IT is at times like this when the really keen anglers wish they were independently wealthy or otherwise able to take off work at the drop of a hat. Every so often, one awakes to calm waters and clear skies and the firm conviction that today must be great fishing day and all that the day holds is another commute into work or a journey to the job-site. Such is the lot of the angler. Conversely, at this same time of year, is the plight of the commercial fisherman who, while welcoming a day with weather allowing an excursion offshore, wonders if he can catch enough to cover the costs.Simply put, the Bermuda fishing is now of the winter variety which contrasts sharply with the summertime version. Options are few, days are short and the weather is often despicable.

Even though there is no doubt that changes have occurred over the last couple of decades, most of the patterns established by Mother Nature seem to endure for at least a few years and most shifts tend to be gradual rather than totally on or completely off. Falling close to be in the latter category is the island of Madeira that hosted some of the best big blue marlin fishing to be had in the Atlantic. This was the case for almost ten years and attracted most of the heavy-hitters. Quite a number of top-class big game sports fishermen made the trans-Atlantic pilgrimage and enjoyed a level of fishing that had the average fish in the 800-pound or better bracket. Most of the fish caught were released and the fishery looked like it might endure forever. Seemingly suddenly as the mid-1990’s passed, the numbers of fish dropped off markedly. So markedly, that most of the top flight fleet gave up on that venue and went elsewhere in search of the ultimate fish.

Although of little interest to the sportsman, the fisheries authorities in Madeira noted some correlation between the number of big marlin and weak catches of big-eye tuna. The latter is a mainstay of the Madeira commercial fleet with these fish featuring predominantly in the local marketplace. The tuna did not totally disappear but years that saw the spectacular billfishing generally coincided with the poorer years recorded for the local tuna fishery. The message here is that while the changes seemed to be quite pronounced, they actually took place over a number of years. As mentioned earlier, natural changes tend to be gradual and the patterns may not be readily recognisable. This is because the scale on which such changes occur may be vast, often accounting for the tales from old salts who hearken back to when such and such happened many years ago. About the only thing that really needs to be of concern is the pretty much undisputed fact that commercial fishing, particularly that conducted on an industrial level, has genuinely reduced the number of fish in the sea. When numbers drop off enough, it may become difficult to see an established pattern and all too often, events are assigned the wrong reason for their occurrence.

While it should not come as any surprise to those who have followed the patterns of local fishing for years, there is some fairly decent yellowfin tuna action to be had offshore at the present. For many years, the yellowfin was recognised as a summertime species and it formed the basis of the light tackle chumming fishing that made Bermuda famous. Lack of off-season effort gave the fish a bit of a free ride for many years until one or two innovative charter operators started to see that they could catch Allisons in the chum right up to Christmastime.

There are some rather nice yellowfin on the Banks with Challenger Bank being the preferred venue. Commercial boats have been taking advantage of the few days that have had either a nice leeward tide or virtually no tide at all with the chum sinking slowly down into the depths. The fish seem to fall into two size categories: larger fish in the 50—75 pound range and smaller fish in the 30—40 pound bracket. Neither are to be shunned, especially at a time when any sort of fresh fish is at a premium.

Numbers seem to vary between boats even when they are fishing in close proximity to each other. One possible explanation may be that the fish have bunched together in small schools of, say, a dozen fish. If such a school chances upon your chum, then you are likely to have a shot at all the fish while someone chumming a few hundred yards away may not have the good fortune to attract a school of his own and may have to make do with solitary specimens that are cruising the drop-off in search of a meal.

Something else that the winter brings is a reduction in the obvious bait. Observers will note that there are not as many flying fish in evidence, nor are there sheets of flying squid breaking the surface. Occasionally schools of robins can be seen bibbling along just under the surface but, on many days, the ocean offshore is not unlike a desert. So unless you actually stop and start chumming there is little indication where the fish might be. A bit like the luck of the draw.

The tuna may be tempting to the angler, but to concentrate on this species would be a luxury for the commercial fisherman. The area of concentration form the economic point of view is drifting over the Banks bouncing bottom rigs over the bottom. Despite generations of exploitation, the bottom still yields up catches of desirable species like red hind, coney, amberjack and bonita. All these species make for prime market product which at this time of the year can command good prices. Combined with the variable lobster catches, the fisherman can earn a living sufficient to cover his costs.

The angler, while not so concerned with the cost of going fishing, may also wish to concentrate on the bottom species that make for quality fillets and which are well worth stashing away in a freezer. You don’t even have to go all the way to the Banks for success. A lot of good action can be had over the deeper reefs and just inside of Bermuda’s Edge.

January and February are not as far away as they seem at the moment and give it a few weeks, there will be precious few opportunities for the angler to benefit from any Tight lines!!!