WOULD someone care to explain just what is going on on the offshore scene? It isn't just that the weather has kept the fleet home ? commercial boats and a few charter craft have ventured out onto the briny. What is of concern is the lack of results at a time of year when the action should be lively. Certainly, the old Fishing Information Bureau used to tout this time of year as one of the best for general all-round action.

According to their publications, May would see wahoo and the start of tuna activity before settling down into chumming season as the yellowfin tuna on the Banks became the mainstay of the sport fishery. So far, there is precious little activity and, if this is any indication of what is to come, things could be pretty grim indeed.

Last weekend had a ferocious forecast which although it did not exactly live up to billing, was generally lumpy, grumpy and wet. Several boats were lulled into a false sense of security when the promised winds failed to develop and then there were indications that it would be light and variable on Sunday. Everything shifted suddenly; the breeze came up and the seas rolled in from the southeast guaranteeing an uncomfortable day for all concerned. Not surprisingly, there were not very many fish caught. Despite the weekend's weather, this has been pretty much the norm for the last few weeks.

Now the crazy thing is that there are some fish about. Nothing much in the way of numbers but boats are catching dolphin, wahoo, yellowfin and blackfin tuna. With that amount of variety around there should be some half-way decent fishing, one would have thought. The fact of the matter is that it is just not happening and most boats are overjoyed to get the odd strike, every once in a while.

There should be a spring run of wahoo taking place any time now but, so far, there has been little to support such a theory. In fact, it is painfully reminiscent of last year's autumnal run which looked promising for all of a week before fizzling totally out.

There is also a persistent rumour that someone caught a yellowfin down north that bettered the 80-pound mark. While such an event has not been uncommon in the past; there have been runs of mid-size tuna during April and May, the absence of any other evidence of schools of tuna suggests that it just is not happening.

About the only real positive sign is that the green water tends to be receding and giving way to the deep blue that anglers expect once they cross the Edge and move out onto the ocean. It is possible that there is some correlation between the lack of fish and the water colouration but, then again, there have been some fish caught in the so-called "green" water. Sooner or later, the blue will return but whether or not that will mean the fish will turn up is another matter completely.

What is of greater concern is the lack of bait or even schools of small tuna that can usually be seen crashing in and around the Banks at this time of the year. It is fairly logical to assume that it is the concentration of this sort of bait that eventually lures the marlin into the local area and which encourages them to stay. Warm conditions and lots of food should mean plenty of billfish and give them every opportunity to spawn during the high summer. Take away the bait and maybe the rest won't come to pass either. Now, that's a scary thought! Anglers who confine their efforts to reef fishing and chumming for the smaller game species have little in the way of encouraging news either. It deems that even the robins have decided to play elsewhere and this is not a good sign. This sort of species is local in nature and if they are proving difficult to lure to established chumming sites, then something very odd is happening. Again, low levels of bait suggest even lower levels of fish. Usually the opposite is true: plenty of robins around the boat but no predatory fish to take advantage of live baits.

The inshore waters are not giving much in the way of information either. There have been no massive schools of mackerel and even the jacks seem to be a little lighter on the ground than they usually are. This might be attributable to slighter cooler inshore waters but one would expect things to change markedly once there have been a few sunny days and the water temperature responds accordingly. It is just not convincing at the moment. Perhaps some good weather and increased boating activity will result in more being seen and brought to the attention of anglers and commercial fishermen who know what the various signs mean. It is just the dearth of sign at the moment that is proving most frustrating to all concerned.

Some bridge and pier fishermen have had a modicum of success but even this has left something to be desired. There are not the numbers of grey snapper lurking in the shadows, as they disdainfully eye your paltry offerings. Bear in mind, however that there is a full moon coming and the judicious use of fresh fry will give you as good a chance as you will ever get to con a large grey dog into making a potentially fatal mistake.

Despite the best efforts of the Bermuda Game Fishing Association to organise the tournament schedule for 2006, inevitably some changes have come about. The first of these involves the Bermuda Fishing Clubs Annual Tournament (BFCAT). Originally slated for the May 14, this has now been put back to the May 21, due in part to the absence of quite a few club angling stalwarts who have opted to try their luck in Mexico at the IGFA/Rolex Tournament.

The Sandys Boat Club Tournament, which is open to the general public, has also been moved back to the May 21. Copies of the rules and entry forms, etc. will be available from Sandys Boat Club and tackle shops.

Looking still further ahead to the end of the month and it will be time for one of the really big public tournaments with the Bacardi Rum Tournament slated for the May 29. Doubtless there will be plenty of publicity in advance of this popular event with entry forms available in the newspapers.

With the season progressing all too quickly, we can only hope that Mother Nature put things to rights and that the fish will start to please. After all, there is nothing worse than spending a day fishing and not getting any Tight lines!!!