Ah, the doldrums — both figuratively and literally. Angling is rapidly slipping into the late-summer lassitude that sees the hot weather dampening the enthusiasm of anglers, even going so far as to disinterest on the part of the fish. Long, hot days with gentle breezes see the ocean settling into a long groundswell that originates somewhere out in the far Atlantic and eventually rolls into our shores. The rollers do little to mix the upper layers of water that grow warm and give many fish a reason to comfortably swim that little bit deeper. Bottom line: a quiet time offshore, even though there is plenty of potential. It just takes something special to jerk both the fish and anglers out of their respective lethargies. Happily, this never lasts long and better days are ahead.

As for now, here is a more recent mystery, separate and distinct from the August woes. Where did they all disappear? And why? For sure, it was unexpected and almost without precedent. Here is the scenario and everyone can draw their own conclusions. Not quite the saga of the Marie Celeste, but ...

Back a couple of Sundays ago, the Bermuda Marlin Release Challenge tournament went ahead. Granted, the weather forecast left a lot to be desired but even with most of the smaller local boats dropping out, there was still a formidable flotilla going in search of the billfish that had spent the past month pleasing a mighty fleet with good numbers and plenty of quality. Based on past results, expectations were high as proceedings commenced.

As it turned out, the day was abbreviated as the weather deteriorated; however, most participants had anticipated this and figured they could score a couple of releases before the lumps and bumps sent them homeward. Pretty much they all worked off this reasonable expectation. Little did anyone suspect that they would be in for a big surprise. And here is the amazing part: not one fish was seen by any of the boats involved in the proceedings.

While this might make sense to a landlubber, there is no shortage of anglers and skippers who can recount hooking fish, often large ones, in the most horrific sea conditions. Angling histories are full of tales of sea monsters that kept boats out in building seas, torrential rain, engines breaking down or whatever it took to make the story better. But the complete absence of fish was beyond the contemplation of anyone, It would not be unreasonable for one boat to have nothing — generally a result of some other boat having way more than its fair share — but the idea of no fish for anyone was beyond the wildest imaginations. But there you have it.

Naturally, things quickly reverted to normalcy and while billfish are figuring regularly in fishing expeditions, the amount of effort is so diminished as to mimic the old days when marlin would often make front-page news simply because there were only a very few caught each season. This was partly because of the lack of directed effort, partly because the gear and expertise were sadly lacking and, finally, local anglers showed a distinct lack of interest. Wahoo and tuna were the preferred targets with occasionals such as dolphin and skipjack rounding out the proceedings. The tackle in use was certainly better suited to such game and was an important consideration back in the day. Marlin could make a mockery of such gear and were therefore to be avoided.

So that is pretty much where things stand at the moment. Offshore, there are still a few small wahoo around but even they are taking a back seat to the barracuda, which are coming into their own. Late summer is their time of the year and one can expect to have baits intended for wahoo ripped up by these snaggletoothed critters, much to many an angler’s disappointment. Until the autumnal wahoo run commences, expect to see plenty of ’cudas both in the chum and on the troll.

Happily, chumming out on Argus is still producing some decent yellowfin tuna. Live baits in the form of robins are plentiful and the tuna are willing. Trying up a bit shallower should attract some trophy-sized blackfins, but this is also the time of year when the tiger sharks dominate the Banks and often extract their share of any catches.

Looking ahead to next weekend, the Bermuda Anglers Club is commemorating the memory of its late president and well-known local angler, Niel Jones, by running its popular annual junior tournament. The event is slated for August 18 from 8.30am with the weigh-in at 3pm at Spanish Point Boat Club. This event welcomes all juniors under the age of 17 and there are numerous categories based on boat fishing, shore fishing, boys and girls divisions and for both handline and rod and reel entries. The only species excluded are those protected by law, either by species or size.

Any and all juniors interested in taking part may enter by going online or by downloading an entry form from the Bermuda Anglers Club website and e-mailing it back to the club.

The junior catches can be a welcome departure from the steady diet of blue-water pelagic species that are the mainstay of the sport and commercial fisheries here. They often offer highly unlikely encounters as a result of youth being considerably more adventuresome than most of their elders when it comes to the pursuit of Tight Lines!!!