Time flies by and last weekend seems an eternity ago but, mercifully, Bermuda dodged a bullet last weekend when Hurricane Leslie lost most of her punch and followed a somewhat meandering path that led to some inches of much desired rain coming down on the Island but sparing us the devastating winds that could still have us talking about it today. We have all seen a lot worse in the past, but to listen to people’s accounts of the weekend, one would think that we were all veterans of Noah’s Great Flood. Happily, things were not as bad as they might have been and the weather really resembled the sort of winter gale that we will be used to in another couple of month’s time. That said, there was no way that the Wahoo Tournament was going to happen last weekend even without the “H:” word. Storm force winds and the swell that was readily visible off the South Shore was enough to dissuade anybody and sent many to have their boats pulled form the water and stored somewhere; hopefully out of harm’s way.The Wahoo Tournament is now slated for this weekend and, at the moment; the forecast looks promising so it will probably go forward then. Should there be any last minute changes then the “Go/No go” will be available on Sunday morning on telephone 234-2070.And who says that procrastination doesn’t pay? Even though it goes against most of the rules that everyone has come to accept with life, the exigencies of Mother Nature’s vagaries has meant that the Wahoo Tournament is now wide open. So, if you failed to sign up in time, you can still get in on the action. Weigh-in forms are available at Flybridge Tackle for those who did not get theirs in advance of last weekend. Basically, you do not need to have signed up: the tournament is now open to all residents.For those actually taking part and catching something to weigh, it does help to have the paperwork completed when weighing in. It speeds the process and lets you get back to the moorings quicker and keeps the process flowing smoothly. If there is one thing that people dislike about tournaments it is having to wait around while other boats weigh-in; particularly if the waiting boat has only a single fish or two to weigh. The waiting discourages many entrants from even coming to the weigh station if there is any inkling that it is going to be a drawn out procedure. So, a little preparedness can lead to a lot of courtesy, especially if the fish cooperate in a big way.One of the questions often fielded by organisers is “how many boats took part?” The truth of the matter is that the organisers can tell how many signed up most of the time, although a case like the present one leaves that in doubt as well- but can’t tell how many fished. Even the number weighing in is not necessarily an indicator of the number who actually went offshore and wet a line.This weekend should be a bit of a revelation for all anglers concerned. The heavy weather of last week kept the fleet ashore and the earlier part of this week saw the commercial boats re-deploying their lobster traps. The net result of this is that there was little line fishing done and it will only be now that most of the offshore gets well and truly worked by fishing boats.Prior to last week’s hiatus, “frigate” mackerel were seen on the Edge, notably at the East End and along the western part of the drop-off. These often herald some of the best fishing the Island has to offer; particularly when the autumnal run of wahoo coincides and the action becomes nothing short of brisk. One would expect that they would have spread by now to the Banks but boats capable of maintaining such baits alive for a time might want to consider loading up on the Edge and then taking them over to the Banks where they just might be in limited supply. It is worth keeping an eye out for other activities and trolling a daisy chin. The other species that sometimes show up along with and in a similar size to the juvenile mackerel are small oceanic bonito (skipjack tuna) and similarly juvenile blackfin tuna. All make top-shelf baits for wahoo and just about any other predatory fish that swims. Some skippers swear by using live mackerel or blackfin as bait for trophy amberjack and there seems to be a good supply of those bruisers around this year.Don’t, for one minute, believe that the only way to catch an-award winning wahoo is with live bait. While live baiting does tend to catch larger fish, they also fall victim to normal trolled offerings with the “‘way, way back’ natural often proving to be a deadly option. Over the years, winning fish have come from all around the Island and they have been caught using every technique known. One year even saw the winner come out of a chum line that was fished on Bermuda’s southwest Edge not exactly first choice method for most fishermen wanting wahoo. It all goes to show that just about any tackle or technique can come good on the day.In the United States, the lower house of Congress overwhelmingly passed the new Billfish Conservation legislation that would put firm controls on the sale of marlin and other billfish for consumption. This has been a long time coming as it ties up certain loopholes that existed in the previous legislation. In some ways it probably has to thank the “No Marlin on the Menu” movement for providing support. Naturally, it also raises questions as to where the billfish that are caught by some of the world’s more nefarious fisheries are going to go. Might they be disguised or marked under some exotic sounding name?An interesting sidebar to this comes from the Philippines where a popular menu item in upmarket restaurants was Blue Marlin. The fish in question was actually pacific swordfish but that name was not romantic enough to encourage diners to partake of it so the “marlin” name created a mystique that proved popular. It is actually amazing what the world of fish and fishing can produce: everything from action to fashion to passion. A never-ending panoply that even a land-lubber can sit back and enjoy while the rest of us go in actual search of Tight lines!!!