THERE you have it. The season finale, in terms of major tournaments, is upon us and winter is subtlety but nonetheless rapidly, becoming a reality. Even though the major weather features are tropical in nature, it won't be too long before the passage of cold fronts from the plains of northern Canada make their presence felt. While commercial operators pretty much continue to fish, by mid-September the amateurs have put the boat on the moorings pretty much until next summer.

Basically this Sunday's Mid-Ocean News Wahoo Tournament signals the end of the sportfishing season. There may be a few club fun tournaments left on the calendar but things are in the process of winding up.

The procrastination of Bermudians was highlighted in the pattern of entries for the Wahoo Tournament. Up until just before the holiday weekend there was a grand total of two entry forms received. A straw poll of people normally active in angling circles indicated that the usual number of participants can be expected and that this past Tuesday, the deadline, would see large numbers of entry forms pour in.

And they did. Some 50 boats with 200 anglers are expected to be hunting for wahoo on Sunday.

While, in the final analysis, this procrastination doesn't make any difference and each entry will be valid in its own right, it does point out how local customs can make life difficult for organisers who already have to factor in considerations such as the weather and the venue.

A new innovation for this year's Mid-Ocean New Wahoo Tournament is a form that must accompany each fish entry. There is a method to the seeming madness of more paperwork.

One frustration that has plagued both organisers and participants is the amount of delay that often takes place at the weigh-in which will be in Dockyard again this year. The problems are manifold ranging from the event's success when large numbers of fish are brought to the weigh-in.

But more often the problem is the confusion which arises. Crews show up unsure as to who caught which fish; what the line class was and all sorts of permutations all of which take time. Add to this the fact that many boats take full advantage of the fishing time allowed and then they tend to arrive at the weigh-in at the same time as a large number of other boats. By the end of a long day at sea, having started with an early morning, not to mention the effects of a few libations, patience is suddenly a very valuable commodity.

From the weighmaster's standpoint, the object of the exercise is to get a boat alongside, offload the fish in an orderly fashion with the requisite anglers and collecting information relating to line class, contact numbers and related matters; actually weighing the fish and then having them displayed for the mandatory photographs. Sometimes anglers forget that some tournaments are opportunities for sponsors to showcase their products or image. Trying to get anglers off a boat and onto the dock in front of the catch can take several minutes and even if only three or four minutes are involved once you start multiplying that by ten or more boats, the time factor becomes significant.

In this present event, it is hoped that by having the weigh-in form completed in advance, the weighing process will be streamlined and the time taken minimised. Obviously, even with such a document other situations will arise. Forms will inevitably have blown overboard, gotten soaked or there will be the simple lack of a pen. It can only be hoped that the majority of participants will have the paperwork done and that the process will move on with alacrity. In a best possible world, things will go quickly and smoothly and participants can get on with putting their boats to bed in a timely fashion.

Looking at the fishing, the truth of the matter is that things are a bit on the slow side. The wahoo which have pleased all through the summer seem to be less numerous and, so far, there hasn't been any influx of frigate mackerel or other bait species. The water temperature is holding steady and there are no apparent reasons to expect any marked departures from the present situation.

Most anglers will concentrate on trolling even though this is by no means the only, or even the best way, to catch a winning wahoo. Other options include chumming to get live robins and then live baiting or just having a hefty 'hoo show up in the chum slick. There are also options utilising a kite or even slow trolling live baits. Don't laugh all these tactics work on their day.

And don't ever sell the idea of chumming for wahoo short. More than one tournament has been won using this tactic and it does also offer some variety at a time when almost the entire fleet is concentrating on a single species.

Still, most of the effort will be classical trolling of garfish and flying fish rigs with the odd artificial in the spread. This does work and it is often a case of being where there is a concentration of fish. This usually means heading out to the Banks but a quick analysis of past results will reveal that the East End has been pretty consistent in producing winners. Bermuda's Edge has seen a fair amount of wahoo activity over the summer and there are probably a few fish still resident there.

The hot, calm summer days are also when some effort goes into finding flotsam. Bits of cargo net, rope, boards or just about anything often serve as magnets for dolphin and wahoo. While these are usually welcome, most of the wahoo tend to be school-sized and in this sort of tournament, a trophy fish is what is required. Past results indicate that something in the 50 to 60 pound range is usually required to make the winner's circle. Hence the reason for concentrating on live baiting or other techniques that are more likely to attract the attention of larger fish.

Another major factor in determining the where of the fishing effort is the weather. With the long-range forecast calling for southeasterly winds, smaller boats may well prefer to stick to the Edge where they can benefit from some of the Island's lee. Based on previous years, the effort gets pretty well spread out over all the usual fishing grounds.

Leaving the thrill of competition behind and focusing on some fish for the freezer, now is the time to get in some bottom-bouncing. The seasonal bag limit on the number of red hinds that can be caught by amateurs has now been lifted as has the closure of some of the more productive pieces of bottom. It should be possible to catch enough hinds and coneys to be able to put some fillet into the freezer where it can last well into the winter months. That's a time when you won't be able to get much in the way of Tight lines!!!