Well, spring has sprang, or so they say! Time to start thinking fishing or, maybe less enthusiastically, that it is time to work on the boat.Happily procrastinated for months now although it seems like November was only last week, it is indeed hat time. Face it, flowers are starting to bloom, shoots are appearing on branches and it is warming up despite the occasional cold bluster that just doesn’t seem to last as long as they did a few days ago.Further evidence that it might be time to put the winter gear away comes from the fact that there are large numbers of migrating humpback whales just about everywhere in local waters: off the Banks and along the South Shore are the more obvious venues for whale-watchers. Themselves a sure sign of spring but the offshore water temperature is on its way up.Too many get deluded by the water temperatures reported in the weather reports; most of these deal with inshore temperatures that are far more subject to fluctuations than the deep offshore.Making the assumption that the billfish spend their winters in more southern climes like the Caribbean and equatorial Atlantic and then start to move northward as March progresses into April and May, the recent increase in both blue and white marlin activity down in the Bahamas can only mean that it won’t be long before we will be breaking out the heavy gear.Geographically speaking, the Bahamas island chain is only about 1,000 southwest of us and there is the great Gulf Stream powering warm water northward at a steady pace. Any blue marlin wishing to head in our direction can certainly manage the swim without a strain in under a week, even less if it hitchhikes a ride on the Stream. Other species such as dolphin that actually prefer really warm water might wait a little longer to move in this direction but it is fair to say that all the summer time species will be in our general neighbourhood by the beginning of May. It is high time to take a leaf out of the Boy’s Scout book and make a start at “Being Prepared!”.The premier club of the flats include the tarpon, permit, bonefish, pompano (several varieties) most of which probably can be caught locally but then there is the lady fish. “The who?”, you might well ask. What is really amazing is that this member of a family related to the herrings (just like the tarpon) also goes by the name “ten-pounder”. As if that were at all suitable considering that such a one would be a whopper. While they are said to attain such sizes, most are more like a pound and their sporting value is that they will leap and leap and leap when hooked on light tackle.Think about a very slim-bodied bonefish that tends to be more mid-water or surface swimmer. And there you have the ladyfish. Unlike the bonefish with its mouth designed to work over the substrate, the ladyfish has a turned up mouth similar to a tarpon’s. And, yes, they have been recorded from Bermuda although you would probably have trouble finding anyone who has ever seen one in real life here. They certainly have never rated a mention in any of the many fishing books and articles that have been written about local angling.So, if you are looking to complete a quest on catching all recognised game fish that can be found here — and “can” is the operative word, you would be better off heading to Florida or the Carolinas for a shot at this species. It is known to move into freshwater areas including the Everglades where the alligators find it a fine source of nutrition. There are plenty of places along the coasts where it can be caught and, given its size, ultra-light tackle is advisable.The bonefish, on the other hand, is the species that is numerous enough here to be a regular target of sports fishermen. For a variety of reasons, it is not. When compared to other places, Bermuda doesn’t come top of the list but that is mainly due to numbers. There are places where it is nothing to see literally hundreds of bonefish moving over a single sand flat at a time. Here they are likely to be loners or in pairs. What does set Bermuda apart, or at least used to, is the size of local bones. For many years there was a 20-lb test line class record held by a 14-pound bonefish that was caught here back in the 1950s. At that time, bonefishing was a major aspect of local sport fishing and there were lots of mounted bonefish to bear witness to that. Visitors came from all over to pursue the “grey ghost” as bones were known. That particular record was surpassed in 1976 when an angler in South Africa equalled the all tackle record of 19 pounds. Now, virtually all the records are held by fish in the 14 and 15-pound brackets with Florida providing most of them. There can be little doubt that a bit of concerted effort here would produce another record class bonefish, particularly if the tackle class was chosen with care. It just seems that anglers are not interested in the inshore game fish any more with just the offshore being everyone’s focus.In terms of that, April is not all that far away and with it you can expect a rapid upturn in fishing, both in terms of quality and quality. Probably, in realistic terms, for most amateurs their next angling opportunity is going to be next month. A lucky few might manage a quick foray offshore over the full moon but with the Good Friday/Easter holiday weekend approaching; even fine weather will see most of us engaged in things like: kite flying, hot cross bun-eating and Easter egg hunting.Bothe wahoo and tuna of the black and yellow fin varieties are on eh offshore grounds even though improvement can be expected as conditions settle. The currents around the Banks and edge of the Bermuda Platform are still variable according to the wind and other tidal movements but it won’t be long before they will become more predictable for both the fish and the anglers. Remember that fish need to know where and when the hunting will be best and while this can be much more easily predicted bodies of in fresh water, the same general rules hold true for the oceans.Understanding these patterns can help give the angler the edge but, at this early juncture, the hunt and seek method is often the best technique. In the absence of confirmed knowledge of the fishes’ whereabouts, covering water in the hope of encountering them is a good bet. Enhanced odds somewhat because if the fish are on the move, then they are still looking for bait. This suggests hungry fish and hungry fish often mean Tight lines!!!