IT sure looks like there is something to be said for old wives' tales and superstition. March gambolled in like the meekest of lambs but has certainly decided to go out roaring and growling, thus bearing out the adage. To be sure, there haven't been many opportunities for a trip out on the ocean during the last couple of weeks.

What this holds for April and May, no one knows for sure but there are some promising signs inasmuch as the offshore water temperature has continued to rise and the whales have continued their passage northward past the island.

In the meantime a few hearty souls have braved the elements, so there is a little something to report. Capt. Keith Winter's Playmate dragged Bermuda's Edge at the western end and managed to scrape up a single wahoo. Another boat plying those same waters actually got a pair of school-sized yellowfin to bite and find their way into the fish box. The real problem stems from the fact that the strikes were isolated, suggesting that there are not too many fish out there.

There have been a few reports of wahoo activity from the East End. At least one of these reports included a mention of a brief series of multiple strikes which might be promising. Part of this action also apparently involved an unidentified billfish. Conventional wisdom would point to the culprit being a white marlin because this species often runs with schools of wahoo and provides the odd surprise. If, in fact, the wahoo run is in the process of organising itself, there probably will be a few whites hooked over the next few weeks.

Still it is very difficult to piece together a picture of the offshore situation with any degree of accuracy simply because of the severely limited amount of effort that has gone into the proceedings. Happily, all that is due to change real shortly.

With the end of the lobster season, yes, that's right, it is all over today, the commercial fleet will once again return to concentrating on finding fish and the result is that the sportsman will have a better indication of what is happening and where.

Near shore anglers and those who fish the bridges and docks should start to see some grey snappers any time now. This species moves back inshore in early April and that means now. Naturally, they won't be any easier to catch than they were last year but trying for them will make a break from bream, pinfish and the very occasional sailor's choice. Best of all, because they are a game fish, there is a sound reason for putting in the effort. Most of the Bermuda records are for fish that are relatively small and there should be every chance of improving on the existing marks. All it takes is for the captor to bother weighing the fish on a scale before cleaning it. Not really a big deal.

Unfortunately, this is something that seems to have spread to the offshore fleet as well. It is a far cry from the "old days" when just about everyone had some idea of what the various line class records were and it was commonplace to hear skippers asking each other over the radio for details of current local and world records. Granted, then much of the effort was designed to capture points for club competitions and a lot more fish actually made it to a weigh station.

Even with the present emphasis on heavier gear, some effort should be made to try and keep the record books current. Strange as it may seem there are travelling anglers who look at the IGFA records with a view to planning their next overseas expedition. This does not always involve a trophy blue marlin because there are anglers who look to capture certain species on specific classes of gear and, most notably, fly tackle. Without naming names there are some prominent members of the local angling community who have been remiss in weighing in potential records in the very recent past. Maybe with a little more thought this can change.

Looking ahead, the Bermuda Game Fishing Association (BGFA) has recently released the 2006 tournament calendar. Naturally it is subject to change as weather may dictate even though moist events have scheduled alternates. Occasionally for various reasons certain tournaments fail to get organised and that is through no fault of the BGFA. In any case, the following should be good enough for planning the next six months of your life.

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Bermuda Game Fishing Association 2006 Tournament Schedule

May 14: Bermuda Game Fishing Clubs Annual Tournament IGFA Affiliated Clubs

May 14: Sandys Boat Club Tournament OPEN

May 21: Bermuda Game Fishing Clubs Annual Tournament (alternate) IGFA Affiliated Clubs

May 21: Bermuda Anglers Club Annual Tournament Members Only

May 21: Sandys Boat Club Tournament (alternate) OPEN

May 21: BWAC Chairman v. Bar Chairman First Round Members Only

May 28: BWAC Chairman v. Bar Chairman First Round (alternate) Members Only

May 28: Bacardi Rum Fishing Tournament OPEN

June 7-10: Brien/Pallot Fly Fishing Tournament Invitational

June 4: Bermuda Anglers Club Annual Tournament (alternate) Members Only

June 4: BWAC Chairman v. Bar Chairman Second Round Members Only

June 11: Bacardi Rum Fishing Tournament (alternate) OPEN

June 12-16: Bermuda Anglers Club ROLEX/IGFA Invitational Light Tackle Tournament (4 days fishing) Invitational

June 25: Bermuda Regiment Annual Tournament Residents

June 25: BWAC Chairman v. Bar Chairman Second Round (alternate) Members Only

July 2: Bermuda Regiment Annual Tournament (alternate) OPEN

July 2-4: Bermuda Blast Billfish Tournament OPEN

July 4: Blue Marlin World Cup OPEN

July 7-9: Bermuda Triangle Billfish Tournament OPEN

July 9: Robinson's Marina Annual Tournament OPEN

July 12-16: Bermuda Big Game Classic OPEN

July 17-19: BWAC v. S.S.A.C. Tournament at Crocodile Bay, Costa Rica Members Only

July 19-23: Sea Horse Anglers Club Billfish Tournament (fish 3 days) OPEN

July 23: Robinson's Marina Tournament (alternate) OPEN

July 23: Bermuda Anglers Club Fun Tournament Members & Guests

August 6: Bermuda Anglers Club Fun Tournament Members & Guests

August 20: Flybridge Tackle Junior Tournament OPEN

August 20: Blue Waters Anglers Club Junior Tournament OPEN

August 27: Blue Waters Anglers Club Junior Tournament (alternate) OPEN

August 27: Bermuda Anglers Club Fun Tournament Members & Guests

September 3: Sea Horse Anglers Club Annual Tournament Members Only

September 10: Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament Residents

September 10: BWAC Chairman v. Bar Chairman Third Round Members Only

September 17: Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament (1st alternate) Residents

September 17: BWAC Chairman v. Bar Chairman Third Round (alternate) Members Only

September 24: Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament ( 2nd alternate) Residents

September 24: Bermuda Anglers Club Fun Tournament Members & Guests

October 8: Bermuda Anglers Club Fun Tournament Members & Guests

November 5: Bermuda Anglers Club Fun Tournament Members & Guests

One good thing about tournaments is that the fish do get to a weigh-in and the process pretty much collects the details needed for a Bermuda or world record application. After that, it is all up to the angler to do that little extra bit to justify his or her Tight lines!!!