And like the Phoenix, this column rises from its own ashes to run again. Once again, many thanks to the faithful readership that makes such things possible.

Back out on the briny there continues to be a seemingly endless supply of wahoo.

The market is glutted and some commercial operators have stockpiled, literally, thousands of pounds of wahoo in anticipation of the winter months when fresh fish is something of a luxury.

Although the numbers have been nothing short of incredible, the onset of more wintry weather will offer the weekender fewer opportunities to work the edges and banks for pelagic species.

With the prospect of no shortage of wahoo over the coming months, it may pay to look elsewhere for some sporting action that also allows the stockpiling of quality fillet.

Another species that is readily available at this time of the year and which is highly desirable is the yellowtail snapper. Unlike their grey cousins, the yellowtail is easily fooled into taking a baited hook.

It often occurs in large schools, making it possible to catch a cooler full without too much difficulty.

The trick seems to be catching a clement tide and chumming steadily. While they can be found cruising in mid-water, they really are a bottom-dwelling species which has to be coaxed up into a chum line.

That is where the sand mixed in with the chum comes in. It sinks faster and gets the bait down near the bottom where it gets the snappers' attention.

Once turned on, they will actively seek out the source of the bait and that will bring them up into the slick. They do tend to hang back and attaching a small pinch-on sinker to the leader increases the downward movement of the line and is likely to get the bait down where it is more likely to be found by a snapper.

Just plain bottom fishing over the deeper reefs can result in the occasional snapper but here you have to be a little bit on the coy side.

Most bottom bouncers really want the bait on or near the bottom, so a heavy lead that takes the bait plummeting to the bottom is the usual tactic.

The trick for yellowtails and other so-called "floating fish" is to keep the baits just above the actual reef.

Amberjack, bonitas, yellowtails and some of the other jack species tend to cruise over the reefs rather than moving between the actual coral heads and sea fans.

So, when fishing the bottom try putting another hook six or eight feet above the main bottom hooks.

You never know what might be cruising just above the reef; apart from jacks and snappers, monkey rockfish hang in the same area.

Moving into another area completely, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is about to have their annual meeting.

It is at this meeting where international quotas are set for the various tuna and tune-like species.

As far as Bermuda is concerned, the outcome is unlikely to have much effect on the species that we catch.

The management measures in place for yellowfin, blackfin, Atlantic black skipjack (a real fancy name for what we call mackerel) wahoo (that is one of the "tuna-like" species) and marlin (another "tuna-like" fish) have had little effect on us and it is very unlikely that anything momentous will be decided at this year's meeting.

The species that will come under the microscope, as it has so often in the past, is the bluefin tuna.

Many conservation agencies have decried ICCAT's actions in the past and the probable bottom line is that the species is well overfished and has been for some years.

It is a quirk that the "C" for conservation in the organisation's name is for "conservation" when its mandate is actually to maximise fishery yields.

According to some sources, the stock is at about 15 percent of its original size.

While scary, this does not mean that the stock is necessarily at peril.

What does the damage is the fact that the legally acceptable quota is probably as much as a third above that which is biologically sustainable.

Add to that a significant amount of bluefin that is caught outright illegally or by kind of a "grey" market and the species is in trouble.

So much so that for some years various bodies have suggested that the species should be placed on the CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) lists.

Most countries, including Bermuda, are bound by this international legislation which, as the name says, restricts the trade of species that are rare or in danger of becoming rare.

For the non-fisherman, this includes things like orchids and animals which require special permits to be shipped between countries.

Sea turtles are on the list and this pretty much put paid to the turtle farm in the Cayman Islands.

Although turtle and turtle products can be consumed in the Caymans, such things cannot be transported to the US or elsewhere.

That effectively killed the export market which was the original target of the venture.

Listing the bluefin on the CITES appendices would effectively destroy the international market for the species and, given its value on certain markets, notably Japan, there is likely to be fierce resistance to any such measure.

But, on a positive note, in order to avoid such action, there may well be a cut in quotas and a more realistic limit to the allowable catch.

Thus, the outcome to this year's ICCAT meeting may be more interesting than usual.

As far as Bermuda is concerned, the long-term result of this might be greater numbers of a species which, according to older publications, was once a common occurrence in local waters.

We still get to hear of sightings or rare captures of bluefin here but the anecdotal evidence suggests that years ago they were actually fairly common.

Additional information can be found on the internet at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8331113.stm or on the ICCAT website http://www.iccat.int/en/ (for the English version).

For those few anglers who persist into the winter months, they will be looking to take advantage of anything approaching fishable weather on the weekends.

While wind and sea conditions may make a trip out onto the ocean uncomfortable, there are often options over the reef areas where it is possible to get some relief from the lee of the Island.

Northerly winds make the south shore bearable and the reef areas there can be good for yellowtail and the usual bottom fare.

Not exactly the greatest sport on earth, but a sure source of Tight lines!!!