The stage is set. With the arrival of the juvenile little tunny, so often erroneously referred to as “frigate mackerel”, just about anything can happen.

What is expected and certainly hoped for by the commercial fishermen, is the main run of wahoo that usually occurs at this time of the year.

Any time now, this autumnal wahoo run should kick off in all its glory. Often explosive when it does arrive, the numbers of wahoo will seem astronomical, their willingness to please unsurpassed and their quality nothing short of excellent. Does it always take place? Sadly, not always but often enough to keep the commercial and sports fleet waiting for the first signs.

So, just what is happening now. Although the fishing continues much as it has been all summer, many commercial operators have the added diversion of the lobster fishery to attend to. With most of the competitions now said and done, sports fishermen have eased off their efforts and things are droll.

While the main event is awaited by many, the charter fleet have been enjoying what wahoo there are and letting tradition dominate proceedings. Chumming is still attracting both species of tuna commonly encountered here along with a plethora of smaller game. All of these provide action for clients and result in memorable captures that so many only dream of.

From an angling point of view, the yellowfin tuna makes for a serious challenge. Attaining as much as 200lb in the Atlantic and growing considerably larger in the Pacific, this fish is an absolute powerhouse. Hooking on to one can leave the angler thinking he or she has been attached to a locomotive headed in the other direction. After its initial run, the battle turns into a tough game of tug-of-war. It has often been said that the harder you pull against the yellowfin, the harder it will pull back. And therein lay the crux that would turn them into the great light tackle fish that they are.

Bermuda only occasionally sees the larger fish, fish over 100lb; but school-sized fish ranging up to 60 or 70lb can be relied upon for most of the summer. It was these fish that made the midsummer chumming on the Banks famous with many a sportswriter waxing eloquent and focusing international attention on the fishing on this mid-Atlantic island.

What really got people’s attention was the fact that these fish were being caught on lines of 20lb test or even less! And on a regular basis. Amazing, but really the product of what early sportfishing pioneers like the Gibbons brothers had recognised and then promoted.

Sure, their early clients were believers in heavier tackle to subdue the hard-pulling Allison in a slug fest. What they were taught though, was a bit of finesse that made light tackle incredibly powerful. The logic, or psychology, was simple. A hard pull on the fish would indeed result in the fish pulling hard in the opposite direction. On lighter line, though, a repeated slight tugging would be annoying and eventually convince the fish that the line of least resistance was to yield to these little niggles. This would soon have the fish swimming in the direction of the boat, making it easy for the angler to keep the fish close and to get it into gaff range. The fish’s counter move was to circle, hoping that a downward spiral would take it back into the depths. The key to success on light tackle here was to simply keep the pressure on and go with the flow. A spiral, it was noted, worked both ways and continual pressure would gradually ease the fish to the surface. All this was easily accomplished on light tackle, saving the angler a great deal of energy.

The technique works on other tuna species as well although it less frequently comes into play. With smaller tuna like the blackfin, a few minutes of brute force will probably catch the fish, taking more out of the angler than the fish. On really large tuna like the bluefin, heavy tackle is a necessity. Sadly, here there are not many opportunities to tangle with these giants.

Now is also a good time of year to consider other species, especially those noted as table fare. Amberjack, bonita and several snappers including the yellowtail are all prime candidates. It may seem like summer but the winter gales are not all that far in the future and it would be nice to have a stash of fish in the freezer.

Expecting to take full advantage of the arrival of the waves of wahoo is next week’s Macallan Wahoo Cup tournament, slated for Sunday, September 13. This event allows anglers to use their choice of tackle although it encourages the recognised light tackle classes. Entry for this tournament should be in person at Docksider’s on Thursday, September 10 at 6pm. At any such event, rest assured that there will be many tales told including some rather dubious accounts of Tight Lines!!!