IS it spring yet? Certainly the longtails seem to think so as they can be seen cavorting along the South Shore cliffs. They must have a reason for being here. We take this as a harbinger of spring being right around the corner and right now there are a whole lot of people convinced that winter is indeed over. Whether this is the case or not will remain to be seen.

Mother Nature uses lots of indicators to help us tell when the seasons are on the change. Right now, despite the drought and warm, sunny days, there are also other signs of an early spring. Have you noticed how many loquats there are on the trees and how ripe they are? And, if an early spring is called for on land, just what is the oceanic situation? Probably not too far behind. The longer days, and you will notice them once the clocks change on March 9 (next week), are an important element to organisms offshore; from plankton on up to the great whales. More daylight equals more sun input and, therefore, more energy available to the natural system.

It is a bit funny to think about it but all the life in the seas (not to mention on earth) are based on the sun's life-giving heat and light energy. Light makes for plants, even microscopic ones, which in turn support animals. These animals then support larger animals and so on right up to the tuna, sharks and marlin. Conversely, it is the death and decay of the animals that provides the raw materials for the plants to start the cycle all over again.

Phytoplankton support zooplankton which become food for various bait species. Don't forget about squids and other offshore animals. There are some plant-feeding bait fish as well, including garfish. The carnivorous fish eat the bait fish and so on, all the way up to the apex or top predators which include man.

Even though there doesn't seem to be a particularly great amount of bait around, there are quite a few predators and this situation is generally pretty favourable to fishermen. Hungry predators are more likely to hit trolled offerings that well-fed, lazy fish. Right now, there are enough wahoo around to justify an excursion offshore. In fact, some commercial operators have been doing pretty well as evidenced by the steady supply of fresh wahoo to the retailers and restaurants.

Some of the hauls have been nothing short of excellent. With most of the fish being caught on the Banks, that area has been the focus of the effort this past week or two.

One commercial boat caught 22 in one day and although these fish were somewhat smaller than the norm, they still tallied something in excess of 700 pounds.

Another boat reported catching a dozen with all but one of the fish weighing over 35 pounds. Apparently some of the fish were really nice specimens. Unfortunately, although the wahoo is a great light tackle species, the vast majority of wahoo caught these days are caught on 50-lb test or heavier gear. And don't just blame the commercial operators for this. Even so-called local sportsmen tend toward heavier gear and it is really only the Mid-Ocean Wahoo Tournament that gets anyone to put out anything even remotely classified as light tackle with most people opting for 30-lb test.

A few wahoo are caught in club tournaments or the ILTT on light tackle but most of these are caught in chum lines rather than by trolling. Live baiting can also be applied to light tackle but, again, the tendency is for heavier gear.

So, plenty of potential for good light tackle action at the moment. All the traditional trolling ploys are working and it should be possible to manage to catch a few.

If fuel is a consideration, don't neglect the Southwest Edge. The area between the short course and Sally Tucker's has to be one of the most consistently productive pieces of bottom to which just about everyone has access. Most weekenders just need to catch a single fish to justify the expedition and there is every chance of scoring along this piece of bottom. Bottom fishing or chumming just inside of the drop-off can also pay off and now is the time to do that before the seasonal closure comes into effect.

Tuna continue to be in short supply. Although the blackfin is associated with warmer waters, there is no reason why there shouldn't be a few Allisons around. Granted, there probably aren't any numbers that have wintered here but with the water warming and the days lengthening, a school or two should have put in an appearance. Similarly, schools of mackerel should also start showing up. When the bait shows up the rest of the blue water menagerie cannot be far behind. Expect rainbow runners, skipjack and other summer species to put in an appearance just in advance of the first billfish making their presence known; probably when least expected.

Switching attention to the inshore, it should not be too long before some jacks start to be seen. Usually associated with warming water, there have been some years when the first schools of jacks have been netted in the first half of March. That time is not too far away and the present inshore water temperature has to be suggestive of an early influx. There are usually a few schools of mackerel in the waters of the Great Sound and even St. George's Harbour during the winter and often the first arriving jacks take up running with them. For this reason, they often get a bit of a free ride as netters are usually not looking to haul in a bunch of mackerel. Anglers trolling small silver spoons or lures often get hits from jacks on the forage. Fish on the move are generally on the feed,, so if you happen to be puttering about the sound, why not try dragging a lure or two.

Now that March is upon us, will it come in like a lion or like a lamb? The old adage usually has it that if it starts off as the one then it will finish up like the other. So, this weekend should give us some idea of what to expect. As things stand, we might just be in for a blustery second half of the month; but, then again, the whole thing could be misleading. What does count is what happens offshore and how soon the weather gets to the point that it encourages us to go in search of Tight lines!!!