There won’t be many making it out onto the briny this weekend or over the two day holiday that is finally upon us. There is a glimmering of hope for the coming weekend but one must suspect that a combination of inclement weather and thick heads will keep the numbers to an absolute minimum.

Not that there aren’t a few reasons to go. With most of the commercial fleet concentrating on lobsters because this is one time of year that luxury seems to be a necessity, most of the open blue water has been lightly worked over. One boat, putting in some serious effort, finally had a catch worth reporting this week. This consisted of seven wahoo, the sort of haul that has been virtually unheard of as of late. Whether this is a direct result of the reduced number of boats allowing a single boat to catch the lion’s share of the fish willing to please or if there were lots of others out there for the taking will never be known. Suffice it to say that no one would complain if they managed to get seven into the fish box.

Usually at this time of the year, wahoo tend to come in singles or pairs but it is possible to run into a multiple strike. The best strategy is to put in the time and cover the water and to make sure that all the baits are working all the time.

Waiting an hour or so and then finding a chopped or washed out bait on the end of the line is not only a disappointment but also a sign that something better could have happened. Still, there won’t be many making the pilgrimage over the next week or so.

With the number of diminishing shopping days regularly being brought to the attention of the public, perhaps a spot of advice is required. On the bright side of things, anglers are easy to buy presents for. On the negative side, the costs involved can range from a few dollars for a selection of hooks or sinkers, all the way up to millions of dollars for a craft designed to search for and subdue great marlin and tuna.

Actually, not only are anglers easy to get things for but there are many options throughout the range of prices. Anglers like and go through T-shirts at an amazing rate. There seem to be two types: the ones they wear on the boat when fishing and the other ones which they wear when you go out, especially to fishing club meetings.

Moving strictly into fishing, there is a huge variety of casting lures, trolling rigs and teasers that are always welcomed by offshore anglers — mostly because they are never really sure what will work and are too timid to buy something that is out of the ordinary. It is OK to have something oddball in your tackle box if someone gave it to you. And who knows, it might turn out to be the ultimate secret weapon.

Another good thing about fishing is that it uses lots of expendables. That means that replacements are good. There seems to be almost no limit on the number and type of hooks and weights that are gone through during the course of a season. And probably the greatest expendable is fuel, which is consumed in vast quantities. Happily the oil companies are all willing to offer gift vouchers that may be redeemed at some future time, like when the fishing season actually starts up again.

Moving up a little higher in the price range of angling accoutrements, brings one into the realm of rods, reels and other specialised gear. This area does indeed require some expertise; so if the purchaser is in doubt, be sure to ask. In the close knot Island angling community, there are plenty of sources of fairly honest, reliable advice simply because just about every angler knows at least a bit about every other one.

Next step up is the big one, into the Neverland of boats is well beyond the purview of this column and, probably, most of our budgets!

Those caught between the middle and top end might want to split the difference and take advantage of advance purchase air fares and book a flight to Miami for the 2015 Miami Boat Show which will take place from February 12 to 16 — sooner than you’d like to think!

It has now come to that juncture when it is time to wish all readers a Merry Christmas. Quite apart from wishing you all the joys of the season, this brings to mind the fact that Santa Claus will shortly be taking to the skies to bring just deserts to those both naughty and nice.

For the former, many residents and boaters alike are hoping that St. Nick has something particularly rewarding for those ne’er-do-wells in the former category who had the sheer audacity to erroneously announce on a banner headline in early October that gloated that Bermuda had escaped the 2014 hurricane season “unscathed”.

That was a heady challenge thrown down to Mother Nature that could not go unpunished. The result was an unprecedented one-two blow that left the Island reeling. Suffice it to say that boat owners, residents, a few tourists and the insurance companies were not amused. Definitely not nice!

Leaving aside the other various miscreants on Santa’s list, for those who fit into the “nice” bracket, here’s hoping that Kris Kringle brings you health, happiness and peace with those of us so inclined also receiving a healthy dose of future Tight Lines!!!