NO SENSE in hanging around any longer. It is high fishing season and the fish are out there waiting for you. It is just a matter of making a move and heading out onto the briny. There are rewards out there, at least at the moment.

The wahoo fishing has continued to set a blistering pace well into the month of June now. So much for the short-lived spring run. The present burst of activity has been nothing short of phenomenonal and it simply cannot last much longer. One good aspect of this, at least from the weekender's point of view, is that the market has reached saturation point and there is a limit to the freezer space available to commercial operators. The upshot of this is that a lot of the commercial effort is being directed elsewhere and this probably leaves more wahoo for the casual angler. Don't tarry too long, though, the water temperature is rising and the summertime "lizards" are starting to put in an appearance.

Some yellowfin tuna have finally shown up and these can be found in their usual haunts. The south-eastern corner of Challenger Bank is a good spot and the inner edge of Argus is also a good place to start chumming. A few larger tuna have been caught on live baits and these are always a good bet. Just about everything eats live robins and they can often elicit strikes when other tactics are unproductive.

Do not neglect the blackfin tuna either. Capt. Keith Winter's Playmate caught a trophy blackfin last week that weighed around 35 pounds. Blackfin that size set records and there should be plenty more like that.

The water is warm enough now to expect any of the summer species to grace a chum slick. Don't think that billfish don't hang around in the vicinity of bait slicks that are attracting other smaller species. Big predators like marlin and large tuna often hang just off the edge of the bank in something like 100-120 fathoms of water.

Trolling just off the edge where boats are fishing is often a good bet to entice a strike, particularly early in the morning or in the late afternoon when the predators go on the feed.

Expect the marlin activity level to move up a notch next week as the June full moon kicks in. Not everyone subscribes to the moon theory but there does seem to be some link. That and increased effort in the deep water will put the focus on blue marlin but there will be some interference from white marlin and maybe some of the minor billfish species like spearfish and sailfish. Neither is ever numerous but they are caught from time to time and it helps to be able to identify the unusual.

Overall, the situation is brimming with possibilities; there are plenty of fish out there, all the expected species and some potential for something different. Bottom bouncing will produce some of the grouper clan that work well in the frying-pan. So will chumming over the deeper reefs for yellowtails and grey snappers. Just be aware of the Fisheries regulations that are in place for these species as well as the area closures. You would not want a good thing ruined due to ignorance.

Something else that seems to be hitting home is the present oil crisis. Certainly in the United States where "cheap" fuel has always been the norm, the suddenly rocketing cost of gasoline and Diesel are starting to change lifestyles. There are reports form places like Florida and North Carolina that have the sportfishing industry on the rails. If you think about it, charter crews in these areas rely on their respective tourist seasons which hopefully coincide with the seasonality of the fish for their incomes.

With fuel prices directly cutting the margins that current charter rates have been based on and, what's more, reducing the likelihood of people taking driving vacations to spots like the Outer Banks, a new dilemma sets in. In some cases, boats have already published their rates for summer 2008 and advertised accordingly. In fact, charter parties have probably already booked based on those rates. An additional surcharge may well result in cancellations on the one hand but the profitability of the operation declines steeply if the price of fuel has escalated to the extent that it has.

So, to raise rates and suffer the loss of business at a time when tourist-oriented areas are going to take a hit as people opt to stay home or closer to home during the summer or to grin and bear what is likely to be a rocky season.

Before you go fretting about what is happening in the United States and Canada, fear not, it is happening here as well.

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