NOW you may not have heard it, but there is a fairly accurate adage going around that pretty much summarises the passage of time. Basically, the year can be marked by certain significant feasts. Seemingly a few days after Cup Match comes Halloween, followed, within a week or two by Christmas.

Although this is every bit as facetious as it sounds, there is a ring of truth. Cup Match has come and gone and despite the fact that there is all of the rest of the month of August and a bit of September yet to come before schools go back in and the Island returns to normal, for many it seems that the summer is over. This is certainly true from the angler's standpoint.

July was a heady month with big blue marlin grabbing all the headlines and Bermuda enhancing its reputation as a billfish capital of the world. The weather leading up to and over the long holiday weekend left something to be desired and many of the weekend warriors forsook fishing in favour of other shore-bound activities.

Now they are faced with making plans for the few weeks of favourable angling weather that remain before the subtle changes start to herald the onset of that other season. There is also the distinct possibility of something that totally lacks subtlety and keeps everyone home hanging on to their roofs. We can't just forget that it is the height of hurricane season.

Shifting back to the fishing, the main recent development has been the arrival of some hefty yellowfin tuna. Not suited to the light tackle used by those normally chumming, these big fish, in excess of 100 pounds, are good candidates for trolled rigs and live baits, Fishing a live robin off a kite is as near to a sure-fire shot as you can get. Kiting a rigged flyer may well get results with one thinking that a flyer trolled way back is likely to get inhaled as well. Something not often done with live robins is slow trolling along the 100-fathom line. Although the speed has to be just about an idle, this can be very effective, on a variety of species.

Looking ahead, just what is on the cards for the next few weeks? Well, the offshore scene will continue to have a fair bit of input from the marlin.

They will remain on the grounds for at least another six weeks before some primaeval trigger tells them that it is time to head south to their wintering area.

Wahoo activity should be pretty low although it should be possible to catch a few trolling and the odd fish does take to feeding in the chum. Live baits are also a good option although it is about that time that the barracuda move into the front seats and torment anyone trying to catch just about anything else. For some reason, though, while they will slash at most small game, they tend to leave even hooked tuna alone. So, if you can get the blackfin or yellowfin up, it is still possible to enjoy some light tackle action with little fear of interference. The small game is just that, a diversion while waiting for some larger forms of excitement. One thing worth remembering, though, is that a lot of the small game species make for good eating.

Not exactly small game but definitely coming into their own at this time of the year are the amberjack and Bonita (Almaco jack). To catch a real trophy fish, you will probably need a live bait fished down deep on the Banks or along the Edge. If the robins are scarce, try using a whole squid or a big piece of fresh cut bait, like a side off a freshly-caught mackerel. These denizens of the deep will take such offerings with alacrity. Also worth bearing in mind are a few facts about these species. First off, large individuals often move around in pairs so it is possible to catch both and because they will inhabit relatively shallow water (12-20 fathoms), reef fishermen often encounter them.

Leaving the deep blue briny behind and moving right up and on to the Edge, there is something else that has enjoyed a bit of a free ride in recent years. This is the yellowtail snapper. Since the cessation of fish pots and a total lack of netting effort, there is every reason to think that this population has blossomed and there should be good numbers on hand. The warm, even hot, summer days of August combined with calm seas produce near perfect conditions for this type of fishing.

A word to the wise: bring plenty of ice. Yellowtails are delightful fish both in sporting and culinary terms. About their only drawback is their proclivity for going rotten incredibly quickly. A good rule of thumb is one pound of ice per pound of fish to cool them down and another pound per pound to keep them.

Remember that fish are cold-blooded and so their body temperature is reflective of the sea water temperature. With the ocean now in the mid -80s, this means that the fish are almost as warm as a warm-blooded creature and once caught, deterioration is going to take place at a rapid rate. Hence the need for lots of ice. Another useful technique is to keep the knife handy and to gut the snappers as they are brought aboard, this only takes a minute but has the advantage of getting rid of the bits that spoil the quickest and allows you to pack the gut cavity with ice, thereby speeding up the cooling process. Because warm fish inevitably melt a portion of the ice, it is necessary to have additional ice to keep the fish cool and in prime condition. It is a real shame to arrive home and find that the fish are smelling a bit funny and have gone sort of soft to the touch. Risky business to cook up and eat.

One of the main things that will be in every skipper's mind is the need to keep an eye out for any juvenile mackerel, locally referred to, for some unknown reason, as "frigate" mackerel. These often show first on the inner bottom or along Bermuda's Edge. A fairly regular autumnal event this usually, but not always, coincides with the fall wahoo run and heralds the end of the season for most fair weather fishermen. At this stage, this is what both sportsmen and commercial operators are looking forward to.

Tournament organisers are always hoping that this ties in with the last major event of the season, the Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament. Entry forms are in the papers and have to be submitted as originals, so procrastination is best avoided. This popular event has enjoyed great success in recent years because, for whatever reason, the fish have chosen to cooperate and even the once-a-year anglers have had a great time. After all, for many this is the year's last shot at Tight lines!!!