Summer is nearly over, you know. Apart from the Labour Day holiday next weekend, the schools are on the verge of going back in (watch what happens to the traffic!), the autumnal equinox will take place on the 23rd of September. After that, most weekenders accept that the season is over and start putting the gear away and getting ready to put the boat back into mothballs. Funny how quick the summer slides by!

Another sure sign of the times, is the selection of fish that grace chum lines on the Banks or on Bermuda's Edge. Getting the robins up becomes a bit hit and miss simply because the barriers take up residence right off the stern of the boat and pretty much dictate what the fishing is going to be like.

The barracuda offers some intersesting insights into a life style that is poorly understood. For a start, why is it that they show up in numbers on the traditional fishing grounds in such numbers at this time of theyear. Where ae they the rest of the time? Where do they spend the rest of the year?

The short answer to these questions is that no one knows. Barracuda actually refer to a number of species and these pretty much occur everywhere that is tropical or sub tropical.

For the most part, the barracuda that comes to mind is the toothy craitter that boasts a number of spots that resemble mildew on an otherwise silvery background. They are officially known as the great barracuda and occur all over the world including in the Mediterranean Sea. They apparently grow to about 100lbs but even a 20-pounder is pretty big by local standards. They somehow made it into the list of game fish way back in the early days of the sport but one has to wonder if that is more to do with the appearance of this predator than its ability. To be fair, though, on light tackle, they will run and often put on an aerial display. They do tend to be light weights though and have not really been well regarded by local anglers.

One thing that sets the Bermdua barry apart from its relatives in the Caribbbean and Gulf is that they are considered safe as a food fish. Many a 'cuda fillet finds its way into a bag of mixed white fillet and the incidence of ciguatera in Bermuda is so rare as to be minimal. Not so elsewhere where barracuda are never considered as a food fish.

There are lots of hearsay reasons for their being frowned upon elsewhere. There are tales of copper poisoning from copper ingested on the "Copper Banks" in the Caribbean. So places refine it to the point that barracuda from one side of a reef area are safe but from the other side they are not, and so on. Probably the most realistic analysis is that certain toxins are concentrated up through the food chain so that the barracuda's flesh is toxic to other vertebrates like people. The root source of the toxin is probably some form of plankton.

The last bit might explain why the problem is unlikely here. Many plankton bloom or multiply in huge numbers as a result of massive freshwater inputs from rivers or runoff. Bermuda has no rivers and the run off after a storm is pretty much a drop in the bucket. So, no input, no plankton bloom, no basic source of cigua-toxin, hence predatory fish do not build up concentrations of poison; thus they are safe to eat. A possible explanation that fits the available evidence.

In any case, chumming on the Banks or over the deeper reefs is likely to see anything up to half a dozen 'cudas just hang around like so many branches. Any hooked mackerel are almost instantly shredded; the robins become as skittish as can be and the fishing generally goes off a bit.

There is a way of getting rid of the barriers that works sometimes - catching them. Obviously, if they are there getting a live bait can be a challenge; but for some reason, they will fall sucker to a well-presented artificial lure made of surgical tubing. Usually in outrageous colours, when fished from a spinning rod, the lure will have a barracuda go well out of its way to nail the lure. If nothing else this can provide a bit of light entertainment while waiting for something more exciting to show up.

While on the subject, there are a number of other barracuda species including the sennet and the California or Pacific barracuda. The sennet which occurs locally, even though it doesn't seem to be as numerous as it used to be, is a small fish about a foot in length and which usually seems to be active at night. Small spinning lures or spoons work with this species as does cut bait. According to some old-timers, they made a tasty bite.

On to bigger things. Everyone is still waiting for signs of a wahoo run. So far, nothing but the passage of Danielle might be just the shake-up that is needed to get the fish into autumnal run mode. So far, no frigate mackerel either, but that can literally change overnight.

With the season's finale barely two weeks away, many anglers are undoubtedly procrastinating on getting their entries in and while so doing are musing over what might be the best way forward. Traditional trolling doesn't really seem to be producing the goods even though the commercial boats are picking them up fairly regularly. Numbers are a bit on the low side and the size is not the sort that generally wins tournaments.

There are, of course, alternatives. These include live baiting with robins. This may entail catching the baits at one place and then taking them elsewhere to be used as bait. This suggests a knowledge of where the wahoo are concentrated and that seems to be a area where there is a distinct lack of information at the moment.

Drifting is an unlikely way of catching wahoo but it has been known to work. Wahoo will bite in the chum although it is usually a challenge to get them to take a wire leader. There are a few tricks to the trade which can be employed. Also if you happen to be doing these things close to the really deep water, don't be surprised if a hefty tuna or billfish doesn't materialise out of nowhere and put paid to any light tackle that you may be practising with. There is some considerable difference when a fifty or sixty pound wahoo is sought after but something substantially larger decides to provide the Tight lines!!