The doldrums have arrived and in a big way too. It is really only at this time of the year that the deep waters around the island fall into a malaise that features a swell with barely a ripple on top.

Anyone who is unsure of their relationship to motion sickness can take this as an opportunity to sally forth upon the briny, but it will be hot as there are no cooling breezes that might ruffle the gently rolling sea.

But, in some ways, enjoy the calm before the storm, as regardless of tropical systems the fishing is about to break loose and become nothing short of fabulous.

The reason for this celebration? The arrival of frigate mackerel in the inshore waters. Schools of theses juvenile mackerel may be seen pretty much all over and are the probable heralds of what will be a great autumnal wahoo run offshore.

Oddly enough, there are some strange things about this phenomenon. First off, why are they called frigate mackerel? It’s bad enough that the species goes by more names than you can shake a stick at, but one thing is for sure, the frigate tuna (which do exist) are confined to the Pacific Ocean.

They are normally seen inshore before moving over the reefs and then on out to the Edge and then the Banks. The species is believed to spawn offshore and, given its range throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean, why would the juveniles come close inshore before heading offshore?

As a roving tuna-like species it would seem to make more sense for them to mirror other highly migratory species and spend their early stages in the deep blue sea, where there are presumably less predators.

Whatever the reason, these little fish make prime live baits and when they are offshore in numbers and the wahoo start to migrate through the local area, they stay in touch with the bait schools and assure local fishermen of am abundant haul as they ever get. This late season run generally consists of older, larger fish than the summertime wahoo and are much welcome in advance of a long winter that often sees little to no fishing at all.

Other game species are also avid fans of bite-sized mackerel. Marlin, yellowfin tuna and even some of the hefty blackfin will all want to have a say in proceedings, so there are big things ahead.

Spanish Point Boat Club was the place to be last Sunday as youth took pride of place in the Bermuda Anglers Club Annual Junior Tournament. As expected, there was a wide variety of fish from all age-group anglers in shore, inshore boat and offshore boat fishing.

With more than 170 participants registered for the event and 70 actually coming to the weigh-in, this event has established itself as a high point in the summer calendar for many.

The H&H Top Offshore Boat award was won by Mackenzie Barnes with a fine 46.7lb wahoo. The Top Female Angler was Iris Grasso with a 3.9lb Almaco jack. The Top Inshore Boat category was won by Lucas Nelmes, who caught a 3.6lb jack. Rounding off the main category winners was Burke Fullerton with a shore-caught 2lb triggerfish.

There were also awards for groups that did not feature in the major prize categories. In offshore boat fishing, the 6 and under category was won by Cruz Dietz with a 3.9lb red hind. Jackson Cabral won the 7 to 10 age group with a 20.2lb wahoo, while Jacob Hines came out on top in the 11 to 16 division for boys with a 24lb wahoo.

In inshore boat fishing, the young winners were Grace Hopkins and Zion Chapman. The 7 to 10 group winners were Oscar Lima and Sienna Boys with Nathan Carreiro and Maya Fitzmaurice victorious among older competitors .

Fishing from the shore, Ben Fullerton and Amaiah Smith were successful in the youngest age group, while John Andrew and Brooke Walls were the winners in the middle group. Taszarii Tucker and SaVana Hayward picked up prizes in the older age category.

There were also numerous other prizes for various categories, ensuring that all competitors had a fair chance of gaining recognition; something which is very important when it comes to encouraging youth to take part in various activities.

With so many sports and hobbies on the brink of disappearing, it is wonderful to see BAC making the effort to keep the sport of angling alive for another generation. It certainly seems like they have done a great job and they deserve full credit for this event.

So, will the halcyon conditions continue? Probably not, but expect some of the finest fishing to be had as September arrives and the seasonal migrations commence.

The changes that tell the fish and whales to start heading south will also bring about changes to the climes here and wintry breezes will soon do more than merely ruffle the seas, but before that happens there should be some outstanding Tight lines.