WHETHER you know it or not the weather is settling down and the water temperature is making steady progress upwards. Taken together, this should herald the spring influx of gamefish on the offshore grounds. As to the exact timing, this is near enough impossible to predict as it can happen overnight. More often it is a gradual build-up but all it takes is to happen on a small concentration of wahoo and, bingo, the fish are deemed to be there!

It has long been known that the spring wahoo run can be of such a short duration that no one is really too sure that it actually happened. It is nothing for the fish to appear on Bermuda's Edge and move all the way around the shelf in a matter of a week, before dispersing. It is when the fish are on the move and, for some unknown reason, concentrated that the opportunities for double digit catches are best. That is what is generally defined as the "run".

In the meantime, there seem to be a few wahoo around. There are reports of singles and the odd double strike along the Edge with Sally Tucker's featuring prominently in despatches. It could well be worth looking behind Chub Heads and Western Blue Cut as the run has often been first identified along this stretch of bottom.

At the moment the action is pretty slow on the Banks, at least as far as pelagic species are concerned. The water temperature is plenty warm enough for wahoo, yellowfin and even white marlin so don't be too surprised if something out of the ordinary latches on to your trolls.

Capt. Reggie Horseman's The Equalizer had a reasonably productive day this past week. Although he had to cover rather a lot of ground to do it, they managed to come up with three or four wahoo and an Allison. Not exactly spectacular but, then again, not a bad day's fishing either.

Some of the commercial boats have been trying for yellowfin tuna but with little success. This has involved chumming on both Argus and Challenger but has been anything but fruitful, despite the fact that there are persistent rumours that there are tuna out there. Discussions with long-time pro's suggest that neophytes are interpreting the popping of an odd tuna, maybe even a blackfin, as an indication that there are schools of tuna near by. Sometimes this is just not the case and, if the track record is to be believed, the first decent influx of yellowfin usually sees them hitting trolls long before they settle down to dine in chumlines. It is fair to say that that first influx often occurs in mid-April so the pundits may not be all that far off.

The reef areas offer some promise of action from bonitas, mackerel and bottom dwellers. The latter are most often represented by barbers and coneys that aren't very sporting but are pretty tasty. Several jack species are also likely candidates and these at least make for a bit of action. Robins are also likely to turn up and these can be translated into just about anything that swims. The best reef areas are only open to anglers for another three weeks before the seasonal area protection orders (hind grounds) go into effect. Heavy chumming should lure the floating fish to the surface and you might well succeed in enticing a few yellowtails into the slick. If is just a pull that you want, then there is no substitute for anchoring over the shallower reefs and chumming for chubs. Scorned by most everyone as last class in terms of kitchen quality, the chub nonetheless reaches a reasonable size and is more than capable of giving a good performance on light tackle. They are also incredibly willing to please and are often present in numbers that are nothing short of amazing.

This species is great sport on spinning gear and one suspects that fly tackle might see even more spirited a tussle; if you can get them to take a feathered offering. Rather surprisingly, chub can be very finicky, often turning away from a perfectly natural-appearing bait. So finicky have they been known to be that, once upon a time, the preferred bait was lobster. Yes, people used to catch lobsters for the sole purpose of using the tail meat for chub bait. Makes one wonder if today everyone is just a bit too "choicy" when it comes to fillets! Inshore, the fine weather as of late is bringing the bridge and dock anglers back onto the scene. Some of these have been doing fairly well and having a good time doing it as well. While having a boat makes for a greater variety of fishing, there is plenty of action to be had as the inshore waters warm up. Places that feature a water flow, such as Watford Bridge or Dockyard, will see snappers, jacks, bonitas and other species travel through into the sound as they commence their seasonal move inshore.

Those not into angling can still enjoy a great day afloat. The weather is not too hot and on a calm day there are plenty of opportunities for whale watching. These great creatures are nothing short of abundant offshore at the moment and you don't have to go very far offshore to encounter them. They have been routinely seen in water just about 100 feet deep (16 fathoms), making them accessible to even the small boater. The best place to have a look is along the South Shore but be careful, this is proving to be so popular a pastime that the boat traffic is more than just heavy.

After this weekend, there is the added benefit of daylight savings time. Not only are the days getting longer but there is a certain satisfaction that comes from a full day on the water and the ability to wash down the boat in daylight, whether or not there have been any Tight lines!!!