuna is pretty much a permanent resident. Other game species are more seasonal; dolphin, oceanic bonito and rainbow runner are definitely more numerous when the water is warm and while blue marlin are a rarity in the winter months, there is another species that might offer an interesting alternative.

When the Japanese longline fleet expanded in the late 1950's and early 1960's, they moved into sections of the world's oceans that had been pretty much ignored by fishermen. By setting longlines in the apparent middle of nowhere, they quickly found concentrations of tuna, billfish and shark that were hitherto unknown.

Not only were the Japanese exceptional fishermen on the high seas, they also approached things from a scientific point of view. They collected vast amounts of data from every line set. Things like the water temperature, depth of the lines, length of the lines, location, numbers and sizes of fish caught, species caught and other bits of information that their scientists could later look at.

The scientists collated all the data and eventually published their findings in a series of reports. Some of what was contained in those reports was pretty well known by anglers and fishermen of the day. For instance, blue marlin came into the waters at Bermuda's latitude in the late spring and early summer and all but disappeared by October. Other established trends for yellowfin tuna were also confirmed. There was not much new there.

What was surprising was the data relating to white marlin. White marlin are an exceptional light tackle game fish that supports major sport fisheries in such places as the United States east coast from New Jersey south to Virginia and the Carolinas. They also occur in good numbers off Venezuela during certain months of the year. In Bermuda they are occasionals, usually caught from May onward when the boats start working the deep water in search of billfish. The whites also tend to run with other species, often getting tied up in the schools of wahoo that arrive here in the spring.

What was surprising, though, was that the Japanese data showed that there were good numbers of white marlin in the vicinity of Bermuda during the winter months, including February! Now, the verification of that is really difficult for a number of reasons. First off, as we have already seen, there is little fishing effort expended around here during the winter months. What effort there is is unlikely to be directed at the deep water in search of a fish that is of little value to the commercial man as it doesn't command much in the way of price and tends to be rather a smaller fish averaging just 35 pounds in most locales.

Next, the weather is enough to discourage even the hardiest of souls. Even the few die-hards that do indulge in winter fishing are not likely to devote their time to the pursuit of a billfish.

Although the white is a splendid game fish, they pretty much get a free ride around here. Having said that, over the years, there have been quite a few whites caught during the winter. While these have mostly come as surprise to their captors, many of these have been respectable fish approaching the 100-pound mark. So, perhaps the best bet is to remember to drag an appropriate lure when traversing the deep water on those rare winter days when the sun shines bright and the calm seas beckon. You never know when a trophy white might decide to provide you with some Tight lines!!!