EVEN though the game fishing is at its annual low level, there is certainly little complaining that can be done about the weather. There have been plenty of calm, sunny and even relatively warm days despite the display of Arctic wear sported by most locals last weekend. The benign weather here is in sharp contrast to the scenes on the American news shows on television where the North American continent has been subjected to blizzards, tornadoes and other unpleasantries. We should remember to be grateful for the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream, even if it doesn't turn us into a tropical paradise.

Most fishing activity has been in search of hinds, coneys, barbers and the occasional "floating" fish. Most commercial operators are concentrating on lobster over the inner bottom and the few that work the offshore are finding bottom-bouncing on the Banks the most productive method. Trolling has produced a few wahoo on a fairly consistent basis but the numbers do not justify the fuel expense.

The amateur is less concerned with the financial aspects as they are resigned to having to subsidise their hobby. But most of us harbour the anticipation of some return on investment and the cost of a day's trolling is nothing short of prohibitive, especially if the outcome is a couple of missed strikes. Making shots count is critical but the usual bugbears of fishing don't take the winter off and if the fish are few and far between it is possible to end up with a blank. Not exactly satisfying.

So perhaps setting one's sights a bit lower is the solution. Concentrating on what is happily termed "reef fishing" lets one get out on the water with some reasonable expectation of getting some fillets for the table. It is pretty hard not to manage at least a bucket full of barbers or turbots, each of which produces a pair of nice, white fillets. There might still be a few yellowtails around and every so often an angler can come up with a surprise. Sometimes the surprise is something undesirable like a snakefish or moray but there is still that element of hope that it will be a rockfish or giant hind. Anglers do tend to be optimists.

Whether it is the warmth or some other quirk of nature, there is no shortage of whales offshore. There are plenty of humpbacks cavorting in the water, creating almighty splashes and providing boaters with a visual spectacle. Normally taking place during March and April, for whatever reason, there are lots of whales around at present. There are some reports that they have been on the offshore grounds for over a month already and while this isn't a first, it does make one wonder whether the whales are coming or going.

The normal migration pattern has the humpbacks wintering down around the Virgin Islands and then moving northward in the spring in order to spend the summer months in the plankton rich waters off New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces. As they follow the warming trend, they end up passing through Bermuda's latitude in April, or thereabouts.

As the summer draws to a close, the whales leave their summering grounds and head south to the Caribbean where the females give birth to their young before the northward-southward cycle is repeated.

So, at this juncture are the whales still headed south and merely enjoying a Bermuda stopover or are they making their way north earlier than usual*?>* In the normal scheme of things, they do not linger here too long simply because the local ocean does not carry the amount of plankton that whales require for a healthy diet. We are on the edge of the Sargasso Sea, an area of the Atlantic noted as being exceptionally unproductive in planktonic terms, hence the clarity of the water.

Funny to think that the behemoth whales feed on some of the tiniest living things in the ocean; they just need an awful lot of them to make a decent meal. And that's something they are not going to find in the clear blue briny that surrounds us! The mention of the Sargasso Sea brings us to another point. That is the source of the immense amount of seaweed that is currently surrounding the Island and washing up on the beaches and filling coves and bays.

The name comes from the Portuguese word for "grape" and refers to the little grape-like bulbs on the weed that help it to float. Think about it, weed is a plant and plants need light. A plant that sinks would not be very successful. As the currents ebb and flow, the oceans move quantities of weed around the Atlantic with some of the seaweed coming inshore and, finally, up onto the beaches. The common east wind during the winter accounts for the abundance of the weed. While it might seem unsightly, its presence does help the beaches rebuild the sand as part of an ongoing cycle.

Keen anglers will be aware that the International Game Fish Association holds a banquet each year at the prestigious Breakers Club in Palm Beach, Florida. An integral part of this celebration is an auction that has, over the years, grown to mammoth proportions.

A relatively new feature of this auction is that it can be accessed by anyone on line. Bids can be made anytime up until the 9.00 am 21st January 2008 deadline. The successful bidders will be notified following the silent auction held at the banquet. Up for auction is more stuff than imaginable. Everything from trips, fishing charters, marine artwork, jewellery, marine hardware and even a completely rigged boat.

All that is needed to bid is a credit card and a computer with internet access. The website is http://www.igfa.org/24thauction.asp. Bids must be U.S. Dollars, no hardship for Bermudians and residents, and, obviously, you only have to pay if you are the successful bidder. On the website each item shows the current high bid and there are some real bargains for the comparison shopper. Even if you don't want to bid, you might want to look at some of the stuff that is on offer: it is pretty fabulous with hundreds of things on offer.

A lot of the trips and charters listed will conjure up ideas for the future, exotic places to go and things to do. Some of the gadgetry may give you an idea to improve the boat or gear that you have. There are a lot of things that you don't have to buy but can make once you have seen someone else's idea and there are no shortage of those on the website. Just think, you might come up with a new plan for Tight lines!!!