The Chum Line February 2009
Happy New Year and welcome to the first issue of The Chum Line for 2009. In this issue we report on:
- Winter Yellowfin Tuna Action
- Club News
Winter Yellowfin... and some Wahoo Too!!
The word on everyone's lips is "Yellowfin" - there have been plenty of these powerhouses offshore Bermuda for those boats that have been able to get out after them. Late January brought some fantastic fishing weather with calm seas, light winds and warm temperatures (before winter returned on 31 January with a vengeance - plenty of high wind, much cooler air temperatures and, at times, heavy rain).
Playmate has been in on the action with some great fishing for Yellowfin in mid January. While the tuna bite has slowed a bit, Captain Keith reports there has been plenty of bait offshore with some of the tunas full of tiny pink and white shrimps, a variety of krill, small octopus and what look like US anchovies!
Playmate has also successfully tagged and released a small White Marlin in January - very probably the first billfish caught in Bermuda for 2009!!
The Wahoo have also put in an appearance with some very nice fish put in the boat. Playmate had one that went a shade under 70lbs. And we have heard of at least one caught on another non-club boat (Wound Up) that was around 80lbs - these are great Wahoo at any time of the year!!
Amberjacks, Almaco Jacks, and Coneys have also been available for those anglers who put the time in. Jigging seems to have been particularly effective on the Almacos.
Humpback Whales have been sighted several times during January - with some just off Pompano in around 30 fathoms of water. Concluding a successful fishing trip with some time whale watching sounds great!!
Club News
In 2009 the Club will be holding regular Club nights on the 3rd Wednesday of each month (other than June and December, being the ILTT and Christmas respectively). At each Club night a member of the Executive will host a topic of interest to Club Members.
The first Cub night will be held at the Spanish Point Boat Club at 7.30pm on the 18th of February. Dean Rea will be giving a 30 minute presentation on the fishing opportunities available in the Kingdom of Tonga where he and Fiona Beck have fished every year since 1994. The Club's AGM will be held on the second Club night scheduled for Wednesday 18th March.
The 2009 International Light Tackle Tournament is our Club's flagship tournament - it kicks off with the Captains' meeting on Sunday 14 June and concludes with the prize giving on Saturday 20 June. This is an important event for the Club - 2009 marks the 44th time this tournament has been held. If you think you might be interested in putting together a team please contact Cindi Pearman (cindipops@ibl.bm).
The Club Christmas gathering went off as planned on Friday 5 December at Mad Hatters Restaurant. Attendance was down a little on previous Christmas gatherings due to people being off the island or having prior commitments. That said, those that did attend enjoyed some great food and great company.
While we are a line fishing club and not a spear fishing club - you might be interested in this recent news item from New Zealand - an 18 year old spear fisherman recently enduring a 2 1/2 hour battle with a 213kg (486 lb) Blue Marlin. The Blue dragged the spear fisherman for 3km (1.9m) before he was able to subdue the fish. While it's not a big fish by Blue Marlin standards - it is one heck of a capture with a spear. File this in the "don't try this at home" file...
Club Catch Records
Finally remember to email Francis Patterson with your catches as they come to hand over the winter 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.