THE holidays have slipped by us and we have started a new year, a new cycle for many things not least of which is the annual seasonal changes that nature brings angling.

Now that we might be able to find some available time, the chances are that the weather will have moved into serious winter mode with gales and inhospitable seas being the norm rather than the exception.

So, what is there to look forward to at the present? There should be some wahoo around. They are present year round and although the numbers may dwindle a session's trolling along the Edge should provide a strike or two. The fish have often been reputed to put up a better battle when the water is colder and while the jury remains out on this, there is no question that it is possible to catch some nice wahoo during the winter months. In fact, in some years there have been runs of wahoo that had the entire fleet battling the waves down to Argus Banks for a shot at a run that vied with the spring run for quality.

And just to put things into perspective the so-called spring run has taken place as early as March, a mere eight or nine weeks away! Other productive fishing can be had by chumming along the edge of the drop-off. Even working something like 22 fathoms along the southwest edge can make for some interesting action. Expect some off-beat species like African pompano and various jacks to put in an appearance in the chum slick with the more usual candidates being amberjack, bonita and maybe a few blackfin tuna. Robins will make for possibilities of improving results as one can never be too sure which predator may take a fancy to a carefully fished live bait. Don't forget that there are plenty of shark species that stick around throughout the winter as well.

While the chumming aspect will largely depend on the tidal conditions, it should be possible to bounce a rig on the bottom where the coneys, barbers and occasional hind will give you something to clean on the way home. There are such things as monkey (flag) rockfish that bite ever so occasionally as well and one of those can turn a slow day wonderful.

Although there have been spotty reports of yellowfin tuna, it is probably best waiting for some confirmation of their presence in sufficient numbers to justify setting out with the Allisons as a target. Don't be too surprised though if a trolled rig is snatched by an itinerant yellowfin intended on heading somewhere else. Pay careful attention to any tuna that you might happen to catch. There are plenty of albacore in local waters at this time of the year and while their preferred depth keeps them away from most anglers, they remain a distinct possibility. They look a bit like a blackfin but boast really long pectoral (side) fins. They are the white-meat tuna that the tuna canners build their markets on. Chances are, as you read this, you have a tin or two in the pantry. Try some fresh and you will consider throwing those tins out.

The International Game Fish Association has put into place a new programme that allows anglers to remember their notable catches with a IGFA Catch Certification Certificate. The programme allows the angler to select his or her notable fish and then to have its details recorded on a certificate that has gold embossing and the signature of the IGFA President. It is available for all species, both fresh water and salt water with details and application forms being available on line at www.igfa.org.

Naturally, there is a fee for having this done and those who like to criticise such things can probably find plenty to run with. One might suggest that this demeans real world records and waters down the prestige that comes with having a record fish recognised by the international record-keeping organisation. On the other hand, there are plenty of keen anglers who may never find themselves on the other end of a world-class fish. If you start looking at some of the more exotic species like black marlin, it is pretty much only the rich and famous who have access to those parts of the world where the real giants occur. Really big black marlin are pretty much limited to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia where the game fishing is conducted from motherships and other offshore facilities that are quite costly and limited.

Blue marlin are a bit more easily achieved as the species is found in all the world's oceans and large fish have, on occasion, occurred just about everywhere. Still, the number of anglers in the world who have the opportunity and ability to pursue blue marlin is a tiny fraction of those who actually go fishing for sport.

Think of the countless millions just in the US and Canada who never even get to wet a line in an ocean much less an area that is a preferred spot for some of the high profile species. Remember there are plenty of anglers in places like eastern Europe and Japan as well. Just because they are limited to certain species does not make them any less an angler than a millionaire who has his dream boat travelling from hotspot to hotspot, competing in big money tournaments or specialising in setting records.

The truth of the matter is that we, here in Bermuda, are all too easily spoilt by the record-rich waters that surround us, their relatively available access and by our exposure to the addictive high life, often on a beer budget.

And lest we all too quickly cast the first stone, haven't there been citations and achievement awards given by the Department of Tourism for notable and even not-so-notable catches made over the years? The difference in size required for locals as opposed to tourists proved that the opportunities had by locals required that higher standards be set.

One good thing that should not have escaped notice is that the days are, ever so gradually, starting to lengthen. Sunset comes a little later each day and the dawn is slowly but surely advancing. While it does take a while to make any real difference to how we live our lives, even such subtle changes can make big differences to natural systems. At the end of the day, as it were, it is this sequence of events that makes for what we see as the changing seasons and the comings and goings of various fish and other natural phenomenon. So, maybe if you can't get out to fish at least you can wax philosophical about the causes and meanings of your Tight lines!!!