How does that song go? “Summertime and the living is easy....” or something like that? Now that the great summer-long holiday is over with today and tomorrow slated for recovery form many, there is always Halloween to look forward to. Funny how the year seems to be broken down into New Year’s, Good Friday, 24th May, Cup Match, Halloween and Christmas.The same can be applied to the fishing season: the opening, Bacardi tournament, marlin month, doldrums, the wahoo tournament and the off-season. Based on that appraisal, it won’t be too long now before 2012 is called a wrap and the gear goes back into the closet. The onset of a hurricane can really precipitate things with boats reappearing in backyards almost magically.But let us not dispense of the season so quickly nor so finally. There is still plenty of good action to be had for those willing to put in the effort and, with the luxury of a freezer, some fine fresh fish can be stashed away for what will inevitably be a long winter.The offshore season should be at peak even though most experts prefer September. Perhaps it is the heat that dissuades both fish and anglers from chumming on the Banks but now is the time when there can be some fantastic bites form the yellowfin and blackfin tuna. The trick seems to be to start early or to stay out late. The midday sun discourages the fish from putting in an appearance although the judicious use of a pinch-on sinker to get the bait down that much deeper can often pay off. Live baits are almost always effective and the small game fish including the robins seem to relish the warmer water.Another species that is usually nothing short of abundant is the Atlantic black skipjack, aka mackerel let’s not argue about names; but they are in serious short supply at the moment. Generally, an influx of juveniles later on in the month and on into September heralds the onset of the frigate live bait season; but at the moment they are thin on the ground in any size.Normally, this would not pose any sort of problem but they do make really good live baits for trophy amberfish and bonita. They are also good live baits for tunas and don’t let size put you off a 60-pound Allison can inhale a bigger bait than you think and a wahoo of any size can chop even a large mackerel down into bite-sized chunks.Even if you forgo live baiting and concentrate on chumming, many of the yellowfin tuna will be of the hefty variety and while this makes for a great light tackle challenge, there will be precious few using anything less than about 50-lb test line. Even on that sort of gear these are fish that will give you a good workout.If it’s a workout that you want, then the deep water will still harbour a ready supply of long-nosed leviathans. With the season progressing, the number of smaller fish, presumably males in the 150-300 pound range should increase but don’t give up on the chance of hooking into more than you can manage. Most of the foreign fleet is departing but not because there aren’t any decent fish around. Their reasons range from other tournament commitments through the risk associated with hurricanes all the way to plans already made by owners and bosses.If it is just fish that you want, then the channels are at their best for white water snappers and turbots. The reef areas will produce yellowtail snappers, bonitos and small ambers in the chum while porgies, coneys and the occasional hind will pay off from the bottom. One of the nice things about bottom fishing, is that the sport fishing rules need not apply and even handlines will suffice.As has been mentioned so many times at fishing club meetings, tournament parties and between keen anglers at virtually any venue, the rules governing sport fishing are, at best, poorly understood.For starters, the vast majority of anglers and tournament participants are unaware of the myriad rules that are in place that relate to everything from hook positioning to leader length and gaff restrictions. The body that oversees the records and makes the rules is the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Essentially, the organisation does a great job, even if some of the rules might never apply to the sort of fishing that you do. The applicable rules vary from place to place and, in large countries, several rule types might apply, e.g. freshwater and saltwater rules in the USA. In contrast, in Bermuda there is little enthusiasm for the new world length records and fly fishing is practised by a local minority that probably approaches one.One criticism of the IGFA’s rules is that they are hard to obtain and, in the good old days, this was valid. Printed copies were few and far between and sometimes you really did need to be a Philadelphia lawyer to interpret their meanings. With the onset of the internet and the ability to provide pictures and diagrams everything was simplified to the point that it only required computer access to let you see the full array of the rules and regulations. That was great, but only if you spoke English. How many world records are held outside of English-speaking world? “Lots” is the short answer. So how has this been dealt with?Rather badly would be a fairly honest assessment of what has gone on; but ,far dues to the IGFA, they are trying and have now taken a massive step forward by providing translations of the rules. These are now available on-line in seven languages with the most likely to benefit Bermuda being the Portuguese version which is now readily available on the Internet at http://www.igfa.org/images/uploads/files/REGRAS%20IGFA%20(em%20português).pdf.There is something of a caveat to this, though. The definitive rules and regulations are those that are in the English language version; so that should some translation-based conflict arise, it is the English version that will take precedence. In any case, they are there for the reading.So, the onus should be on the anglers to know the rules but, as is always the case, there will be some that will remain blissfully ignorant of the rules, causing frustration to tournament organisers and making for competitors who will feel cheated when the prizes go to someone who, they feel, could not have made such and such a catch.Not an issue for a while now as the competitions this month are limited to club tournaments and fun events. The lazy summer weather, calm seas and the general desire to chill should see a variety of tactics attempted out on the briny with recreation rather than competition being the name of the game. Regardless of the circumstances, whenever wetting a line, however half-heartedly, the object of the exercise remains Tight lines!!!