LET there be no doubt but that the season is over. For most fair weather anglers, it is time to put the rods back into the closet, forget about boating and start pursuing other land-based interests. The change in the clocks and the cooler temperatures just have that "winter" feel and that is seldom conducive to any sort of fishing. If taking the winter off from fishing is a fitting description of you, do remember to give the rods and reels an extra good washing, dry them off and spray them with some lubricant. This will prevent all sorts of deterioration during the period of disuse.

Having said all that, there is still some fishing to be had. Back in the day, as they say, there was basically no sport fishing from November until April but this was challenged as much as 30 years ago when a few intrepid operators leaned that there was often some fairly decent fishing at least up until and through December. January through March usually sees the worst of the weather and most boaters use that time to carry out annual maintenance projects on their boats.

Don't go expecting billfish and other really warm water species. Although blue marlin have been caught in the winter months, this is a bit of a rarity and, chances are, the tackle won't be geared for big fish. The key to off-season angling is to maximise your chances to catch some fish during the time allotted by the shorter days. Sticking to the edge of the drop-off is a good bet, too; better than dragging around in the deep for something that probably isn't there anyway.

There are some wahoo around and if only a few hours can be spared, a drag along Bermuda's Edge should result in a strike or two. The trick is to know when the bite is over and it is time to head home. For some reason, especially in the winter, there seem to be times usually early in the morning and just before darkness falls when the bite is on. With today's fuel costs, it is better to concentrate on what should be the peak times rather than to spend hours and hours burning fuel and waiting for something to happen. Every so often, it just never does. It can also pay to be less than greedy and to settle for just the one fish, if the strike comes almost immediately and all goes well.

While it was recognised that the wahoo were always present somewhere around the Island, the surprise was that yellowfin tuna often stayed late. This species was originally thought to be a summertime visitor and, for sure, the best catches were made during the summer chumming months. The likes of Capt. Boyd Gibbons discovered that chumming on the Banks even in December would pay off with yellowfin and since then many more have gone on to discover that the Allisons sometimes persist throughout the winter.

Recently, a few yellowfin tuna have been caught on the Banks but numbers have remained small. Part of the explanation for this has to be the simple fact that there was no great influx this year, for whatever reason. Despite what some people think, the Atlantic yellowfin tuna stock is believed to be in fairly good shape, so it is likely that the lack of them here this past summer was the result of some other anomaly. They are known to breed off the coast of Africa and probably also in the Caribbean region, even though the jury is still out on that. Even with the large number of Allisons that have been tagged by locals, there is little evidence to suggest where it is that they go. Most of the tag returns, and there have been some, have also been local. The exception was a fish that was tagged here and eventually showed up off Puerto Rico.

There is a large commercial fishery for yellowfin in the Gulf of Guinea (Africa) that probably has a significant impact on the Atlantic stock of yellowfin tuna. Most of the fish caught there are for canneries and the fish tend to be juveniles or younger fish. Happily, yellowfin are a rapidly growing species, with the most of the school fish caught here something like two to three years old. They are voracious feeders and a good food supply means quicker growth. They probably also follow the movement of bait species which may, in part, account for why some years there are more tuna here than in other years. The best years here tend to have been when flying squid are plentiful on the Banks. Something else that was in shorter than usual supply this year.

Yellowfin tuna have a fairly wide tolerance for water temperature which helps explain why they can be found here during the winter months. There is also a winter fishery for them off the Carolinas where the boats run out to the warm water of the Gulf Stream in search of the yellowfin. Yellowfin tuna are also found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, making them pretty much worldwide in their distribution. Quite apart from their commercial importance, yellowfin tuna are also the target of numerous sport fisheries throughout their range. A good source of additional information on this species may be found on the internet at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/.

Anglers who do fish through the winter months tend to rely on chumming and bottom fishing. This is more cost effective from the fuel standpoint even though trolling can and will produce some fish. Live baiting can be part of the chumming ensemble and any large wahoo or tuna in the area should fall victim to such offerings. Fished down deeper, a live robin can get the attention of an amberjack or bonita (Almaco jack), both of which are desirable. On the downside, there are sharks that are plenty willing to take the same robin. One way around this is to use monofilament leaders. Sharks usually chafe these to the point of breaking, thus ending what would otherwise be a fruitless battle. The only problem is that if the bait stays near the surface and a wahoo takes it, then its razor teeth will likely put paid to any expectations on your part. That's the thing about fishing, most things come down to "if".

Although the winter pattern of weather is starting to dominate, we can expect some really gorgeous days between now and the end of the year. There are often December days that simply cry out for a journey onto the briny and there is something cathartic about being on a boat riding the swell with a line in hand, sometimes it isn't just all about Tight lines!!!