WITH the hectic holiday activity mainly behind us now, some thought can be given to normal operations but, for many anglers, this can be some time into the future. So, before commencing a journey into the unknown that 2008 poses, a brief reflection on the season just past is well warranted ¿ if only because the past is often a good indication of what the future holds.

This year saw an absolutely outstanding wahoo run at the beginning of the spring, through the spring and right on into the summer. There was no shortage of wahoo, be it on the troll, in the chum, on live baits or even interfering with rigs meant for bigger fish. The commercail market was quickly glutted and even the weekenders were assured of a supply of wahoo that made a mark on people's memories.

Despite the wonderful supply of wahoo, when September and October came around and the autumnal run was expected, it pretty much never arrived. Having said that, the Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament was outstanding with a large number of fish being brought to the weighstation. It was the smaller than usual average size of the winners that provided the surprise. Maybe it was the fact that the summer-long campaign on wahoo had taken its toll or, perhaps, the fish were making a move eslewhere.

Another factor might have been the lack of the juvenile or "frigate" mackerel that so often provides the basis for exciting live-baiting for large wahoo. Although a few schools were seen inshore and on the inner bottom, these did not exhibit the level of offshore activity associated with some of the better late runs of migratory game fish.

The high summer months again saw the influx of some of the gems of the world's billfish fleet. Intent on catching trophy fish these boats put in an unprecedented amount of effort and contributed to the success of the four major local tournaments. A healthy win in the worldwide July 4th Blue Marlin World Cup was also attributable to a Bermuda fish when Capt. Peter Olander's Queen of Hearts came good with a fish that bettered the 700-pound mark.

There were a couple of notable points about this season's marlin. First off, there did not seem to be the really large fish that attract the record seekers. There were lots of nice middleweights in the 400 to 800-pound range but there was a distinct lack of the grander stories that have characterised the last eight or so years.

Something else, which might be more related to effort than anything else, is that we did not see the increased numbers of smaller fish that usually takes place as August turns into September. While the commercial operations and most anglers are turning their interest toward wahoo, the mere fact that they are traversing the deep water between the Edge and the Banks brings them into contact with the blue marlin that lurk in the depths. Still happened this year but maybe without the regularity that we have come to expect.

White marlin continue to be their unpredictable selves. Much more common early in the summer season, they remained on tap through June and July and, in several instances, separated the winners from the placers in the big tournaments. This species has been caught year round locally and there is some evidence that they are most numerous in the winter months when no one is putting in any effort at all for them.

One of this year's mysteries was the lack of yellowfin tuna. While they were not totally absent as they were in the early to mid-1970's, they certainly weren't around in the numbers that we have come to expect. Many of the charterboats base their summer trade around chumming for tuna on the Banks, providing both great sport and saving fuel into the bargain.

There were a few large fish in the 100-pound plus category but these were mostly taken while trolling. Some actaully took lures intended for billfish and some schools of large fish were seen. The normally so abundant schools of fish in the 25 to 45-pound range were conspicuous by their absence. Whether this is just a temporary aberration from the norm or the start of a worrying trend remains to be seen ¿ one of the things that we have to look forward to in the new year.

Blackfin tuna took up some of the slack created by the dearth of Allisons but these fish offer far more potenial than is made of them. They are an ideal species for catch-and-release fishing, having a high survivor rate and providing some relentless action when hooked on suitable tackle.

It was a better than usual year for dolphin with some nice fish figuring in the late season mixed bags. Numbers were also better than expected and maybe it was the lack of serious tropical activity in the general vicinity that precluded the flotsam that often attracts these colourful gamesters.

There really isn't too much to be said of the other offshore gamefish. Plenty of rainbow runners, jacks, little tunny (mackerel), bonitas and ambers kept causal anglers busy on the lighter tackle. The toothy barracuda, in no short supply, gave excitement to lots of first time anglers and invoked the curses of those having intended their baits for something better.

As always, there were some vaunted species that enjoyed pretty much of a free ride throughout the year. Of these, the one that should get the most attention has been largely ignored in recent years. But for the efforts of a single fly fishng operation, bonefish seem to wander Bermuda's shallows at leisure doing whatever it is that they do best.

Elsewhere in this world, that is providing some of the finest light tackle angling to be had. Places like the Bahamas and the Florida Keys are home to thousands, if not millions of bones and there they are sought after as a premier game species. Strange as it may seem, back in the 1950's and early 1960's when Bermuda was building its international game fishing reputation the bonefish was a major atttention grabber. World records were set and broken here and there was a mystique about stalking the "grey ghost" on the shallows.

Looking ahead, there is a whole season of possibilities. Now is the time to start planning that assualt on the world line class records that should so be held here in Bermuda. If nothing else, a bit of pipe-dreaming and musing will help while away the next two or three months when Mother Nature so often blows angling totally out of anyone's consideration. Rest assured, everything will eventually return to rights and the cycle will continue full of promise and surprise. In the meantime, accept the compliments of the season and every good wish for a great 2008; may it be filled with Tight lines!!!