IT'S October now and while the old propaganda from the Government's Fishing Information Bureau said that the angling season went to the end of November, those of us who fish here through the year know that things tend to go pretty pear-shaped by the time mid-October arrives. Quite apart from the water cooling off and the fish heading for warmer climes, the weather is seldom conducive to a day afloat. In fact, many anglers are even now thinking about putting the boat into mothballs for the rest of the year with April or May being the next time operations are likely to resume.

Actually, in some ways, there may be a bit more urgency this year as fuel costs remain high and, as most of us suspect, there can't be too many days left for the weekend warrior to get offshore.

There are still some wahoo to be caught. Regular trolling along the Edge or on the Banks will elicit a few strikes but the most effective way of combining the different strategies is to chum and fish live baits. Now, while this can require a halcyon set of circumstances, most chumming along the drop-off will eventually get some robins up. These are ideal live baits whether they are fished directly from the boat or by using a kite. The kite does make for spectacular strikes but is really no better at getting a predator's attention. Live baits work well because they are what the bigger fish eat, not a facsimile of foodstuff.

Some anglers think that putting out a robin's eyes or blinding it makes sure that it doesn't return to the school. In actuality, the fish use sensors along their lateral line rather than vision to maintain their place in a school. If you doubt this, just watch a ball of fry where the entire school moves as a single unit. That isn't visionary and there is no choreography.

In any case, the likelihood of a bait-rigged robin being able to keep up with the school is somewhere between slim and none. Apart from smarting from a couple of hooks tucked into its back, there is the added vexation of dragging a leader and a length of monofilament line around against the drag of the water. These are some serious handicaps and what make a live bait so attractive to a predator.

The normal advantage to living in a school is strength in numbers ¿ it is always a case of your neighbour being eaten rather than you. The same principle holds true with schools of young fish. When millions of eggs hatch, the large groups of larvae that result are the target of predators and they do make a serious impact on the hatch but they don't catch them all. In time, the survivors get to grow up and become fish. If they are lucky, they grow up to be apex predators: sharks, billfish, large tunas the fish that do the eating rather than those that are eaten.

An interesting study has been going on in the US Virgin Islands. Marlin research John Graves and his team have been tagging blue marlin using pop-up satellite tags, similar to those used here by Dr. Luckhurst and Dr. Prince a few years ago. In this recent study apparently seven tags were deployed and all popped up on schedule and indicated that the fish had moved some considerable distance. Whether or not the directions taken by the fish have any biological significance is unclear but the fact that they turned up where they did meant that the fish had not died and were still swimming at the time of the pop-up release.

It is obvious that more research of this type could be really useful but one of the deterrents to projects of this nature is the high cost of the tags. Each tag costs in the vicinity of $3,000 and then there are the costs associated with the downloading of data from satellites. Not to mention the costs of travelling to a venue to catch a blue marlin, fuel and boat expenses and the actual tagging of a fish. It doesn't take too long before it becomes pretty obvious that this type of science is rather pricey.

On the up side of things, the amount of information that can be gotten from the data collected by the tags is phenomenal. Not only does it show the geographic movement of the fish (think about it: a fish tag can be recovered from the same area where the fish was released but did it stay there or has it gone to all sorts of other places before returning to the original position?) but it also collects information on depth, water temperature and other factors that can help to paint the broad picture of a day in the life of a blue marlin.

To return to trying to secure some fish with expediency and at minimal cost, the surest way of catching fish is to fish multiple hooks on bottom rigs. Drifting over the Banks conserves fuel (an important consideration) and should attract the attention of whatever happens to be on the bottom at the precise moment you drift over them. Most of the bites will come from smaller fish like coneys and barbers but their will be a few hinds and, if you really get lucky, the odd monkey rockfish might please. Do remember that there is a legal daily limit of just one on monkeys but, the good news is, that you can catch as many hinds as you want; well, can catch, at this time of the year. Less common but equally welcome species will be amberjack and bonita, both of which are willing to snatch just about any offering, even if it is rigged on wire. Bottom line: they are not too fussy, so be guided accordingly.

Probably the best that we can hope for is a continued respite from the passage of winter's cold fronts. If this continues, then we will be able to manage a few more trips offshore with the intention of stocking up the freezer. Although it may seem a long way off, it won't be too long before the advertising starts to concentrate on turkeys and hams and fresh fish takes a backseat. By the time the dust clears in early January, getting fresh fish is a pretty tall order. So, the solution is to put what good weather remains to use by working the bottom and attempting to catch something heftier than a hind or barber. That will ensure a supply of fish in the freezer while, at the same time, providing some excitement in the form of Tight lines!!!