To say that Old Man Winter has just moved in and taken up residence would not receive much in the way of argument from most people.

Gale, blustery weather and a drop in temperature translates into winter here in Bermuda, regardless of what the calendar may say — the solstice is still over a month away!

Even though the Island is officially sub-tropical and is supposed to experience the seasons, most of us reckon on just two — summer and winter. The former is certainly departed now and our thinking will also have undergone a reversal.

The offshore seems far away. There is also always the doubt that the weekend weather will even permit a trip to the deep blue briny. All in all, resolve is weakened and sports angling moves into hibernation.

There are always the hearty few, not to mention a number of commercial fishermen, who will continue to take advantage of the fishable days that offer themselves between now and the onset of next summer. In fact, a few have this past week managed to catch a few yellowfins ranging on up to 55 or 60 pounds and a smattering of wahoo.

Unfortunately, these individuals are the exceptions and their catches possibly even more exceptional! The vast majority of those drawn to the angling fraternity merely shrug and find other ways in which to occupy themselves, not that it has to be that way.

So just sort of piscatorial diversions exist at this time of the year? Actually there are some surprising options that are largely ignored despite being readily available and inexpensive. It may be all too often that the glamour and thrill associated with the denizens of the deep are so in rooted that it takes the simple joy out of angling. The quarry need not be large or super-elusive; we should hearken back to Izaak Walton and his obsession with the art itself, rather than the catching.

Although the water temperature is dropping off, it is still warmer inshore than it is in most summers in the world’s temperate resorts. Even though the variation between summer and winter is enough to deter the Island’s inshore gamesters, it takes a few weeks of the cooler weather for the fish to make the shift offshore. This means that it is still possible to experience some quality angling before the really foul weather has all of us turning into couch potatoes.

Although probably the first species to depart for deeper, more stable waters, the grey snappers will still be found occasionally under bridge pilings or on the shady side of docks. Difficult to catch at the best of times, the keys are fresh bait and patience. Lots of the latter is required and newly caught fry often gets the fish into feeding mode quickly. When that happens they are inclined to make mistakes and that is where the angler can have an edge. This is more of a game though with the returns unlikely to justify the time although the thrill of the sport cannot be denied.

For those in greater need of success to make the effort worthwhile, there are other options that may be more enticing.

Occasionally erupting along a shoreline, decimating the bait pushed up there, schools of small jacks offer the angler some excitement. Although they can be pursued from the shore, the best bet is to troll small spoons from a boat along the shoreline and around the bays and between islands. At this time of the year, the schools of jacks may be mixed in with mackerel and they are just as likely to grab the proffered lure and provide even greater sport.

Sticking with jacks there is another form more easily sought after, the pompano or, more properly, the palometa. These are fine candidates for ultra-light (2-4-lb test line) spinning tackle. Although they can be caught in the harbours and sounds, the place for them is the sandy South Shore beaches. The technique almost has to be chumming with bread then casting to the fish that will arrive in no time at all.

The classic method is to take chunks of bread and to pour the oil from a sardine time over them. When tossed out on the surface, the oil odour rapidly spreads, bringing the prey to the bread reward. Once they show up, simply cast a piece of bread on the hook into the area and the pompano should please. Schools generally show up so once the chum slick, as it were, has been set up, it should be possible to catch small numbers of these fish.

This seldom fails although there are variations in materials: some use cat food rather than oil-soaked bread, but the object of the exercise is simple. Just get the fish into the immediate area and the rest should follow.

But there are other means. Casting a small spoon or similar lure and retrieving it quickly can draw strikes and, given their pugnacious nature, almost invariably the pompano will hook itself in such a manner that precludes escape. Combining the chumming and artificial lure together also works but is not practised very often as the use of bait is so effective.

The big plus to catching this species is that, unlike the other sporting inshore varieties, they are actually a good eating fish.

Although the chilly winds and light chop that stirs up the shallows goes a long way to driving the ghost of the flats farther offshore, anglers should be aware that they can be caught pretty much all year round. Flat grassy areas like Somerset Long Bay will see some bones moving though on calm, sunny days but this takes a lot of effort and relies on the ability of the angler to accurately place a lure or bait in the fish’s path.

A simpler alternative is to go blind casting off the South Shore using a tough bait like squid. Rather than sight fishing, this can be productive even though there is plenty of suspense waiting for a fish to happen on the offering.

Bonefish have a pretty good sense of smell and will home in on a bait after a short time. Retrieving then recasting the bait also works because dragging the bait along the sandy bottom increases the area covered. While neither method is a formula for a trophy bonefish, both methods can get results with most of the fish likely to be juveniles in the one-half to pound bracket.

They may not be large but on suitable tackle; say 6-lb test or less, they give a really good account of themselves. Easily released back into the surf with no real harm done, means that a bit of effort directed this way can provide a couple of hours entertainment.

Finally, where the bonefish and pompano are to be found, there is also the likelihood of a barracuda or two lurking around. Especially at this time of the year when many have made the late summer migration inshore from deeper water and are still cruising the coastline until the departure of their food forces them to move on as well.

For the next few weeks it is possible to catch barracuda from shore and using silvery lures often gets their attention before that of a pompano. The larger lures attract the ‘cudas while the really small ones are most effective for the pompano and other jacks. Rest assured that unexpectedly latching into a three to five pound barracuda on very light tackle will provide the angler with both a spectacle of aerobics and some exciting Tight lines!!!