You have to wonder where all this weather is coming from. Forget global warming, everybody seems to be freezing. The US East Coast has had more snow this year that in almost a century; the UK has had loads of the white stuff, not to mention frozen pitches and well-chilled people. Europe has had everything from blizzards to gales to mudslides.

Yet, we complain about the fact that we suffer from gales on what seems to be like a daily basis. We are used to winter flight cancellations due to snowstorms in New York and Philadelphia – in fact, we expect a few of those. What is more unusual is when the aircraft won't fly to Bermuda because of the storm-force crosswinds at the airport.

The knock on effect of such weather on the fishing industry is massive, much more so than on the recreational fishery. The weekend warrior has long been resigned to spending from November to April on land and so to have to put up with some stormy conditions is expected. It is the commercial operator who bases his operation on being able to get offshore two or three times a week that is most affected by conditions that keep him home for more than a week at a time. Even the trips to the lobster traps on the inner bottom have been curtailed by the gales and with the end of the season rapidly coming into sight, times could be getting a mite desperate. Surely, some improvement cannot be too far ahead.

In any event, while hope springs eternal, certainly the old adage of March roaring in like a lion and exiting like a lamb must come to mind. We have definitely had the roaring and more and are well deserving of some moderation and a halcyon April ahead. In the meantime, we shall have to grin and bear it with the only positive actions relating to preparations of vessel and gear.

It looks like trick fishing is coming back into fashion. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) has recently confirmed a women's 6-lb test world record for blue marlin at 186 pounds. The catch was made off the Cape Verde Islands in the eastern Atlantic. Talk about using thread! Even relatively small freshwater fish like trout and bass give a great account of themselves on 6-lb line but a 100-pound plus pelagic bruiser?

Think that is amazing? Well, think again. Another recently approved record is every bit as outrageous. This time it is 4-lb test and the catch is a 209-pound striped marlin caught off New Zealand. Again, it is women's record and one which must boggle the mind. Just how much 4-lb line can a 200-pound fish drag off a reel and, worse, just how long does it take to crank it all back.

Coming a little closer to reality and yet another recently ratified world record is a new 8-lb test record for black grouper. In our parlance this means "rockfish". The new record is a 2 lb 8 oz fish caught off Marathon, Florida. While it is not a particularly large fish, it probably took some doing simply because rockfish do like to hide in the rocks and reefs do terrible things to light line. Something else that we can take to heart is that no matter how we boast about the size of our rockfish, we will never, ever better that record.

For two reasons: one, it will be a very brave individual indeed who goes bottom bouncing with anything like 8-lb test. The second reason is even more persuading. Simply stated it is illegal to take a rockfish that small here in Bermuda. Something that many anglers may not be aware of is the fact that anything illegal precludes the IGFA from granting a record. This means that fish that have been "poached" or taken in violation of local laws or regulations relating to species or seasons cannot be entered for international recognition. So, if you fancy a world record for black grouper (runner rockfish or just plain rockfish), you had better plan on a big one. The current all-tackle record is 124 pounds. We do get bigger rockfish here but the idea of using sporting tackle doesn't usually leap to mind. Actually, once the species in question is not one of the 17 or so species locally recognised as game fish, the whole idea of sporting goes out the window. This is actually a big unfortunate because we have had some serious world-beaters caught here that will never grace the record books. One that immediately comes to mind is the red hind. There have been plenty over ten pounds over the years and some considerably larger. There is a mounted red hind down at the Fisheries Office that was recorded as weighing 18.2 pounds. The current IGFA all-tackle record is a mere eight pounds, seven ounces!

Similar situations exist for other species here that we see only as commercial species. Just look at sharks - important to some sport fisheries elsewhere and definitely frowned upon by locals. The mere idea of going fishing for such a thing is virtually unheard of, certainly within the circle of sports fishermen. The other aspect to all of this is that the IGFA have opened up line test categories beyond just the all-tackle category for a great many species. This has been done in the interest of providing just about all nations with something that they can shoot for. Basically, there are countries that simply are not home to some of the internationally recognised game species and have had to make do with what the purists deem lesser species.

Before you go off half-cocked, remember that the real purists don't have a lot of time for salt water big-game fishing or anything else, for that matter. It is the Atlantic salmon on fly that is real fishing! Everything else is a major step down.

Leave that thought there and start thinking about what is to be. It will only take a little bit of settling down to allow the fleet to start getting the real measure of the offshore situation. Looking back on years gone by, wahoo runs have occurred as early as the latter part of March and there are some who recall catching hauls of jacks in the harbour in mid-month. There should be a sneaking suspicion that if water temperature is anything to do with it, then this won't be one of those years in the inshore. Offshore though, things are subject to change rapidly and that can make for some exceedingly healthy Tight lines!!!