IT was inevitable. Winter had to come and now it has done so with a vengeance. Thankfully, despite locals running around like Nanook of the North, it doesn’t really get so cold that things like ice fishing ever come to mind!To start off on a positive note, the International Game Fish Association has ratified two other world records for Bermuda.

Well-known local angler Cindy Mitchell again graces the record book with a 20 lb 12 oz horse-eye jack caught on 50 lb test. The catch was made on Challenger Bank while fishing from Capt. Keith and Kevin’s Playmate.

The second recently ratified record is on fly tackle. This was an 18 lb 3 oz rainbow runner caught on 20-lb test tippet by Frank C. Carter who was fishing on Capt. Peter Olander’s Albatross. The catch was made on Challenger Bank on June 10 last year.

It is fairly safe to say that the past week has done little for fishing and even the commercial operators have concentrated on their lobster traps. The amount of sport fishing being done is at its annual low — there are a few who are in the enviable position of being able to take advantage of good days as and when they happen. Not that they have happened too often this last week or so. Still there are some nice winter days and now that the days are getting noticeably longer, there will be opportunities to wet a line.

Although it might seem hard to believe, especially when the wind is howling and icy cold rain comes pelting, there are some game fish offshore. The wahoo definitely stay around all year long and the yellowfin are pretty regularly encountered as well. Certainly, it appears that this latter species is pretty a year-round species despite the fact that it is classified as a tropical tuna. The fact of the matter is that this fish seems to be at home in quite a wide temperature range which accounts for its almost worldwide distribution. On a seasonal basis they travel quite far north or the equator and stragglers have turned up at some geographic extremes.

In fact, note should be taken that it is an influx of school-sized yellowfin that kicks the offshore fishing into gear off the Carolinas and Virginia. This often takes place as early as February and, even though, many boats have a long run to make out to the Gulf Stream waters, the rewards are enough to justify the effort. Given the time of year, it sure isn’t that the water has suddenly warmed up markedly to accommodate the Allisons. It can be argued that the Carolinas and Bermuda are pretty much fishing in the same pond. True, the Gulf Stream runs up between the island and the US east coast but it would be a mistake to think that the fish only travel in the stream itself. They move on the eastern (our) side of the stream and travel with the eddies, or warm water loops, that spin off from the main flow. Sometimes these warmer bodies of water carry normally tropical species into areas well out of their usual ranges, so this can help to account for fish occurring in areas that would be too cold for the fish in the normal scheme of things.

It is the Atlantic on the eastern side of the Gulf Stream that the water temperatures have the benefit of the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream. So, even though it may seem cold at present, the Bermuda offshore temperature generally stays well within the range of the hardier tropical species and this may well account for the yellowfin tuna that have been caught here during the so-called off season.

This is also a prime time of year for bluefin tuna off the Carolinas. This is a specialised fishery and there are all sorts of legal restrictions in the United States. Having said that, there have been some fabulous catches and plenty of top flight action over the last few years. Naturally, the weather can leave something to be desired but there is not much doubt that the fish do put in an appearance each winter. Much of the fishing tends to be catch and release because the regulations can state a maximum as well as a minimum size and the fish are often larger than the maximum and must therefore be turned loose. Still, it all makes for an exciting sport fishery for a genuine big game fish at a time of the year when the billfish and other glamour species are sticking to warmer climes. While it would be nice to think that this option exists for Bermuda as well, there is only a little evidence to suggest that large numbers of bluefin move through the local area within the effective range of fishermen. After all, who knows what passes 20 miles to the south of the island.

Even though bluefin have been caught here on occasion, there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern to their movements. They have been caught during the winter months, as well as in May/June and there have been reported sightings of bluefin on the Banks during the height of the chumming season. Within the last couple of years there was an apparent flurry of activity off the East End that was put down to the passage of a small school of bluefin that no one was able to stop. The bottom line is that unless the fish are seen and visually located, local sportsmen are not going to go looking and, given that it is winter, it will be even harder to lure anglers offshore on a dubious expedition.

It makes a lot more sense to play safe and concentrate on fish that are likely to please. This usually means ignoring most game species and concentrating to the bottom fish like coneys, hinds and barbers. Some of the “floating fish” come in for attention as well; ambers, bonitas and even turbots (triggerfish) make for tasty fillets and they are usually quite easy to catch. When the weather moderates even just a bit, it is sometimes possible to fish over the deeper reefs without having to put up with the heavy seas that might still be running out in the deep. Obviously, the chumming aspect of such fishing is dependent on the tide and a bout of bad weather can play havoc with that. A poor tide will make it difficult if not impossible to lure the most desirable species but bouncing a bottom rig almost always pays off to one degree or another. At this time of the year it really doesn’t matter how you get your Tight lines!!!