ass fishermen reserve a certain reve

B
ass fishermen reserve a certain reverence for the phrase, an astonished tone
for an almost ancient occurrence. Most
anglers in this country will never experience a
hundred-fish day. They will never know the satisfied soreness and fatigue — not to mention
the giddy excitement — that comes with casting, catching and releasing a hundred bass or
more.
Nowhere does that happen more often than
at Lake El Salto, a jewel of lake located in the
Sierra Madre Mountains. And no lake in the
world produces more 10-pound bass than Lake
El Salto.
Located just 90 miles (and 90 minutes on a
four-lane highway) north of Mazatlan, Mexico’s fast-growing resort city and newest vaca-
tion playground on the West Coast, is the lake
of dreams.
The scenic reservoir sprawls through the foothills of the famous Sierra Madres and just its
very appearance ignites a sense of anticipation
that is unrivaled anywhere in the United States.
Created in 1986 with the damming of the Elota
River, El Salto is about 25,000 acres during the
rainy season and 17,000 acres during annual
low-water periods.
Lake El Salto’s phenomenal bass fishing bears
the imprint of Billy Chapman, Jr.
The New Jersey native began exploring the
woods and waters of old Mexico as a teenager
with his father, Bill, Sr., a pioneer outdoorsman
who began serving as an outfitter to hunters and
fishermen in 1966. In 1985, Billy Chapman, Jr
convinced the government to stock the fastgrowing Florida strain of largemouth into the
Elota a year before it was to be impounded for
irrigation and flood-control purposes. Billy
stocked about 20,000 fingerlings on his own.
Those bass implants were left undisturbed (by
law) for nearly five years, growing fat on shad
and tilapia that were also introduced by the government. By the time Chapman opened his Anglers Inn in 1990, El Salto’s green treasure had
somehow lived up to his hopes and dreams.
With a growth rate that has reached an unbelievable 2 pounds a year, the Florida transplants
have flourished in relative obscurity. Since its
opening, El Salto’s hospitality has regularly
included days of 100-bass catches and an unrivaled trophy bass population.
Chapman owns Anglers Inn, a full-service
hunting, fishing, motorcycles outfitter business
based in Mazatlan that enjoys a world-renowned
reputation for providing first-class service
and dream vacations. One of the longest-running American-owned outfitters in Mexico at
30 years, Anglers Inn specializes in bass fishing and world-class wingshooting trips from its
beautiful lakeside resort on world-famous Lake
El Salto; offshore and light-tackle saltwater outings off of the coast of Mazatlan; and combina-
tion trips involving all of those activities. The
common denominator in an Anglers Inn fishing
or hunting trip is the experienced of a lifetime
coupled with unforgettable service. In addition,
Anglers Inn can create a memorable wedding
or honeymoon in the wonderful seaside city of
Mazatlan.
Also, Anglers Inn established a first-class,
four-star resort on the shores of Lake El Salto —
lakeside lodging that is unmatched anywhere in
Mexico. And the service and pampering found
at the lodge is like nothing else found in Mexico
or the U.S. The spa at the lodge provides manicures, pedicures, massages and facials. In addition motorcycle tours are available, and families
and couples will find plenty to see and do on the
picturesque grounds.
It’s all just part of the world-class sporting
opportunities that Anglers Inn is most famous
for. If the fishing on Lake El Salto isn’t exciting
enough (imagine that!), Anglers Inn provides
the dedicated shot-gunner with high-quality
and convenient hunts on the shores of Lake El
Salto.Their unique Cast and Blast trips — where
you fish for big bass in the morning and shoot
doves or ducks in the afternoon— are like nothing else in Mexico.
If saltwater fishing is your game, Anglers Inn
makes it easy for our customers to experience
world-class billfishing action off the coast of
Mazatlan. Our combination bass and billfish option is easily accessible and surprisingly affordable! The waters off of Mazatlan have developed a world-famous reputation for the wealth
and variety of billfish that swim here. And then
there are our fun-filled light-tackle saltwater
outings. The inshore and nearshore waters north
of Mazatlan are enjoying a growing reputation
as the place to tangle with a dozen or more different species of desirable saltwater gamefish.
We’ll provide everything — transportation,
knowledgeable guide, tackle, lures, drinks, etc.
You just winch in the fish!
Are you can stay in the lap of luxury in Mazatlan in one of Anglers Inn’s condominiums (fully furnished 3 bedrooms / 2 bath units) that are
available for weekly and monthly rental. The
condos are located on the New Marina Mazatlan.
Lake El Salto is the big attraction to fishing
enthusiasts from all over the world. El Salto is
the Cadillac of bass lakes and Anglers Inn takes
full advantage of its status by providing a quality of facilities and service that I have never
experienced in this country and several others.
Guests are pampered both at the lodge and on
the lake.
The fishing is comfortable and relaxed. Chapman’s Mexican guides, who are pleasant, attentive and communicate fairly well, pilot Super17 Tracker boats powered by 48-hp Yamaha
outboards and modern trolling motors. Our
guides kept us in the midst of fish most of the
time, especially after I learned the words “mas
despacio” (more slowly) and “regreso” (return
to that stretch of bank).
The guides, like all of the Mexican people we
encountered, were warm, carried a quick smile
and seemed eager to please.
With their help, we caught between 100 and
150 bass on each of our three glorious days on
El Salto (despite taking a break each day for
a welcome noon-time siesta). Our biggest fish
was a 7-pounder, but our fellow guests reported
catching four 9- and 10-pound bass, as well as
one that topped the 11-pound mark.
Believe it or not, the months of May through
July are supposed to be even better in terms of
trophy-class bass.
Mike Hastings, a visiting bass guide from
Texas, recalled a night-fishing trip aboard a
pontoon boat last June when he and five others caught and released an estimated 350 (2- to
6-pound) fish between the hours of 7 p.m. and
midnight. Almost every cast with a topwater
plug produced a strike.
There is so much to like about Lake El Salto.
With the lush foothills providing the scenery,
the lake is filled with the kinds of objects that
most anglers love to explore. There is more
visible wooden cover than 10 fishermen could
check in 10 years.
The better fishing action occurs in the upperhalf of the lake, where there are more than 30
islands and the majority of El Salto’s nearly 400
brush-covered points. Although the reservoir
has some floating hyacinths, the flooded brush
and trees seem to harbor the most bass and attract the most attention.
But there are times when some of El Salto’s
more peculiar bass structure gets hot. The impoundment’s water now covers the ruins of two
villages and three ancient cemeteries.
A major reason why El Salto is such a fun lake
to fish is the endless array of shallow, visible
objects that protrude from the water’s surface
and harbor a mind-boggling number of bass.
This is not a place where depthfinders, deepdiving crankbaits, jigs and jigging spoons are
required. Instead, a decent cast to any collection of standing timber or brush with a topwater plug, spinnerbait, crankbait or soft plastic is
likely to entice a strike.
Lake El Salto provides a fishing trip that is
perfect for families. The treatment is first class,
the fishing takes place in stable, comfortable
boats and the bass gladly cooperate.
The reservoir is a fly-fisherman’s paradise, as
well. These unpressured bass so aggressively attack surface lures that poppers and various flies
are extremely productive. The late Gus Hansch,
a 70-year-old fly-rod angler from California, enjoyed several 100- to 200-bass days in the past.
One angler who fully understands the bigbass capability of Lake El Salto is Joe Bullock,
a semi-retired businessman from the Bay area
of California. Last year, he enjoyed a 16-day
trip to the lake that produced the following trophy fish: Fourteen pounds, 12 ounces, 14 1/2
pounds, 13 1/2, 13, 11 1/2, 11, 10-13, 10-4, 104, 9-7, 9-7, 7-15, 7-7, 7 and 6.
“I target bigger fish,” says Bullock, who enjoyed a day on El Salto in 2003 that produced
10 bass weighing 118 pounds. “I’d rather go out
all day and catch one or two big fish than numbers of fish.
“I like throwing the bigger stuff down there because when you get a strike it’s something pretty
good sized. I don’t normally throw swimbaits,
but I got into throwing them and I stayed with it
the whole 16 days I stayed down there. Fishing
16 days straight I was able to find the patterns
where the fish were consistently day after day
and what time of day to be in a certain area. I
patterned them real good and was able to slam
them.”
By the end of the trip, Bullock, who has fished
with Anglers Inn outfitters for more than 10
seasons, had caught and released so many bragging-sized bass that he began experimenting
with other magnum-sized lures (including 1ounce-plus spinnerbaits and a huge Storm Chug
Bugs). The giant topwater fooled a largemouth
weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.
For more information, on Anglers Inn, visit
www.anglersinn.com on the Web or call tollfree 1-800- GOTA-FISH. The mailing address
is 413 Interamerica Blvd. Suite 01-e182 Laredo, TX 78045 USA