UNEXPECTED is the best description of the weather that Bermuda is experiencing this winter. We are all resigned to cool, wet conditions with plenty of gales but this year is definitely a bit different. While the northeast is having super cool temperatures and lots of snow, overall the local temperatures have been mild and rainfall slight. In fact, at the moment, the island has only received about half the normal rainfall.

The better than usual conditions have made life a bit easier for commercial operators but this has not had a similar effect on most weekenders. A few intrepid sports anglers have taken advantage of the weather but there have only been a few of these. This just shows that we are creatures of habit. February is not viewed as fishing time and so the boat sits there largely ignored. In fact, with the good weather, the poor old boat probably isn't even checked as often as it should be. The bottom line, though, is that something is being missed.

There has been a flurry of offshore activity that has given a few of the commercial operators a bit of a bonus. As has happened previously, the wahoo are injecting a bit of action into the otherwise slow winter season.

In really good years, there is a run of wahoo on the Banks that gets boats pounding into even the seasonably hard weather just to have a crack at them. This year things aren't all that spectacular but it is possible to manage a dozen or more with the average size bettering 35 pounds. Not at all bad, considering that there isn't much else to fish for, at least in terms of the more sought-after game fish.

All the usual spots are producing fish with the Banks being the preferred areas. Challenger, in particular, has been productive with the advantage of being closer to home, especially if the weather starts to act up.

There have been some smaller fish in the 'teens but, for the most part, the 'hoos are quite nice fish. All the usual rigs are producing wahoo and someone might want to experiment with running a daisy chain just in case there are small smaller than usual mackerel around. Those would make nice live baits and should entice the largest wahoo to bite.

Although wahoo were the intended target, one commercial boat had a bit of excitement when a hooked yellowfin tuna started acting like it was scared. It came to hover underneath the boat before it was boated where it tipped the scale at fifty-odd pounds. What could frighten a fairly respectable sized tuna? All was revealed a day later when the same boat hooked what was thought to be a heftier tuna in the same vicinity. Tuna was not the right conclusion, but mako shark was. The fish, at about 200 pounds, is one of the most formidable creatures in the sea and an apex predator. In other words, top of the heap and pretty much capable of eating anything else that swims in the sea ¿ remember it doesn't have to eat all of it. A good chunk out of some larger fish is enough to put paid to it. That should be enough to discourage any chance encounters with the mako.

Although the great white shark is larger, the mako is more common and can weigh well in excess of a thousand pounds. A quick reference to Wikipedia®, the free on-line encyclopaedia, shows that makos are seldom found in water less than 61°F. That tallies nicely with the inshore Bermuda winter low temperature. Offshore is a good bit warmer and well into the range preferred by the mighty mako.

Just about every regular fisherman has a mako story to tell but the off-season and shoulder-season seem to have more than their fair share of accounts. The early spring run of small to medium sized wahoo often coincides with a mako or two. Usually the first sign that there is one in the area is the catching of a shredded or otherwise defaced wahoo. It is common enough to hear that boats working an area report catching partial fish and then to have someone actually see or even catch a mako shark. So, if there is a concentration of wahoo, and there seems to be one there now, the presence of a mako or two should not be considered unusual.

Even though, there have been a few caught in recent weeks, yellowfin tuna have been hard to come by for a full year now and one has to wonder why. For once, this cannot be associated with a drop in population size due to overfishing or a natural disaster. In fact, there is little concern over the state of the global yellowfin stocks, something which can not be said of other species.

The most likely explanation for the dearth here in Bermuda is that the Allison's migratory path has taken them just to the east or west of the Island. All things considered, the fishing grounds that we associate with make for a total area that is pretty much a pinpoint in the Atlantic. Even a 40-mile radius is a small area and easily missed by migrating fish or whales. Evidence for this has come from visiting boats that have reported seeing large schools of tuna 50 or more miles offshore. If they do not happen to find the Banks or the Edge, they simply won't be coming to Bermuda. So, maybe this summer, they will be back. At least, we can hope so.

Just as a reminder, there is the Miami Boat Show this weekend. As usual, a bunch of Bermuda residents will be inspecting the vessels on display, not to mention the endless array of nautical goods. One sure stop will be the Big Game Room which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. With significant input from Captain Jimmy Loveland, the Bermuda Triangle Tournament will be a feature with the dockmasters encouraging captains and owners to sign up for the Bermuda leg of the tournament.

Even if the billfish tournament circuit is not exactly your fancy, everyone enjoys the Big Game Room. Running from Thursday through Monday, it is the perfect venue for meeting and greeting fishing friends and where countless stories will be swapped by some of the greatest names in fishing and some never heard ofs as the camaraderie of the sea pulls everyone together. With the real season starting in just a few weeks (a little longer here) there will be lots of talk about the tactics and techniques needed to make for Tight lines!!!