Wow! Are things shaping up or what! This could be nothing short of a fabulous fishing month. Just about the only fly in the ointment could be some tropical system heading our way and, fingers crossed, they stay to our south or east.

The storms that skirt us to the west are usually worse news because they put the Island on the stronger side of the system and, even if it passes at a distance, the waves will eventually stir up the ocean around here and that can put the fish off. Not to mention the fishermen who find themselves shorebound as even 20 knots of breeze makes for offshore conditions that are barely workable.

So, what makes this month so promising? Well, it is the early influx of what have been termed frigate mackerel; a total misnomer but one that conjures up tales of some of the greatest fishing ever seen here.

First off, the fish is the little tunny, a species of mackerel, close to the true tunas, that goes by a number of names. False albacore is one of the more recognisable and official titles, but there are others which would only serve to confuse.

For whatever reason, Bermudians long ago decided that the fish that occurred here in great numbers pretty much all year was to be called “mackerel”. Plain as that, even though this name encouraged confusion with the Boston mackerel, which is actually the common Atlantic mackerel occurring on both sides of the Atlantic along with many other species of tuna and tuna-like fish that all shared some common features.

Mackerel it was, simple as that. Then when the juveniles showed up toward the end of the summer the moniker “frigate mackerel” was applied. No idea why but unfortunately it stuck and fishermen and anglers have always referred to these juvenile little tunny as frigate mackerel or frigates.

The good news is that smaller versions of the so-called mackerel have shown up in good numbers. They can be seen in school inshore, tearing through pods of bait and stirring up the surface. Once they were the target of net fishermen but that seems to have tapered off in recent years. These little mackerel were once considered quite desirable as food but, by and large, throughout their range the little tunny is shunned as a food fish.

In the dog-eat-dog world of the ocean, there are many predator species that dine on little tunny, so they are a baitfish. When they happen to be small, they are bait to even more predators and would-be predators that suddenly find themselves able to chomp down on the hapless little mackerel.

In the knowledge that many of the migratory species, including wahoo and tuna, regularly feed on mackerel, the smaller version really lend themselves for use as hook bait. Add to that the fact that they can be readily caught and are quite hardy and, hey presto, there is the perfect live bait.

Also making life easy is the fact that juvenile mackerel travel in large schools and, as such, are competitive when it comes to their own foodstuff. Thus a trolled daisy chain, resembling a school of tiny baitfish, almost instantly attracts the attention of any aggregation of little mackerel, usually loading up on all the hooks. Most anglers usually use a daisy chain of four feathers and a spoon or other lure at the end, but it is quite possible to fish more hooks and even then it is likely to come back fully loaded.

While the little mackerel are fairly hardy, they do need to keep moving so that the water flows over their gills, supplying them with oxygen. Among the innovations for keeping them alive are “tuna tubes”, basically pipes into which the fish are jammed with water flowing at pressure to ensure that it flows over the fish’s gills and keeps them oxygenated. A bit more complex than in the old days when the loaded daisy chain was dragged behind the boat, accepting that a few would be lost to hungry predators, but there would be more than enough to supply the rigs on the rods.

This past week has seen plenty of fast action offshore with live baits taking pride of place. There have been some good wahoo hauls and better is expected as the month wears on and the hoped-for autumnal run develops. If all goes well there will be inordinate numbers of wahoo around the island and on the banks. Most of these will be in feeding mode as they are travelling away from the more northern climes headed for the warmer areas to the south.

It is not just the wahoo that are on the feed. Yellowfin tuna will also inhale any little tuna on offer and there should be enough of these remaining around the Banks to make life interesting. In fact, any migrating predators will stop in and take a travel break to refresh themselves.

While not usually sought after, some anglers have had a bit of a surprise when their daisy chains loaded up with “grasshoppers”, slang for juvenile dolphinfish. Definitely not a regular occurrence here, but not unheard of either, these catches are destined for the fillet board rather than being rigged for bait.

With the Wahoo tournament just ahead, the presence of one of the most desired baits coinciding with the arrival of numbers of a valued game fish augurs for a great event that should see loads of competition and plenty of Tight Lines!