ALTHOUGH the weather has had a few turns for the worse, the fact of the matter is that there now tends to be more "good" days than "poor" days and there have been ample opportunities recently, even on weekends, to get offshore. Just to put things in perspective, next weekend sees the start of May, a date that even the Tourism Department acknowledged as the commencements of the sport fishing season.

The main news is that the spring wahoo run is well and truly underway.

Numbers are not what they were last year, but that was exceptional and, at the moment, the action here has to be at least as good as it is anywhere else in the world. Commercial boats are racking up double figures pretty consistently and there is a nice touch of class to the fish. The average has got to be close to 40 pounds with fish in the 50-pounds plus category quite common. It would not be surprising to hear of someone catching a fish in the 90- pound bracket as the early season often sees super large wahoo in local waters.

To even mention the use of light tackle is tantamount to being a voice crying in the wilderness but think of the run a 50-pound 'hoo could make on 20-lb test gear. For that matter, you could expect multiple runs and, maybe even see a fine wahoo hurtle skyward on the strike. Once commonplace, it has been a long time since anyone saw a wahoo jump. These days, it is more often a case of having a small fish dragged along like a splashing bait.

From a historic perspective, the tackle used by commercial fishermen was upgraded from 30 to 50 then to 60 lb test primarily to increase the hooking power by allowing heavier settings on the strike drag. This was quickly emulated by the charter fleet and it was not long before the standard gear on just about every boat was nearer 50-lb test than 30-lb test. Precious few trollers drag anything resembling light tackle these days and it is a bit of a shame that the actual capture of a fish far outweighs any sporting merit it may have had.

That said, the action is pretty well spread all around the Island and the offshore Banks with the latter being the preferred venue for everyone. The Banks have the advantage of being able to hold several species at once. It seems that when there are wahoo on Bermuda's Edge there is little else to offer any variety. This is not the case on Challenger or Argus where wahoo might be mixed in with any one of several species of tuna, dolphin or even billfish.

Apropos of the latter, thus far no one has reported raising a blue marlin or having one come and ruin a wahoo rig. Without a doubt now is the time for this species to make its presence known and while the wahoo will have to ease up before the heavy (130-lb) gear comes out, there is every likelihood of a capture being made on medium gear.

Yellowfin tuna are still available but they are not as abundant as they were a few weeks ago. Most of the tuna action has shifted to Argus Bank and while the situation can change, literally, overnight most boats will be content to troll for wahoo and accept as variety any tuna or dolphin that fancies a wahoo bait.

A further sign that the wahoo action is hotting up is the occurrence of mako shark. For some reason when the spring wahoo run starts, almost invariably there are a number of encounters with mako sharks, some of which result in any number of hooked wahoo being shredded in almost unbelievable fashion.

Capt. Keith Winter's had a mako in the 100-pound bracket last weekend and at least one other run-in was reported from the East End. One thing that is really remarkable about the smaller makos is that they are perfect miniatures of what you would expect the great predators to look like. The younger fish are not juveniles in the usual sense of the word.

For instance, they resemble the full-sized adult much more closely than, say, a boy does a man. At first blush, this may not seem surprising but until you actually see a young mako, even one in the 50-60 pound bracket, you can not get a feeling for the strength and proportioning of these mighty creatures. They are incredibly streamlined which accounts for their great speed and agility. They are also a most handsome blue colour and, all told, simply magnificent. As for their dentition, that is impressive and deadly at any level. So much so that the mere thought of a 500-pounder is enough to keep many a soul ashore.

Even the locals who remain on shore should stay abreast of some of the potential for setting a world all-tackle record. There are a few such records that really do open themselves up for bettering by fish that are highly likely to be caught in Bermuda waters.

The International Game Fish Association maintains all-tackle records are held for all fish species, not just game species. There is even a record for goldfish as in the kind that you keep in a bowl in your living room.

Sometimes frowned on by offshore sportsmen, this class of record does offer the more casual angler a target by which he or she can receive international recognition.

One such species is sailor's choice. Regularly encountered in inshore waters and over shallow reef areas, this species is a member of the grunt family and is caught by many anglers from the shoreline. They are caught year round but, for some reason, the winter months are often better than the summer. The current world all-tackle mark for this species was set in Florida last year and stands at an "impressive" one pound ? eminently beatable! Just remember that when trying for such a record, all the IGFA angling regulations apply and the application must be made in accordance with IGFA requirements; that is, inclusive of photographs, line sample and sworn affidavit.

The week ahead is the last one before the seasonally protected areas come into force, removing some prime bottom from access by both commercial and sport fishermen. Although these areas are not quite at their best this early in the year, they are consistently productive and one could do a lot worse than to manage at least one more sortie into these areas before their closure. The south-western area, in particular, is well known for harbouring species plenty capable of providing Tight lines!!!