Sailfishing in Mexico on the OBSESSION in 2005

Due to the spectacular fishing and great fun we had in Cancun last winter, I will be running the OBSESSION back to Mexico for the peak light tackle sailfishing season in winter 2005. The few boats there last January had outstanding fishing so I am going a week earlier in 2005.. I will be available for charters from January 25 thru March 15. I will not talk about the fishing here, other than to say we caught 5-30 sailfish/day, had shots at 7-50+ sails/day, and caught 402 in 31 days. Please check out the "fishing reports" page of my website at obsession-charters.com, look towards the bottom of the first page, go back 2 or 3 pages and look for several reports on fishing in Mexico to get an idea of the action we had last year.

In 2005, the OBSESSION will be docked at Enrique's Marina, on the island of Isla Mujeres (pronounced moo-hair-is), Isla Mujeres is as beautiful as it is fun. Great beaches, great restaurants, excellent snorkeling, and a great nite life. Walk out of the marina, and you are in the heart of town, a block from the beach, 2 blocks from many of the town's shops, restaurants, bars and night clubs and a short walk or $2.00 cab ride to your hotel.

The lodgings I would recommend for the most part are 2-4 short blocks from the boat, and surround the small downtown area. Plenty of cabs are available. You can rent motor scooters or golf carts and get around the entire island. Hotels rooms range from $50-300/nite, depending upon what you are looking for, but for $70-$150/nite you will get a very nice room for two people. I have a list of lodging options that have been recommended by other captains and will gladly make this available to you. You can also find several web sites just by doing a search for the island : Isla Mujeres.... several sites come up which list all the hotels. Most everything on the island is clean and well kept. I have been told that you need to make bookings ASAP! It is the peak season for tourism and fishing and the island is small and the nicer places fill up!

Once you get to Isla Mujeres, you may not want to leave. You can walk downtown, enjoy great meals at open air restaurants, walk to the waterfront, get in a panga and go snorkeling for $20/person, get back in town and eat great cerviche or langusta (lobster) along the waterfront, walk 3 blocks to a beautiful beach and the legendary swing bars...out door thatched roof covered outdoor bars with swings for seats and 2 for 1's from 1-5 PM, then back to town for indoor or outdoor dinner, and if you can stay up past 11 PM the place really starts rocking! Anyway, lots to do on the island for your wife if she is not fishing or if you plan a few extra days along with your fishing.

To get the best plane flight rates available, and have the full selection of lodgings, I will begin taking reservations for dates now. I have already booked several dates. I again emphasize that you do not want to delay long in getting your lodging reservations. To find info on places to stay, check out the following website, and go to "Places to Stay": http://www.isla-mujeres.net/home.htm

Several places we recommend include:

The OBSESSION provides all bait and tackle, everything first class. We use Shimano TLD 20's with 25 lb line on light action stand-up trolling rods. We use a myriad of natural bait dredges and teasers to raise sailfish. We encourage angler participation and enthusiastically work with anglers interested in the finer points of rigging natural baits and hooking their own fish. Last year, most all our customers that wanted to hook their fish were taught, encouraged and assisted by my mate and succeeded in hooking sailfish themselves, most for their first time!

We will leave the dock at 7- 7:30 AM and return around sunset (6 PM). We provide lunch, including sandwiches, munchies, fruit, yogurt, and drinks including a case each of water, soda and cervezas! All you need bring is polarized sunglasses, sunscreen, rubber soled shoes, hat, camera, and good luck!

The cost of chartering the OBSESSION will be $1500/day for dates in February, and $1400 for dates in January and March for 1-6 people. ( If you do not have a full group, I can sometimes find others to fill out your group! ) This does not include the tip for the mate; 10-15% is a reasonable tip provided the service is professional and courteous. A $50% deposit will be needed to secure your fishing dates. If you prefer, as many did last year, you can pay the full amount ahead of time, and not have to deal with it while in Mexico. The deposit or full payment can be sent to:

As always, you can book trips by email (captjeff@mindspring.com) or phone (252-480-0094). I would be more than happy to provide more details upon your request .