At the risk of putting one’s mouth on it, the adage of “October, all over” comes to mind.

While there have been hurricanes in the Bermuda area during that month, certainly the most memorable cyclones of recent years, Emily and Fabian, took place in September. With the Atlantic tropical region rather quieter than usual and the local water temperature also starting to drop, the chances of a significant event are rapidly diminishing.

Unfortunately, that same adage can also be applied to the local angling scene. With September being consigned to the history books, so has the competitive season come to an end. Although a couple of the local clubs do have provisions for fun tournaments through October and into November, these typically draw little support and, to be fair, the weather is not usually too co-operative, either.

Add in the dismal autumnal wahoo run and the lack of frigate mackerel, and other live bait material, and things really do take on a dreary look. For once, it is not the weather to blame; at least not directly, although it is quite possible that some of the larger-scale meteorological phenomenon have contributed to the absence of the fish that are normally expected in the local area.

Overall, the offshore scene has turned in a rather disappointing result. While this is an accurate description of the past few weeks, it rather looks like the entire year is beyond the point of salvage. A poor beginning, a slow summer in terms of tuna action, less than usual billfish activity and now an apparent lack of a wahoo run — they all add up to a disappointing year.

Perhaps one of the few positives to come from recent weeks is the influx of the seaweed. While the weed itself is nothing short of a nuisance, that it is here merely reflects the ocean currents and the tendency for any flotsam to also find its way into the local area. Amazingly, even a small floating object may turn out to be a beacon for numbers of wahoo and dolphin. The latter, in particular, seem to follow floating things and, while the suggestion that they do it to get shade from the sun seems preposterous, whatever the real reason it is, it does make for a good reason to investigate every floating bit of rope, lumber and stuff that finds its way here. Such an encounter can turn a slow day into a bumper day in a matter of minutes, especially as the dolphin that have been caught by various boats have proven to be of a nice average size.

Less wedded to floating objects than dolphin, there is no denying that school wahoo often remain in the vicinity of such things and repeated passes with trolls will result in multiple strikes that offer possibilities.

One of the unforeseen and hard-to-believe pitfalls of such fishing is that a floating object can disappear. Not literally, of course, but certainly in terms of use. While it is possible for something to suddenly sink, that it has floated along for weeks, or maybe longer, makes this unlikely. What is likely is that failure to keep an eye on the object means that it can quickly become lost among the waves and drift away in an unseen current, leaving the angler fruitlessly searching for it. This is far more common an occurrence than most believe and those in the know usually carry a buoy with a small flag that can be tossed overboard and used to make the location of the flotsam for future reference. Once the spot has yielded up its catch, the buoy can then be retrieved and stored for future use. A simple and very effective little tool to have in one’s armoury — just in case.

As the summer gives way to winter — it may officially be autumn but that has never really rated as a season around here — the focus moves away from the great pelagic game fish to more reliable methods of fishing. Happily for the commercial man, this vocation includes the lobsters and that is often a lifesaver for them.

Bottom bouncing is, well, mostly boring but it can get results. There are good numbers of quality amberjack and bonita (Almaco jack) around and these will all too often take a bait intended for a coney or barber, shifting the odds somewhat in their favour. If they are the intended target and there are no live robins in sight, using a large chunk of freshly cut bait works well (something oily such as jack or mackerel). A whole squid straight out of the box can also get their attention quickly. The bottom line is that they tend to be greedy and like large baits.

At the other end of the spectrum are the coneys and the barbers. Always pretty much the same size — barbers are all almost exactly one-pounders for some reason — these fish are more numerous and they are usually willing to please. Reports from the last year or so suggest that there should be a better supply of red hinds and these are always welcome.

Just remember that there are legal minimum limits relating to size and number in place. When working the bottom, what one really hopes for is that a nice big, fat hind decides to latch on and provide the less than thrilling but no less desirable Tight Lines!!!