The glory that was Greece, the grandeur that was Rome, the British Empire fading away; the same might be said of this Island. Once the North Atlantic Mecca for world records on light tackle, now there are only a few left held here and that has just dropped even further.

Indeed the species in question is one in which locals firmly believed would always be here, so some will be even more saddened to learn that not only has a line class been lost, but also the all-tackle record, once thought to be unassailable.

Suffice it to say that Japan produces some really huge amberjack. Bigger, at least, than the 155lb 10oz and 155lb 12oz specimens caught by Joseph Dawson in 1981, and Larry Trott in 1992, when in 2010 a 156lb 13oz amber from Japan wrenched the record away from this Island. Now to rub salt into the wound, a 163lb 2oz specimen caught on 130lb test on Zenisu, Japan has established itself as both the 130lb test record holder, and the all-tackle record.

Some consolation may be taken from the fact that the Dawson-Trott records remain line class marks as both were caught on an 80lb test line. The mere fact that larger ambers are being found elsewhere should give local anglers some pause for thought; surely there must be some more large specimens here.

Maybe not all-tackle size, but large enough to regain some of the line classes. Perhaps this might be an ambition for next year even though ambers do indeed please all year around.

Apart from the sizes involved, many will be surprised to learn that this particular species is found in the Pacific Ocean as well as the Atlantic.

They might be even more surprised to learn that Zenisu, the location that produced the fish, is a well-known and popular bank not all that far from the Tokyo-Yokohama conurbation that is one of the great metropolitan centres of the world.

For some reason, most of us think that large fish must come from exotic, isolated locations where palm trees sway and island music plays.

Not so. Think about the population centres of New York and New Jersey, whose anglers fish the Hudson Canyon and work boats that routinely run out to find the blue waters of the Gulf Stream in search of the same marlin, tuna and wahoo that we encounter here.

Back to the local scene and although effort is way off what it would have been a couple of months ago, there is still one way to ensure a bit of wahoo action and that is live-baiting. Amazingly enough, the real trick isn’t trading in the live baits — it is obtaining them in the first place.

Most anglers will remember times when robins were so numerous that sometimes it was impossible to get any chum past them, making it hard to get the tuna and other species to take any interest. Be well aware, that is not the situation today, nor has it been for some months now.

While the frigate mackerel never really showed up, much to many anglers’ disappointment, the most viable alternative species is the ocean robin. Although they can be found over the deeper reefs and along Bermuda’s Edge, the crown of the Banks is a good place to start the looking.

The rationale here is that once you have managed to collect a few, then you should not have too far to travel. The drop-off along the inside edges of both Banks seem to harbour some wahoo. Not great numbers, but a good quality of fish seems to be the rule, and there are very few who would complain about trading in a robin for 50 or 60lbs of prime wahoo.

A couple of commercial hauls have gone as high as seven fish in a day. A mixture of wahoo and the occasional dolphin which seem to be sporadic if vaguely consistent. The size of these is seldom noteworthy here, but they are always a welcome addition to the fish box.

A robin weighing about a pound might seem like a large bait for a 15lb quarry, but rest assured that a hungry dolphin will manage to get its maw around the fish, hooking itself in the process. Larger dolphin will make amazingly short work of live baits, so it pays to be ready when the strike comes.

For those looking to endure success the sure-fire means of catching fish is to work the bottom and that can be combined with fishing a live bait down deep. Regular baits should produce hinds, conies and the like but when it comes to alive robin or mackerel, amberjack are always willing to oblige.

Although it will take an exceptional one to set any sort of record, there is no doubt whatsoever that each and every one will definitely provide some exceedingly Tight Lines!