DID you notice it? The first little brush with winter slipped by this week. After what has to have been one of the best Octobers on record, the skies clouded over, the temperature dropped and the heavens opened with rain bucketing down. This not to be confused with the remnants of tropical storm Noel which put a damper on the fishing later on in the week.

Now there is plenty of fishing to be done, even if the amount of effort being put in is slipping rapidly toward the off-season low. Planning an excursion gets to be a bit of a pain as the weather is about to shift into the winter pattern but the forecasts are pretty good and can serve as a useful indicator of what the weekend might bring.

There are plenty of wahoo around and while these cooperate more some days than others, it should be possible to get into double figures without too much problem. Most of the fish are on the small side but there are enough in the 60-pound and better category to justify the use of some heavier tackle. Trolling is the preferred tactic but they can be caught from chum lines or on live baits. A few fishermen use only artificials and speed troll and get results but, for most, the good, old-fashioned seven or eight knot troll works best. The only advantage to the speed trolling is that it lets you cover more water and this can be useful when the fish are scattered or if you don't know where they are concentrated. At the moment, they seem to be just about everywhere and slower usually means more economical.

Consistent with the theory that things are running about a month late this year is the presence of a few blue marlin. Several have been reported in recent days and they will still be about until the real wintry conditions completely dissuade them from the local area. Crossing the deep water on the way to and from the Banks offers the best chance of a shot at a late season blue but don't be too surprised if one slides up on to the Edge and takes a rig intended for a wahoo or tuna.

As to the latter, they remain in short supply. Although yellowfin have been taken throughout the year, they are simply nowhere near as numerous as we would expect them to be. Certainly, they are not reliable enough to justify setting out to establish a chum slick for the sole purpose of catching tuna.

There have been some dolphin around but to put in a lot of effort is probably not a good idea. They will turn up occasionally during the search for wahoo and make a welcome addition to the fish box. Finding something floating is the most likely way of encountering numbers of dolphin, so maybe now after a bit of heavy weather, there will be more stuff around. They also seem to like bright coloured lures with yellows and greens often attracting their attention.

For a surer thing, now is a good time to concentrate on amberjack and bonitas (Almaco jack). They are more common at this time of the year, although that may be as a result of more effort being directed toward them.

Any well chummed up area usually plays host to these fish and they can be found in the reef areas as well as along the drop-off. They are attracted to structure so wrecks including the site of Argus Tower, what's left of the Xing Da and other sites of sunken material are all good spots to go looking for these fish. Certainly the smaller versions are often to be found in schools, making for numbers. When you get up into the big fellas, they tend to move around in pairs and it is not uncommon to catch both within a few minutes of each other. Both species reach record-breaking proportions here in Bermuda and put up a steady battle.

Drifting over the Banks or along the Edge, when you can manage it, also offers shots at these so-called "floating fish". Where that misnomer comes from is another of the mysteries of local fish jargon. None of them float unless they have been tossed back into the water after having come up from some depth. And the concept of them just floating around the bottom doesn't really seem to fit either. They do cruise or move around over a given area and this is why drifting often pays off. It simply increases the chances of your encountering a fish on the prowl.

If you are concentrating on bottom fishing try to have an additional hook eight to 12 feet above the sinker. With just a single anchovy, you will be surprised how often this will get struck. Ambers and bonitas are the most likely candidates but if you are working the Banks, you might just get lucky enough to snag a monkey (or flag ¿ another name for the same species) rockfish.

Apart from the regular or greater amberjack, there is a deep water species called the lesser or locally "bastard" amberfish. Nowhere near as large as a full-sized amber, this fish is easily recognised as having a larger than usual eye. They turn up in schools as well and battle much as a bonita does. The technique mentioned above works for them too and they will occasionally take a bait fished on or near the bottom.

Another species that is quite common locally, although it isn't common elsewhere in the western Atlantic, is the gwelly. Distantly related to the amberjack, this fish doesn't make the list of officially recognised game fish but obviously no one has told the fish that. They do give a really good account of themselves on any suitable tackle and seem to be more numerous during the autumn and winter months. Like the other "floating fish", they make reasonable table fare.

The clocks go back this weekend and this means that daybreak will come at an hour more fitting the angler's schedule. The down side is that it will be getting dark early but this doesn't pose too much of a problem until we get into December. With a minute or so less light each day until the winter solstice, the time of sunset comes earlier and earlier. So, for now at least, there should be enough time to get in a day's fishing and make it home with enough light to wash down the boat and clean the proceeds of the day's Tight lines!!!