Ah, a strange time of year. To fish or not to fish: that is the question. Chances are that the boat has been taken up for safe-keeping or put on a mooring with multiple lines to ensure that it did not go "drift about" during the storm. Is it really worth getting it back to ship shape in order to manage a foray or two offshore before the onset of wintry weather knocks that notion clean out of the weekender's mind? What if yet another tropical system eyes Bermuda and puts paid to piscatorial plans?

The calendar and astronomical observations confirm that the sun has crossed the equator (what an idea - the sun doesn't actually go anywhere; it is the earth that does the moving) as the autumnal equinox; the days grow shorter and the weather starts to be a little cooler and a little less humid. Can winter be far away?

Actually, it might be some time before the real winter sets in and, yes, late September even on in October often sees some first-rate fishing. The fish are on the move as their various migratory patterns kick in. There are still wahoo offshore and the "frigate" mackerel have not suddenly grown up in the last two weeks. In addition, it is usually about this time that juvenile blackfin tuna show up and these make even better live baits that the small mackerel.

The flotsam that usually follows a storm often draws dolphin and wahoo and while the fish may not be large specimens, this is the time when finding something floating can pay off huge dividends. Do the smart thing and have some sort of marker that you can toss over the side when you find a fish-laden floating article. It is amazing how something that can't be more than 100 yards away can totally disappear never to be relocated. Really frustrating when you know that there are fish there that are really willing to please.

While there are probably still a few out there, marlin are best ignored and the gear carried should be aimed at tuna and wahoo. Although considered a tropical species, the yellowfin tuna are often found in slightly cooler water and that is just about what we have offshore at the moment. That and what should be an abundant food supply should see good fishing action over the next couple of weeks.

If you ever take a course in oceanography (why would you) or, more likely, watch a programme on oceanography on the Discovery Channel, you will note that there are repeated references to the mixing processes that go on in the world ocean. These processes are vital to the recycling of nutrients, their conversion to plant organisms, thence to animals all the way up the food chain to the great whales, sharks and ocean predators. Sometimes the mixing is obvious, like the emptying of a river into an ocean; sometimes it is more subtle involving temperature or density variations. Then there are spectacular events like the passage of a hurricane. Having seen South Shore last weekend or hearing of the forecast 20 to 30 foot waves offshore, could there be any doubt but that mixing was occurring on a massive scale.

The interesting thing is that here in Bermuda, there isn't all that much to mix as compared with the nutrient-rich waters that occur along the continental margins. As a result we don't normally get massive plankton blooms that are obvious and impart different shades of green or brown to the water. Everything that does occur here is less apparent even though there are plankton blooms both inshore and offshore and a wide variety of semi-microscopic plants and animals. The lack of sheer volume is part of the reason the whales merely pass through on their way to the rich feeding grounds off the North American shelf.

What we do see is the oceanic food web farther up the chain where schools of bait fish like flying fish or squid are fed upon by tuna, wahoo, marlin and other higher order predators. Right up at the apex where the predators are pretty boundless we find the big sharks, marlin and large tunas; all of which are pretty much capable of eating just about anything else that swims in the sea.

One standout observation prior to and during the hurricane is the milky appearance of the water off South Shore. This comes from the suspended matter, mostly sand that is forced into suspension by the massive wave action. The wave scouring of the beaches also removes literally tonnes of sand and this is swirled up by the crashing surf and transported some way offshore before it starts to sink to the ocean floor. Keen observers will note that the ocean actually does a lot of beach shaping with the winter months usually being the time that sand is returned to the beaches. Although generally frowned upon by beach goers the seaweed that gets washed up and lies on the beaches in rows, is also vital to the rebuilding process. The presence of the seaweed helps the landward side of the equation retain sand that is washed in by the sea as the beach is continually reshaped by Mother Nature.

With luck we will avoid the attentions of Lisa and any other tropical systems that make their way across the Atlantic and things will remain settled for a time. The next thing to bring us inclement weather will be the passage of cold fronts that swoop down out of the northwest, often bringing the usual winter gales. While the talk is so often of hurricanes, we tend to forget the gales that often attain storm force and have the nasty habit of persisting for days on end. Apart from preventing offshore excursions, they also succeed in bringing down trees and electric wires, causing mayhem in the so-called off season. Although there is no real sign of them just yet, they are on their way and we will have to put up with them.

In the meantime, however, there are some real opportunities for offshore activity. Even if trolling isn't your bag, chumming over the reef should produce ambers, bonitas and yellowtail snappers; all good for the freezer. While still a bit early in the year, bottom-bouncing on the Banks should slowly but surely fill up the cooler with coneys, hinds and a variety of other bottom dwellers. On a good day, with the fish heavily into pleasing mode, maybe even a monkey rockfish will provide a distraction and some really delectable Tight lines!!!