IT can pay to have the boat ready to go at short notice and to be of the mind-set that just maybe this weekend will allow me to go fishing. As we all know, it is more about the going than the catching and so it does one good to be prepared. Who knows, you might just manage a trip out this weekend.

The recent weather has actually been a lot better than predicted and quite a few of the active fleet have managed to get offshore. Although most of the commercial boats concentrate on the bottom species, there has been enough game fish action to warrant a journey offshore.

On a half-day charter last week, Capt. Keith Winters Playmate managed to come up with four wahoo and a couple of tuna. The latter were near 40 pounds on average and the 'hoos ranged from lizard to about 50 pounds.

Generally, a good class of wahoo is being reported and this potential run should not be missed.

Catches ranging into double figures have been reported from all around the island but this can also be interpreted as incredibly spotty action with little rhyme or reason to the fishes' movements. Still, in the dead of winter, any action is wonderful when compared with the alternative.

Best of all, there is sufficient evidence that the fish can be had on Bermuda's Edge, thereby saving the long haul out to Challenger. As always, Sally Tucker's seems to be a good point of departure for successful angling and a few hours trolling along Southwest Edge should result in a few shots at both wahoo and yellowfin tuna.

Chumming remains iffy, less due to the fish than the unpredictable currents. If a good tide can be had then there is no reason not to give it a shot. Both blackfin and yellowfin tunas will please and there is enough small game around to keep the lighter rods bent. Then, of course, there is the potential that comes in the form of robins. Need any more be said?

Although it probably went largely unnoticed by the present generation of anglers, the recent passing of Capt. Milton Pitman served as something of a milestone for those of us who have been involved in Bermuda angling for more than 20 years. It is clearly recognised that without the efforts of Capt. Pitman and others, there would be no Bermuda angling in the form that we know it today.

It does not take too much in the way of research to establish that until Louis Mowbray started to really put in some effort that the concept of sport fishing ever crossed the minds of locals.

Local fishermen concentrated almost entirely on groupers and rockfish with other species, such as snapper, occupying a very minor niche in the marketplace. Much of the fishing was done with hook and line. In fact, even as fish pots came into use these were taken offshore and brought home again on a daily basis.

Learning from those fishermen who spent time offshore, it was apparent that the waters around Bermuda held some sport fishing potential. Chumming for yellowtail snapper frequently saw tuna invade the chumslick; schools of tuna were often encountered offshore and marlin were seen free jumping.

Through Mowbray's efforts and later those of his son, hook-and-line fishing started to evolve. Readers interested in some near ancient history might try referring to the Bermuda Blue Books. These were published back to about 1900 and were intended as guides for wealthy American visitors who came here to get away from the winters. Apart from some really old-fashioned advertising, amazing photographs (Bermuda really was the boonies in those days!) and even more amazing political and social comment, there were sections devoted to natural history and sport. Although in the earlier editions, the fish seem to mostly be relegated to the former, eventually angling starts to emerge. There are photos of gents in collar and tie standing in front of hauls of wahoo and tuna made aboard launches (wooden boats) based at such places as Walsingham Bay.

Even so, it wasn't really until the years after World War Two that such deep-sea fishing expeditions became popular with the visitors. A number of operators then concentrated on what was a fledgling charter fishing industry and that was when the likes of Capt. Pitman came to the fore. His Marlin was a regular feature in travel writing extolling the pleasures of this sun-drenched island and many a happy tourist enjoyed a day out in pursuit of things probably beyond his or her wildest dreams. Even when he was past the age when many would have retired, Capt. Pitman continued to be involved in the industry and he certainly moved with the times, eventually acquiring a state-of-the-art fibreglass vessel. Along the way, he imparted to generations of crew the basics of the recreational fishing industry and it is in this context Capt. Pitman was part of the foundation that built Bermuda into the Island of Great Fishing that it became. Without Capt. Pitman's efforts, things would not have progressed and it is for this dedication that he must be remembered.

Anyone wishing to know what fishing was like back in the old days when organised angling was in its infancy should consult a now out-of-print book called Bermuda Fishing by the legendary Joe Brooks. Copies can be purchased from the various on-line bookstores that specialise in locating odd volumes and there is at least one copy in the Bermuda Library. Full of anecdotes and photographs that seem as though they are from a different place and time, this book is a very quick read but a definite landmark in the history of local angling. It is well recommended.

Back to the present and the coming weekend could be viewed with cautious optimism. Things may be just good enough to allow you to get out. A bit of effort should at least allow for some fillets to grace the pan even if the larger game remains out of reach. Bonitas and amberjack should be abundant over the deeper reef areas and there are always a few coney and barber to be had off the bottom. If an excuse is needed, well, the boat needs a run and what would be a run without an attempt at Tight lines!!!