No, there isn’t much fishing going on and it is unlikely that things are going to change anytime in the near future. The weather is “iffy” and certainly game fish seem to be thin on the ground and most anglers are content to follow one form or other of football. That being preferable to braving the wet and cold that seems to be the prevailing weather.A recommendation for those who do intend to get into their boats and go fishing is to consider staying on Bermuda’s platform and to indulge in some not so big game fishing.The deeper reef areas (12 -18 fathoms) offer a chance at catching some decent eating fish and this does not totally discount the chances of catching something respectable in terms of game fish. Wahoo have been known to come up in chumlines set up in depths of 14 fathoms or so. There have also been times when the wahoo trolling has required boats to move inside of 20 fathoms, an area that is generally ignored partly because of the increased attention from barracuda, a less desirable species.Just to point out that finding wahoo in relatively shallow water here on occasion is not an anomaly, consider this. The Gulf of Thailand (sometimes called the Gulf of Siam from the old name for the country) is a huge body of water that extends from Malaysian peninsula in the west to Cambodia and Vietnam in the east.Several major rivers empty in to his body of water making it productive in oceanic terms. The average depth is only about 22 fathoms and the deepest areas probably don’t exceed 40 or so fathoms. Here comes the clincher – the area is host to some phenomenal game fishing with wahoo occurring in awesome numbers. Sailfish, another species that does not seem to mind invading coastal waters also figures largely in sport fishing in that part of the world.So, having established the possibility of wahoo, other game species that sometimes grow large in shallower waters include the amberjack and Almaco jack (bonita).Live robins which can abound in waters of this depth make prime baits for theses game species and there are other predators including rockfish that won’t say “no” to such an offering. Barracuda are a possibility but, given the time of year, they are unlikely to interfere in affairs.Occasionally some hefty, as in more than ten pounds, mackerel (actually little tunny or more modernly, Atlantic black skipjack) can flit through a chum line and hooking one of these on anything approaching light tackle can be an amazing experience. Really large ones also offer a shot at a world record as all the current record fish are in the ten to twenty pound range.Having digressed enough,, the main purpose of chumming and bottom fishing in this draught is to score some fish for the fillet knife or maybe even one large enough to be a baker. Coneys and barbers will please and there should still be enough red hinds around to allow you to add some colour to the fish box.Apart from ambers, bonitas and maybe even a gwelly or two, other species like turbot (triggerfish) from the mid-water, yellowtail snappers which persist through the winter and porgy on the bottom all make for variety and will keep boredom off the menu. Something worthwhile to do on a fine, sunny calm winter’s day.On a less happy note, there have been a couple of notable deaths in the sport fishing world over the last week or so. The first of these was Don Tyson best known to anglers and grocery shoppers as the force behind Tyson brand chicken and chicken everything. He had amassed a fortune and was a dedicated big game fisherman. His boat Tyson’s Pride travelled on a mothership and he was able to fish in some really exotic locations.He was one of the first of the famous big game anglers who saw the importance of conservation and actively promoted tag and release. Inevitably he became a trustee of the International game Fish Association, going on to receive emeritus status. He was also a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame for his services to world angling and he will be sadly missed by many who had the pleasure to know him or to work with him on his conservation projects.The other individual who will be sadly missed was less known for his angling exploits but was still very well known in sport fishing circles. This was Buddy Davis who made his name, indeed gave his name to what many consider to be the classic Carolina hull type.He was synonymous with the flared hull that made what many consider to be the ultimate offshore fishing vessel. He revolutionised boat building on the Outer Banks and was an intimate part of the boat building business in that part of world. The quality and beauty of some of his creations will keep his name alive for many years to come.On-going is the 27th annual IGFA international Auction. Bids can be entered on line for trips, boats, art work and other angling memorabilia. This can be found on the IGFA website at www.igfa.org and is open to the public. Anyone who is travelling to the south Florida region may want to see if they can get tickets to the banquet which will be held at The Breakers at Palm Beach on the 28th January. The on-line bidding will end at 9.00 am eastern time on Monday the 24th January 2011. In past years about one-quarter of the successful bids were made by on-line bidders.The IGFA continues to hold observer courses and there is continued demand for certified observations in many of the tournaments in the Caribbean and elsewhere. With catch and release being the normal tournament format, the need for having some sort of referee becomes paramount.While there are a fair few Bermuda-based certified observers, there may be relative newcomers who would like to seek qualification. If travelling overseas is not a problem then check with the IGFA directly for times and dates. Alternatively contacting one of the Bermuda IGFA representatives to let them know of your interest could go a long way to having another programme run on the Island, making it extremely easy to get qualified.So, nothing much in the way of excitement but still enough diversions to keep the angling mad man involved. Better days are ahead and they are growing steadily longer.If the winter gales ease off there may be some genuine opportunities for some serious offshore work because, as the past has shown, there is often little warning of the onset of Tight lines!!!