How fast the year has gone - and, boy, is it ever so fleeting!

It seems that New Year's 2009 was yesterday and here we are again on the cusp of another one. Not so very long ago, we were in panic mode about Y2K with visions of airplanes dropping out of the sky and computers crashing, yet now we realise that we are looking at the passage of an entire decade.

Personally, this getting old business is really a bit of a bummer!

Anyway, unable to stop the passage of time and ever being propelled into the future, it does pay to occasionally reflect on the year that has sped by.

The big story has to be the phenomenal number of wahoo that graced local waters.

Early spring action was good and there were reasonable numbers on tap through the summer months but as autumn arrived, things went absolutely off the scale.

The Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament was blessed with the best weather imaginable and the fish were more than willing to please.

Close on a hundred fish were brought to the weigh station and although there weren't any giants the quality was admirable.

That is notable especially considering that most places in the world are satisfied with wahoo that weigh in the 20-pound bracket.

The Bermuda average is definitely higher than in most other places. In fact, there are plenty of game fish destinations that count the species as a bit of a rarity.

As the weeks progressed, boat after boat got into double figures with the 'hoos proving as reliable for anglers and commercial operators as could be imagined. Literally thousands of pounds of wahoo were stockpiled in freezers and chill rooms across the Island and there are probably more than enough to satisfy the market until the first harbingers of spring arrive along with next year's first wahoo run.

The summer was not as memorable for blue marlin as it has been. That notwithstanding does not mean that there were certain notable happenings.

On the July 4, Stefan Olsen gave Bermuda her sixth Blue Marlin World Cup winner with a 865 pound blue. So, at least there was still a high standard of quality about.

On the other hand, the fish were not as numerous as they have been in years gone past but there were more than enough to make for very close competition in the Bermuda Big Game Classic and the other July tournaments.

The memorable element of this event was the number of white marlin that featured in the catches. Normally, the blue marlin is by far the dominant mid-summer species out in the deep but 2009 just went to show that sometimes things are simply not what they seem.

What seemed to be lacking might well have had an impact on the marlin abundance.

Yellowfin tuna were thin on the ground through most of the season, disappointing anglers who had made the pilgrimage to chum for this species using light tackle.

Long famed for this type of fishing, Bermuda is well-documented in the books and popular literature as the place to seek this challenge.

Maybe the fish read the same stories because they were not in a mood to please.

We will probably never know what caused this and the conjecture ranges from a global change in abundance (which happily does not seem to be the case) to a slight shift in migratory pattern just taking them that little bit farther away from our traditional fishing grounds. Let us hope for a return to normalcy when the spring arrives.

As for the less sought after but nonetheless important species, there was a welcome influx of oceanic bonito. These provided great action and made some excellent live baits.

They quite possibly filled the void left by the yellowfins and gave the apex predators a reason to stay in the local area.

The blackfin tuna got the pretty well free ride that they have enjoyed in recent years. This is something that should be addressed as the number of records held in Bermuda continues to dwindle as other locations boast success on the various line classes.

The fish are out there and could well restore some records if only local anglers concentrated on them.

Amberjack did not rate much of a mention but the bonitas have been and still are ready and willing to please.

Often the months of December and January are the best for these species and it is the lack of angling effort in the so-called off-season that keeps them out of the limelight.

Commercial fishermen know this and these species will form a large part of the winter catch.

Dolphin were their usual unpredictable selves, figuring just often enough to keep them a possibility at pretty much any time. The smaller summer game species were much as expected and did their part to provide action on days when the main game species played hard to get.

Once again, although some were seen, the frigate mackerel were not the integral part of the late season that they sometimes are. Perhaps we can look forward to seeing them next September.

The angling clubs all had good tournaments and participation levels seemed to be somewhat on the rise, which is a good thing. It bodes well for the future.

There was plenty of support for the other major events like the Regiment and Bacardi tournaments, so that too is a positive. Basically, angling is alive and well in Bermuda and long may it continue that way.

Apart from the highs and lows of tournament frenzy and the simple pleasures from wetting a line, there were a few sad aspects to 2009.

The angling fraternity lost three of its most respected members rather suddenly.

Back in April, the loquacious Hilton Smith ceased to be the welcome proponent of Bermuda angling and its history.

Then, in June, Capt. Jamie Pearman, probably the Island's foremost fly fisherman and specialist bonefisher, left a void which has still not, and may never be, filled.

It was with shock that the fishing community learned of the passing of Capt. Keith Winter, a most respected charter skipper, all-round great angler and IGFA representative.

Perhaps the most the rest of us can do is to fondly remember that we have had the honour and pleasure of knowing these fine ambassadors to the angling world.

Looking to the immediate, the festive season is upon us and Kris Kringle will be making his rounds bringing sugar plums and toys to those who have been nice.

Most anglers don't have to worry about this, they too will get their just desserts.

Happily, Rudolph has slipped himself into the sorting process this year and everything should go as planned.

As for me, please accept my sincerest wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2010 replete with the tightest of Tight lines!!!