WELL, finally some weather that is reminiscent of winter. Not that young people today have any idea of what winters used to be like here. Endless gales, hailstorms and rainy, overcast days with seemingly freezing temperatures. What Bermuda has had in the last decade or so has been a far cry from that. In fact, there are quite a few fishable days in the December through March period, something pretty much unheard of 20 years ago. It was that mind set that led to anglers in general and the fishing clubs in particular just writing off that portion of the year.

In fact, the Fishing Information Bureau run by the forerunner of the Department of Tourism to promote sport fishing in Bermuda went on record stating that the recognised season was from May through November. It actually went so far as to say that the so-called "off-season" was unsuitable for expeditions offshore. It claimed that things improved in April and then went wild in May. Considering that it was tourist propaganda, it really wasn't too far from the truth.

Those who live here and who have the luxury of being able to change plans at short notice know that it is possible to get in some quality angling on those often halcyon days of winter. The wind drops right out, the seas are calm and the water is ever so clear. And sometimes, the fishing is nothing short of top-notch. There have been months like February when the wahoo action has been red hot. One particularly memorable year had the entire fleet punching its way out to Argus despite heavy weather just to be able to take part in the action. The wahoo were big and there were lots of them. It isn't always that way but when it happens you do want to be part of it.

That something a bit different is going on this year is rapidly becoming apparent. There have been more reports from various observers, including some land-based, of whales cavorting off the South Shore. An odd one or two can be put down to being either really early or really late but when they appear in numbers then one has to conclude that things are happening ahead of schedule.

If the whales are ahead of schedule then there is a lot of planktonic bait out there. Taken together, this has to suggest an early spring and, if that is the case, things could happen awfully quickly and when least expected. In some years, the first sign has been an obvious increase in the number of tuna around the Banks but a marked reluctance to bite. That is because they are gorging themselves on the shrimp-like bait animals. After all, why bite your year-old garfish when they can have fresh, ready and alive.

One thing that often figures in such years are the mackerel. Not exactly frigate-sized but eminently suitable for live bait use, there can be hordes of these over the Banks and deeper reef areas. While they are probably feeding on the bait as well, they will often make the mistake of getting involved with daisy chains and that is where the possibilities start. It would seem that wahoo are more intent on fish or squid for food and small mackerel fit right into this category. So, if you are doing a spot of trolling over the next few weeks, don't fail to drag a daisy chain just on the off-chance that the mackerel are out there in numbers.

Realistically, there won't be too many of us actually getting offshore. Most of us don't have the abject luxury of taking time off at short notice and the winter is that time when the boat lies idle and the rods and reels gather dust. Being real procrastinators, the gear won't get serviced nor will the boat be hauled until spring is obviously in the air and the picnicking season arrives, all of a sudden! Then it is panic mode as there are loads of chores to be done. Heed this advice and try to make some progress, even on the little things while nothing else is happening.

If the urge to fish is strong enough, you may find yourself grabbing a spinning rod and heading for a dock or ridge to while away the hours. This is not a bad idea and will get you some fresh air.

Inshore fishing from such places continues to be dominated by the silver porgy a.k.a. bream. Catching these can be beneficial and there are some that are a good deal larger than most people think, They can also provide a good pull on suitable tackle and they are not to finicky when it comes to bait. Just about anything will work.

There is another species that will please; definitely not a game species and one best thrown back. Not too dissimilar to the porgy, the pinfish boasts grunt-like stripes and a porgy-like spot but that is where the resemblance ends. Unlike the porgy which actually makes for nice, firm white fillets, the pinfish well earns its name. There are bones everywhere. No matter how carefully you fillet a pinfish, rest assured that there will be bones in there somewhere. As stated, best thrown back.

Another diversion, for good days, is to fish off the South Shore beaches. Two main things here: there are some palometa (pompano) around. They may not be large but they will respond to chum in the form of bread dipped in sardine oil or cat food. They will take small silvery artificials or bait and they live up to their jack heritage and put up a good fight. Try using something like 2-lb test and see what they do. In fact, those inexpensive fishing rods sold in hardware stores, meant for kids fishing in freshwater are ideal for this type of fishing.

Fishing the bottom along the beaches with such gear can prove surprising. There are quite a few small (like one-half to one pound) bonefish. These are virtually impossible to see, so you have to fish blindly for them but if bait is used they will usually find you. For something so small, they put up a remarkably good fight and will actually strip off a fair bit of line. If you are using ultra-light gear, the trick is to make sure that a larger bonefish (yeah, they live there too) doesn't help itself to your offering. When that happens the most you can hope for is that it will stop before you come down to the knot on the reel. That gives new meaning to Tight lines!!!