There is a definite wintry feel to the weather. Funny how it almost always coincides with the clocks going back or, some say, the World Rugby Classic. Perhaps it is a time of year phenomenon, certainly a bit of a social one in that as soon as the clocks change, fashion changes into winter mode with boots, sweaters and coats. Sport fishing (a perceived as summer sport) almost totally ceases to exist locally and boating generally comes to a halt.

In the good old days, the recognised and publically marketed sport fishing season was May through November, but in reality, things generally came to an end by the end of October.

There was precious little in the way of charter fishing done after Halloween and most locals packed it in as well. It is only in more recent times that some of the die-hard anglers made a point of persevering into the cooler months with some rather rewarding results.

To be fair, the front end of the season was also stretched out to include April when some years saw the fishing nothing short of excellent. The real winter months of January to March are viewed as down time/repair time for many, both recreational and commercial boats. Many of the active commercial boats concentrate almost solely on lobsters as they await the return of spring and summer.

Although an increasing proportion of days will be lost to weather, there will be some fishable opportunities over the next few weeks. How many of these will coincide with weekends that are not associated with holiday activities will remain to be seen. Those of you willing to put in the effort and hours that shoulder season fishing calls for should reap a few rewards when venturing on the briny.

Wahoo remain common on the offshore grounds but decreasing effort will see these become less a part of the daily haul. Wahoo will take trolled offerings even as the water cools off and there are those who reckon a wahoo puts up a better performance when the water is on the cool side.

Whether this is imagined or real, the fact is that there are wahoo out there and they can be caught. Often the average size of the fish is often larger during the cooler months. Note that cooler does not mean cold.

The deep blue sea offshore is often significantly warmer than the temperature reported as the sea temperature inshore and, right now, even that is in the 70s.

Commercial operators have stockpiled enough wahoo to last a good while and although there is demand for fresh tuna the fish are either not cooperating or are simply not out there. As a result, most of the effort is now directed at demersal (bottom) species.

The bulk of this effort is carried out on the Banks where it is possible to drift over the same depth for quite some distance ¿ something that usually can't be done along Bermuda's Edge with the latter requiring anchoring.

Actually there are some tuna out there but they are mostly of the wrong variety. The blackfin which grows large here is probably a resident species that can be caught all year long.

Unfortunately, the flesh lacks the qualities that chefs prefer. The meat is darker than the yellowfin and some say that it has a stronger flavour, making it less desirable for the sushi trade.

The other drawback is the size of the blackfin. Determined though it is, it makes a great game fish on suitable tackle but lacks the size to make it one of the most sought after.

The yellowfin, on the other hand, can attain weights over 300 pounds (some authorities reckon it goes over 400 pounds!) although the Atlantic variety of this species seems to be limited to something more like 250 pounds.

Certainly the local record hovers around the 200-pound mark with any number of even bigger ones that made good their escape from anglers.

The reason that size is important when it comes to the local tunas is the loss that comes with dressing the fish.

Tunas have big heads and, once filleted, with the really dark meat removed the resulting useful meat is about half of the original total weight.

Thus, a 24-pound blackfin only makes for about 12 pounds of useable meat ¿ not much at all. In contrast, a 60-pound yellowfin means 30-odd pounds of usable meat. Chefs prefer to deal with fewer, larger fish rather than a whole lot of smaller fish that entail considerably more work for the same amount of meat.

If blackfin tuna will suit, try chumming a little bit shallower along the Edge or on the Banks. This species often comes into the deeper reef areas and is a regular on the crown of the Bank. Use nothing heavier than 20-lb test tackle to experience the true toughness of this fish which pound for pound is one of the strongest tunas around.

If the fish isn't really what you want for the table, do release them. They are hardy and there is plenty of evidence from tagging studies that they do survive.

There have also been more than enough casual observations to show that released fish often turn up in the same general area feeding in chum slicks just days after being hooked.

One way of looking at it is that it is a recyclable source of sporting activity for those willing to put in the time. Chumming on the Banks will also produce jacks, mackerel, some rainbow runners and barracuda. All with some degree of sporting value but with rather less culinary appeal for the local palate.

If table fish is the object of the exercise, then chumming over the reefs is a good fuel-saving alternative.

Now that the seasonally protected areas are open again, places like southwest Edge can be exceedingly productive. There should be plenty of amberjack and bonitas to be had and bottom bouncing almost always pays off with barbers and coneys. Not exactly giants but good sources of firm, white fillets.

The robins should please and these usually attract the larger jack species, the occasional wahoo or tuna and the usually elusive rockfish.

There are some of these inhabiting most reef areas and just because you can't see the bottom clearly doesn't mean that they aren't there.

The only problem is when they latch on, they head straight for the rocks and getting Mr. Rockfish off the bottom is a real challenge. In fact, for a while at least, he is likely to give new meaning to Tight lines!!!