THE weather of the last week was enough to have us thinking that it was mid-February, not mid-April. Not too surprising seeing what our neighbours to the north and west have had to deal with.Despite the discouragement that it brought there is still every reason to look forward to a good early season for fishing. The sudden but relatively quick passage of the winter’s last blast cold fronts and depressions will soon give way to the warm, calmer days that signify summer-like conditions. Do not let the recent return of winter distract you from the fact that May 24th is barely one month away. And that is high summer, officially.

Turning to the fishing, there obviously has not been too much this week but before the weather soured, wahoo were being caught with reasonable consistency and there is no reason to think that the bit of foul weather will have driven them too far away.

There are plenty who argue that it is better to chum than to troll and vice-versa. The truth of the matter is that everything has its own time and place. Occasionally the species being sought has a major influence on the tactic selected but for the most part, there are established seasonal trends.

The first fallacy is that when one method fails to produce results, the other will do better. Face it, some days the fish are just not going to bite. This, in the same way that some days there is non-stop trolling action or those days when there is an endless supply of tuna behind the boat making short work of any chum thrown overboard. It is fair to say that there are lots of things that influence a day’s outcome, including being in the right place and just plain being lucky.

The best trolling action has consistently come in the early part of the season, the so-called spring run, and toward the end of the season, around September, when the autumnal wahoo run combines with other species willing to please.

The basic reason for this is that the spring and autumn are times when the seasonal pelagic species are on the move. They migrate northward with the warming seas in the spring, spend the summer in the warm water and then retreat back southward as the water temperature starts to cool off. Another factor which probably plays a role in the temperate climes is day length. Longer days usually have some impact on water temperature but it must be remembered that there is a larger, far more complex system of water movements through the world’s oceans.

Day length and other conditions have an impact on the primary producers such as plankton and this base of the food chain has far-reaching effects that are felt all the way up to the apex predators such as sharks, marlin and tuna.

From about April until late May the best fishing action tends to be found while trolling. Although wahoo are the mainstay of this fishery, there are plenty of other species willing to take a trolled bait. Early on, white marlin occasionally please and as yellowfin tuna move into the local area, they too take trolled offerings.

It isn’t until summer has started to exert itself and the currents or tides around the Banks and Edge have settled down that the best chumming conditions are to be found. Changeable weather, associated with the early part of the season, often results in confused tides and this can make for lousy chumming. A moving bait, trolled in the wake of a boat will get the attention of any fish on the lookout for prey. Fish on the move, as they are in the spring, are hunting for food.

It isn’t until everything has settled down and there is a plethora of bait species around so that the fish grow content and lazy. The tuna often set up shop on a single section of the Bank where they can be found on an on-going basis and where they will willingly feed in a chum slick.

Also at that time, the waters are teeming with small game species such as rainbow runner, jacks and mackerel. While anglers enjoy an opportunity to use light tackle and spinning gear, it is the presence of these fish that keep the larger predators from straying too far. It is often the flashing of fish like mackerel feeding in a chum slick that attracts the tuna and other predatory species. That this is the case is in little doubt — just look at how the barracuda take up residence during the summer to take advantage of any fish that you happen to hook. Bottom line: high summer means that it is chumming time with the best times of the day often being early and late as some species avoid the bright overhead light and heat of the day. Many an angler should take note and realise that midday offshore can be an uncomfortable, boring time.

Just about the only species that stays on the prowl and, indeed, is most active in the warm summer water is the blue marlin. This species revels in warm, tropical-temperature waters and the best way to catch this fantastic game fish is to troll, covering as much water as you can. June, July and August are the best months; quite the opposite of trolling for anything else. The wahoo go quiet; the tuna are more likely to be chummed and live-baiting is a much more productive means of catching fish than trolling.

Even smaller game such as yellowtail snappers and certainly whitewater snappers are almost exclusive summer species, preferring the warm and almost still waters that they are associated with; August being the month that comes to mind as being prime time.

To take this whole business a step farther is to point out that the winter months are the time when bottom fishing comes into its own. Low on fuel consumption and often quite productive in terms of grouper and jack species, this is the preferred method of commercial fishermen. It really is all a matter of selecting the right tactic for the right time and being able to make exceptions to the so-called rules if circumstances change. Every so often there is an unexpected wahoo run in mid-February. When this happens spending your time bouncing baits off the bottom is not going to get you any of the wahoo; so it does pay to be prepared and to look for signs of activity.

One thing is for sure, it is high time to be ready to get offshore. Much better days are only around the corner and if you are not ready then it may be a while before you get a chance at any Tight lines!!!