Could it be that the worst is over? After all, Monday is the start of a whole new month with one-sixth of the year gone already. Now, in most people's minds, March tends to be a blustery month but what with what we have already had, can there be more in store?

The commercial fleet aren't holding their breath one way or another. There is still a month of lobstering to be had and in the absence of anything else, this will ensure survival until April when things are supposed to improve.

Do not forget that April often boasts some of the best wahoo fishing that we see during the course of a year. In many years, boats battle headseas to get down to Argus where the fish can be lickin'.

Happily, in some years, things can be happening as close as South Shore where the first dawn light might see a dozen boats looking to cash in on a bonanza. This sort of run does not usually last any length of time and the only way an amateur is going to get a piece of the action is: one, he gets to hear about, and two, he can get off work or whatever to have a shot at the fish. Even a week can be the difference between finding fish or ending up in an ocean desert bereft of any life.

A quick look at the supermarkets and restaurants will suggest that there isn't much in the way of fresh fish about. Things like "Catch of the Day – Poached Salmon in Hollandaise" does not exactly inspire confidence in the freshness of the local catch. To be sure, it was caught and may have been held on ice, but one thing's for sure – it wasn't caught here!

Reports from the local fleet confirm that there has been very little offshore effort and the weather has kept most of the smaller boats on their moorings. Some of the proactive commercial men and a very few amateurs have taken advantage of what is effectively down time to carry out routine maintenance work. Doing the bottom and changing zincs can be done in even trashy weather conditions and, right now, there is a lot less competition for slip space.

But there will be those who really want to go fishing and who will do just about anything to defy the odds and wet a line. A species that gets pretty free ride due to the lack of specialists is the porgy.

Back in the day when fish pots were in use, there were several species of porgy that used to get caught. There were the yellowish-tinged ones, the small ones with the red marks at the corner of the mouth and others. In fact, a quick Internet search will turn up a dozen or more species of porgy one of which, the silver porgy, is well known to us all. In local parlance, that silver porgy is a bream. Often disparaged but nonetheless a species that is available inshore during the winter and which does yield a firm white fillet. Another unlikely candidate that is also common inshore here during the winter is the pinfish. Unlike the bream, these have no redeeming features whatsoever and are best ignored. But in any event, neither of these is the species that is our focus today.

The blue-boned porgy is the species that attracts the attention today. Found over the deeper reefs – a.k.a. the porgy holes ( I wonder why) – this species has lots to recommend it. First off, in all but the nastiest weather, you can usually get to the porgy holes and the bottom structure makes it easy to get a killick to hold. The fish themselves tend to be large – OK, not like a wahoo or tuna – but for a reef fish they are just about the next best thing to a hefty amber or bonita. The average porgy will be better than ten pounds and can go a good bit larger. About one-third of that is prime white meat fillet and the large head and rack are the chowdermaker's dreams all come true.

A waterglass can make life really easy for this type of fishing but the general technique works well on its own. Figure it this way, the porgies cruise through the sandy channels between the coral heads and the trick is to get a bait onto the sand. This can be helped along by dropping some chum down there. There are all sorts of devices and home-made gimmicks for accomplishing this: cans on bits of line – when it sinks you jerk the line and the bait spills out. Actually, cat food works well and while the idea is not to litter the reef with tins, attaching it to a string so that it can be pulled back up works.

Although a few coneys or barbers may pay the bait a passing interest, the odd red hind or other grouper might come into play but most of these are so thin on the ground that it doesn't matter – not to mention virtually all the groupers are protected species that most of us have never seen anyway, except maybe in the Aquarium.

Rest assured, sooner or later, a porgy will come down the channel and that is when you want your weighted hooked bait just waiting for him. That's where the waterglass makes things easy. You see the quarry and drop the bait down right in front of him. Almost invariable it will bite; a sharp tug. That's the signal to fire: one shortcoming of the waterglass is that you usually see it before you feel it and firing a second too early can result in a miss. Assuming that all has gone according to plan, in a few seconds, the porgy should be on the floor of the cockpit. The formula is then to repeat the process a few times until enough has been caught to justify heading for home. All in all, a good few hours effort (it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to boast success) with the promise of fresh fish and chowder to come.

Before you ask, commercial fishermen don't get the sort of return from porgies that wahoo or tuna or even bottom fish like hinds and coney offer. Restaurants like porgies but are not prepared to pay the full rate for a fish that is not going to make for a whole lot of saleable meat. Plus they can use other racks for chowder, not to mention commercially available concentrates.

So, if you are desperate for some fresh fish or even just an excuse to get out in a boat, there is your answer. If nothing else, it should get you some Tight lines!!!