IT may be dark at 7.15 in the morning and the air may be a bit cooler and drier but there is still time to sneak in a little late season fishing. You had better hurry though: the cold fronts, they are a-coming and, very shortly, the fishing will be a-going.

There is still some decent wahoo action. Hugh Blackwood's Panchdara managed to catch nine wahoo, mostly in the 30-pound bracket late last week and since then, several other skippers have reported reasonable results. A trip to Challenger Bank saw Capt. Keith Winter's Playmate come up with three 'hoos, two of which made a nice pair: one was about 65 pounds and the other was 85 pounds. No lean pickings there! There are still some yellowfin tuna that are willing to please. As has often been the case there are a few mid-range fish along the northern edge and trolling there can get results. Playmate had a 50-pounder up there with a mixed bag of wahoo and barracuda.

There are some larger fish around as proven by Capt. Peter Rans' Overproof with a 125-plus pounder as evidence. These fish occur when you least expect them and they can really put a bend even into middle-class tackle.

Despite the fact that game fish in the shape of wahoo, tuna and a smattering of dolphin are available in sufficient numbers to tempt the sportsman, the commercial operators have moved firmly into looking for more marketable species that do not require the expenditure of vast amounts of fuel.

Bottom-bouncing on the Banks is the main strategy and there have been all sorts of hauls, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. Hinds and coneys seem to be the mainstay but there are some amberjack, bonita and gwelly providing a bit of variety.

Last week a commercial trip by Capt. Alan Card's Challenger came up with an unexpected catch. This was a pair of African pompano in the 40-pound range that made an interesting addition to the fish box.

African pompano are not common around Bermuda but, having said that, they do show up with some regularity, usually during the winter months.

The first time this species made it into the fame was back about 30 years ago when Capt. Walter "Tommy" Horseman's Wapsi had a charter party boat a pair of African pompano. This catch was made well into the winter months and, again, the specimens in question were of a good size.

Strictly speaking, African pompano are not pompanos, nor are they African. They are a member of the jack family and they are found worldwide in tropical and some sub-tropical waters. For some reason they do not seem to be really common anywhere although they likewise seem to have turned up just about everywhere within their range.

Like all jacks, this species gives a good account of itself on anything approaching suitable tackle. That is what makes catching them such a part of the fun. It is immediately obvious that you have hooked into something with a bit of weight behind it. Doubtless, visions of a nice bonita or hefty amber go through your mind and it is only when the fish becomes vaguely visible in the depths beneath the boat that it is apparent that something different is on the line.

Here they have almost always been caught over deep reefs, in 16-18 fathoms or more. They are never so numerous as to be a target species; they just happen once in a while.

The strange thing about the Bermuda African pompanos is that most of the fish caught are awfully close to record proportions. In fact, on several occasions if the fish had been caught on anything other than 30-lb test, it would have qualified as a record. At the other end of the spectrum, there simply do not appear to have been any small, say, less than ten pounds, such fish caught. It seems hard to believe that only large specimens show up here. Elsewhere, the smaller versions are caught and they look distinctly weird with all sorts of filaments trailing from their fins. If anyone had caught one here, someone would have heard about it. So far, only the big ones.

While talking about pompanos it may as well be a good time to look at the other "pompanos" that are caught locally. Apart from the African variety, there are at least two others that fall into this category.

By far, the most common is the palometa. This species usually is referred to as "pompano" by locals and it isn't worth pursuing the point that this may not be the most correct nomenclature.

Pompano can be caught pretty much all year round off the beaches using bread soaked in sardine oil, cat food or other baits. Some artificial lures like small silver-coloured spoons work well too. For those contemplating such an excursion, now is one of the better times of the year for larger fish.

The "pomps" are usually willing to please and most sorties out with a spinning rod loaded with something like 6-lb test should see even the most casual angler meet with success.

The average pompano is about a pound although the record is in the four pound range: believe me, a two pounder is a serious fish! Another related species that occurs here is the permit. This fish is in great demand, particularly with fly fishermen, where it is found in good numbers such as the Florida Keys, Bahamas and through the Caribbean. The numbers found here are nothing like those from down south but there are a few records of some large permit being caught. When young they often move with schools of pompano and when there isn't much to pick in the way of size it is fairly easy to mistake a permit for a pompano. Look for a lot less black on the fins and body as the giveaway. The finnage is also rather different but lots of anglers never take too close a look. And, like the pompano, it cooks up pretty well in the kitchen.

With the changing of the clocks not all that far into the future, now is a good time to try and get in some last-minute action. The weather should hold for a couple of more weeks and having daylight at least until after 6.00 p.m. makes washing down the boat after a fishing trip a lot more bearable than working in the dark. But, to face facts, it is getting a bit late for any Tight lines!!!