SPORT fishing, what's that? At least, that is what the present scene would suggest. There has been a bit of commercial fishing but even that is at its lowest ebb. Drifting on the Banks and slipping in a brief bit of trolling for a wahoo is about the limit. The compensation isn't great but there have been a few reasonable mixed bags in between the bouts of inclement weather that the passage of cold fronts brings.

While a glimpse of the average person on the street this past week would have you believing it was Montreal or Nome, given the scarves, coats and hats, the truth of the matter is that it really isn't that cold. Better yet, the sea water temperature is actually several degrees warmer than the daytime temperatures being reported. Remember that the coral reef needs to be in water of 61°F or more to survive and it seems to be surviving pretty well from one year to the next. Were it to start undergoing massive die-offs then the entire marine ecosystem would undergo a revamping ¿ one that is nigh on impossible to predict with any accuracy.

Just think, we might have to completely re-develop our reef fishing methods, assuming that there would be any fish to catch. With the complexity of the coral reef, it is hard to visualise what might be. Happily, it hasn't happened yet and we almost certainly have more years to look forward to.

A new development in the sport fishing planned for this year may prove to be the cat that gets out amongst the pigeons. The start of this stems from the Blue Marlin World Cup which is changing one of its requirements for line classes. Although this might only affect a limited few who participate in the event, there may well be major ramifications that will be far-reaching.

Starting this year, the Blue Marlin World Cup will be going with "legal" line classes. This places restrictions on the stated line strengths with only certain lines proving acceptable so far.

Thus far 21 different lines have been approved in addition to any lines that are labelled as "IGFA class". This includes the pre-tested and certified lines, which for the most part are more expensive. The approved lines represent something like ten manufacturers and, so far, much to locals' dismay, Maxima® products are not on the list.

More lines are likely to be approved as the tournament organisers get more information from manufacturers. This will probably lead to even more confusion as manufacturers try to develop new products that comply with tournament requirements or alter existing products to satisfy the demands.

Now to examine the further effects of the World Cup altering its line rules. The Bermuda Blast is fished coincidentally with the World Cup; so, if the one requires the use of certain lines, then the other is going to have to go along. After all, it is unlikely, not to mention cumbersome, for someone to use a line on the first day of the Bermuda Blast and then to have to strip everything off and re-spool with an approved line in time for July 4.

Take things a step further. The Blast is part of the Bermuda Triple Crown. If you have to use certain line in one event, one suspects that the other two, the Classic and the Sea Horse events may also modify their rules to suit. After all, if the use of certain lines is perceived as an advantage or even as a disadvantage, then a level playing field is needed for all three events.

Another fly in the ointment might be the Bermuda Triangle Tournament. It is a fairly safe bet that some of the competitors that fish this will also fish one or more of the other events. Changing lines on an almost daily basis is unreasonable but so is the idea that someone might be using line that is thought to be "stronger" or "weaker". And you thought x-lb test was always going to break at x pounds! It seems that things are a lot more complicated.

As a word to the wise, anyone considering fishing the Blast or World Cup might want to give some thought to line choice well in advance. Some approved lines are not readily available locally and, it might come as a surprise, but even getting certain lines in the US can prove tricky. Simply, the vast majority of anglers are happy to use budget brands with only the tournament anglers insisting on the premium brands. Quality and price are major considerations for some anglers, such as those who concentrate on setting world line class records; but for most it really doesn't matter.

Most people who go fishing just want line strong enough to let them catch a fish. It is only when things become competitive that the question is raised. This really does put a different spin on things; not to mention the fact that there have been plenty of local anglers who have potential record submissions turned down on the basis of lines that over-tested.

Something else that so far has little effect locally, but you never know, is that there are tournaments in this world that require participants to use specific lines manufactured by their sponsors. Not all of these may meet the standards that will now be set for some major tournaments. The question now becomes how many will follow suit.

On the local scene, virtually all tournaments and the local angling clubs internal events have specified that line tests are determined by the manufacturer's stated line test. Now, we are going to see confusion amd maybe even conflict arising over the use of "stronger" or "weaker" 12-lb test, 20-lb test, etc. This is going to raise questions as to the fairness of the competition based on the different lines used by different anglers. It is not too far a stretch of imagination that local clubs may start approving lines as acceptable for their competitions. It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next year or so.

Despite the winter conditions, look on the bright side. January is over and done with, February is here. The boat show down in Miami will generate some gossip and maybe some useful fishing techniques or ideas. March is only four weeks away and then it will be time to start thinking about getting the boat ready for another spring campaign ¿ one that may come earlier than you expect. Even when least expected it pays to be ready for Tight lines!!!