March has certainly spent most of this last week in its leonine mode with plenty of wind howling and growling. With any luck, it may roar itself out and start settling down to more user-friendly conditions. We don’t want it totally dropping out all of a sudden because we will want sufficient breeze to keep our kites aloft come Good Friday.There are plenty of signs that spring is upon us. While humans might be “freezing” to death (it’s really not that cold!), Mother Nature is moving things right along. Birds can be seen in various mating behaviours and searching for nesting spots. Flowers are starting to come into bloom: there are crocuses in lawns, and many of the other bulbous plants are forcing themselves skyward in an attempt to provide a bit of spring colour. Even the oleanders are starting to bud as are the frangipanis and poincianas. Although there hasn’t been too much made of it yet, there is every likelihood that the humpback whales are progressing northward through the local area and they will become the subject of whale watching expeditions over the next few weeks. It may seem an eternity away from us now, but rest assured that it is not. Things are picking up in the Bahamas and it won’t be long before the tuna and marlin find their way here as well.While all this is going on, can the influx of bait and their predators be far away? Such things usually burst onto the scene when most anglers are ill prepared and there is the usual panic that accompanies having a boat ready for the 24th of May.Leaving the individual to address that issue in their own inimitable way, perhaps the focus should be on the element other than the weather that is needed for successful fishing: bait.Baits, particularly troll baits are usually imported although there are some excellent ones to be had locally — probably involving more work than many are willing to put in. Hauls of fry and anchovy are best left to the professionals who then market them to the amateurs.Then there are the baits that we used to see but haven’t seen in a good long while. Older accounts of Bermuda fishing often refer to these species as common occurrences but they have definitely succeeded in keeping a low profile in more recent years.Do you remember the round robin? They resembled their relatives the ocean robin in general shape, complete with the scutes (little spines) along the sides, tail shape and schooling behaviour.The inshore waters used to see schools of this cigar-shaped little fish that would happily feed on virtually anything at the surface: bits of bread, fish, table scraps, whatever. They were usually four to six inches long and were active in stirring up the surface and causing little commotions as the school bibbled and splashed as it fed. Easily caught on hook and line, this species also was frequently caught by net fishermen and used for bait in many different ways.These bait fish resembled the offshore robin and picked up the name “round robin”. This was the common Bermudian name for the species and it is frequently mentioned in old books and magazine articles on Bermuda fishing. Actually, the English version of the scientific name puts it down as “round scad”.The offshore version, best known as the ocean robin is, is fact, the mackerel scad. How mackerel gets into its name is a bit odd — it’s Latin name does sound like “mackerel” but it is well and truly placed in the jack family as is the smaller round scad.Again, the ocean robin is an important bait fish that is used both as cut bait and as live enticements for wahoo, tuna and amberjack; but it also enjoys a bit of a reputation as a food fish in its own right. Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of this species is that it is known all over the world as it enjoys a really wide range. Pretty much throughout this range, the fish is valued both as a bait fish and as a source of protein. As a consequence, it has a vast number of local names in multiple languages, including some (languages, not names) that no one around here ever heard of!Another observation apropos of nothing is the old expression meaning lots or a plentiful supply — “scads”. Might this have something to do either with the abundance of the bait known as “scad” or was the bait called “scad” because when it was present there seemed to be no shortage of it?The opposite of scads of bait must be a scarcity or something like that, so what would be more fitting than the account of another once plentiful local bait?Those who have either first-hand experience or who are conversant with accounts of Florida live bait fishing will doubtless have come across the goggle-eye. Another member of the jack family, this is pretty much the standard live bait and it is often sold at marinas alive for use as such.There are probably very few active local anglers who ever recall even seeing such a fish here in Bermuda even though it was once commonplace. It was often caught by net haulers mixed in with other baitfish such as anchovy and maybe even fry although, in such instances, the goggle-eye was more likely to be a predator unfortunate enough to be caught along with its prey.They are easy to identify, should you be lucky enough to come across one. They are silvery, shaped similar to a robin of either the round or ocean variety and like most jacks, there is a row of bony projections along the lateral line from about halfway along to the tail fin. The real giveaway, though, and the basis of its name is the extremely large, goggle-like eye that it possesses. This just screams out the word “goggle” at you and it really can’t be mistaken for anything else. The fact that they are so obvious is what makes it so apparent that they aren’t very common here nowadays, simply because no one ever mentions them.So, while it is time to think of stockpiling some bait for the summer chumming months, the emphasis should be on getting the gear and the vessel ready for its season ahead. Trying to catch so local bait might be a worthwhile effort for those who have the time to spare and the basic but necessary gear: a dip net or bait net (remember that there are laws pertaining to the use of nets). The targets will be garfish (should we get a calm night) and anchovies and fry along the shore. Those less inclined to pursue such should at least remember to change their clocks this weekend and, hopefully, putting the longer days to good use, plan for a season of Tight lines!!!