"El Nino" of last year has become just a painful memory as the sails showed up in droves this week. Yesterday over 200 rose to the teasers. Frequent guests Allen Ryals and Steve "Baldy" Ulman were top boat with 10 releases, while Team PMS (pre marlin syndrome), consisting of southern belles, Jane Flatt, Janet Bowling, Ginny Maynard, and Linda Cagle, used their Tennessee charm to coax 9 to the boat.

Ryals and Ulman had an amazing week, taking lots of sails, a 500 black marlin, a 300 lb yellowfin tuna, (new lodge record) and a 54 lb dorado. Larry Staab teamed up with wife Helen and pulled on a 300 lb blue marlin on light tackle for over 4 hours on light tackle. Dorado are still around and many over 30 and some over 40 lbs hit the decks this week. Bill Zbieszkowski and Randy Welch made a return visit Super Bowl week. In three days they went 17 for 21 on sails and landed several dorado. They were top boat each day of their stay and in their words took the "Lombardi trophy" of fishing for the week.

Inshore has been hit and miss lately but Sid and Eric Smith from Arlington, Texas sent me a couple of nice photos of Eric's roosterfish and a big bluefin trevally.

The big sailfish push has just started and it's too early to tell if the huge numbers will return after an El Nino year, but it sure is looking that way. The California reservation office informs us limited space is still available in late February so come on down!