The wind is blowing and it’s cold in the Yucatan. Locals tell me that this is the longest cold spell they can remember. The good news is that the annual push of Atlantic Sailfish is going on strong. With the brisk North wind come the sails. And this week they are here in force. And the report is that they have been here and biting very well for several weeks now. It appears to be one of the quieter winter fishing seasons in a while with regard to the transient sportfishing boats. Sad for those who aren’t here, good for those who did make it. I arrived just behind a strong winter front and barely brought enough clothes to pull it off. A brief stay but boy am I seeing some fish. If I count the sails in the spread, tailing, and feeding under the birds, I’m seeing hundreds of sails each day. The conditions are right for fishing the birds, and this also makes for some world class trolling in between bunches. I’ve fished several days aboard the newest Paul Mann boat Qualifier, and also aboard the Keen M. Both boats have put me in the meat each day.I’ve only been trying to get this shot for a few years now … a bait ball of Sardines on the move with dozens of Sailfish and Frigate birds picking away.

Frigate birds battling Sailfish for a fresh Sardine meal.

What they lack in size, the Atlantic Sail makes up for in attitude.

Every so often, one special fish comes along and displays the most magnificent rich colors of blues, green, and gold.

This just in from the front line. Anthony Mendillo from Isla Mujeres called me this morning to tell me about Tuesday’s action aboard his charter boat “Keen M”. Every once in a while the moon and the stars align and last Tuesday was one of those days. So many things have to fall in place for it to happen: weather conditions, the ideal skilled angler, and the perfect mix of bait and birds. It doesn’t hurt that Anthony is one of the best Sailfish charter captains and the most observant student of their behavior. A nice early start put Anthony in the birds and bait at first light and his angler Nassim Joaquin went to work. Nassim is very familiar with the routine since he lives locally and charters the Keen M whenever conditions look ideal for fly fishing. When the day ended, they managed to get the release of 12 fish, and lost countless other every which way possible. The local record (and Atlantic record?) was 10 releases on fly. That was set a few years ago by another team of ace fisherman, angler Joe Zimmer and Captain Butch Cox aboard the Prime Time. Way to go Anthony!