The Chum Line April 2009
Happy Easter! In this issue of the Chum Line we focus on the prospects for spring fishing and upcoming club events.
Spring Fishing Report
March 2009 will be remembered for those bone chilling temperatures that were served up in the final days of that month. But now we are into April the air and water temperatures seem to be heading in the right direction.
The good news is the Wahoo bite is wide open at present, with some very nice sized fish to be had.
Captain Keith tells us the Playmate has been regularly boating good numbers of Wahoo in the 45lb to 55lb range. Those are certainly very nice sized Wahoo anywhere in the world. And we know of one fish landed by Somerset based Peter Rans that weighed in at a very impressive 107lb.
The problem is that the Wahoo bite is not in the same place two days in a row. Some days Sally Tuckers has been fishing well with charter, commercial and private boats all landing fish out there. Other days Challenger seems to be where the bite is happening with the SE Corner being one place where the fish are cooperating. So if you are not hitting fish in one place don't be afraid to move!
That said, Sally Tuckers and other places along the Edge that offer likely Wahoo habitat make it easy for those with limited time or in smaller boats to have a crack at some very respectable game fish. Don't neglect fishing close to home either. Club member Fiona Beck picked up this 42lb Wahoo at Sally Tuckers on a recent morning away from the office!
The other very visible event happening offshore right now is regular sightings of humpback whales as they pass through Bermuda waters. The whales are very much where you find them, but Sally Tuckers and the crown of Challenger appear to be two good starting points if you are hoping to see some whales while offshore.
Some of you will be aware there is a project underway in Bermuda to broaden our knowledge of our oceans and these magnificent animals and to produce a 30-minute documentary for children about Bermuda's marine environment. The Humpback Whale Film and Research Project is led by Bermuda resident Andrew Stevenson. You can view the project's progress and some great whale photographs by visiting Andrew's website www.whalesbermuda.com.
The website contains some useful guidelines on whale watching if you intend to spend any time on the water interacting with the whales as they pass by the island.
In last month's newsletter we mentioned now was a good time to replace mono top shots on reels which use Dacron as backing material. Captain Keith, also one of Bermuda's IGFA representatives, helpfully drew our attention to the international angling rules promulgated by the IGFA, which deal with this matter. Those rules state "if the fishing line is attached to the backing, the catch shall be classified under the heavier of the two lines". In short, check the backing material is the same breaking strain as the mono top shot to avoid a record claim being in doubt!
Club Events
The Club AGM was held on 18 March, at the Spanish Point Boat Club. The AGM was well attended, including by three prospective new members - Michael Batista, Mark Booth and Kip Froud. It's great to see new members interested in joining the Club.
The next Club event is the Annual Prize Giving. That will be held at Mad Hatters restaurant on Saturday 18 April - 6.30pm for drinks, 7pm for dinner. If you plan on attending please RSVP to Fiona Beck by 14 April (fiona.beck@sccn.bm). We enjoyed some great food and good times at Mad Hatters when the Club Christmas get together was held there. And the Annual Prize Giving promises to be just as much fun.
ILTT Update
We are pleased to advise we have been able to assemble a BAC team to compete in the June ILTT. Ken Henneberger will be representing the BAC in this tournament along with John Ringold, David Skinner and Francis Patterson. We'll be providing more details about the ILTT in the May newsletter.
Club Catch Records
Finally remember to email Francis Patterson with your catches as they come to hand over the coming months. Francis needs to know the species, the line class, and the weight of the fish, the date and the boat on which the fish was caught, along with any method of catch (fly, spincast or spinchum) other than conventional. Francis' email is fhpp@northrock.bm.
Contacting the Club
If you need to contact the Club just email us at bermudaanglersclub@bermuda.com.