Waiting for a gilt-edged invitation? Hopefully not or have you forgotten that spring comes early to Bermuda and summer is never far behind. Procrastinating and dawdling about waiting for inspiration to get the boat ready can really lead to missing the boat and there are signs that things might just be headed that way.

Normally, a spring run of wahoo defines that period but it is not reliable. Sometimes it is so short-lived as to go virtually unnoticed while at other times it seems to be prolonged well into May. The latter is a bit of a rarity with the rapid increase in offshore water temperature and the arrival of the more seasonally abundant species, particularly those that double as bait for larger predators.

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that the run, such that it may be, is indeed underway. Although there has been some inconsistency, a number of boats have had good days dragging for wahoo with numbers reaching up into double figures for some although the norm has been between four and six. It is hard to predict when a really good day is going to come if you are not out there to experience it. A great day today provides no guarantees for tomorrow and this is especially true of the early season fishing when the fish can move miles each day.

It does not look like anything special needs to be done to have a crack at the wahoo. For the most part, they are taking rigged garfish and combination baits. The deep trolls are the main producers as usual although long outriggers and long flat lines also get hits. The real trick is in making the shots count. For whatever reason, early season wahoo are not too finicky and even baits with oversized hooks do not seem to deter their strikes. This usually changes as the season progresses, but for now, all the standard rigs are working.

Best of all, there has been more than just a bit of quality about as well. Captain James Robinson’s Wound Up’s recent haul of wahoo included a single fish that weighed in at 93lbs and that is one hefty ‘hoo! While notable, other catches of fish bettering the 80lb mark have also been recorded during the last week or so, revealing that there is a nice selection of fish offshore.

The majority of the fish have been a nice average in the 30lb to 40lb bracket and that is large for wahoo with most areas within their range settling for fish commonly occurring in the 20lb range.

Most of the success reportedly recently has come from the southwest, particularly the Banks, but there may be pockets of activity around Bermuda’s Edge that have gone unnoticed. The majority of commercial boats, which provide the bulk of the intelligence, fish the southwest quarter and it isn’t until larger numbers of amateurs start working farther afield that a more complete picture can be painted.

Last Wednesday saw Captain Alan Card and his Challenger test the waters by leaving some heavier than usual rigs set for wahoo out while traversing the deep water between Argus and Challenger Banks. This followed Captain Card and son Ian successfully trolling commercially for wahoo on Argus. Their return journey was cut short when a pair of blue marlin availed themselves of the offerings and it suddenly seemed like high summer. As is so often the case, one of the fish, apparently the smaller one, jumped off the hook, leaving the second fish attached. After taking a rather modest amount of line but going completely ballistic the fish was brought to boat side after about 20 minutes where it was docile enough to allow it to be gaffed and boated.

This counts as the Island’s first blue of the year and was a nice fish measuring 120 inches short length and about 69 inches in girth. Running those figures through a remarkably reliable formula for estimating billfish weight gives a total of 714lbs, well within the 10 per cent acceptable range when compared with Ian’s 650lb estimate.

Apart from the positive notoriety of having the first fish, Challenger and crew are now well stocked with a ready supply of chum bait for the expected influx of yellowfin as May moves into June. No one is quite sure what exactly it is but for sure, tuna go wild for marlin meat. If this seems a little strange, try thinking when, in nature, tuna would be feeding on marlin as the norm is the opposite way round.

Another point worth noting is that this particular marlin had a belly full of mackerel and other bait, indicating that there is plenty of natural forage offshore. A great sign when looking for opportunities for Tight Lines!