ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Apr 1st thru 30th 2008

Burning Crankbaits Hot For El Salto’s Trophy
Post-Spawn Bass

As the normal water level begins dropping due to irrigation, anglers fishing El Salto are witnessing a phenomenon seen repeatedly during the past 18 years. Post-spawn bass are stacking up on points, humps and islands, and the best baits for catching them are fast-burned deep-diving crankbaits. Most anglers are starting their early-morning fishing sessions by casting topwater lures. The topwater bite has picked up a notch recently, with Rico Pops and Zara Spooks in the colors mentioned above being the best producers. The best spots are shoreline shallows wherever shad schools can be found. As the morning progresses, however, topwaters go back in the tacklebox, and its time to change over to crankbaits, swimbaits or lizards. All these lures will catch fish if you cast them near a school of hungry bass, but crankbaits have been super hot, particularly the deep-diving, citrus-colored Fat Free Shad or a hot mustard- or parrot-colored Rapala DT16. The key is burning the crankbait fast—real fast—as guests Jack and Michael Fitch learned by accident. Jack explains. “It was late in the afternoon on our final day of fishing,” he says. “We were fishing a spot that had already proven to produce good fish, but my dad had an unfortunate accident and lost his rod and reel over the side. I was trying to retrieve the rod and reel by burning my deep-diving crankbait, but instead I hooked the best fish of the trip—a nice 11-pounder.” Another father and son team, Bob and Will Worthington, also had good luck on big bass. During three days fishing, they landed more than 370 largemouths, including many that fell for crankbaits. “My son Will caught bass weighing 11 pounds, 9.1, 8.8, 7.14 and 7.3,” Bob says. “The best baits were the Fat Free Shad, 10-inch Power Worms and Storm swimbaits. Nothing could have made our trip any better! Thank you for all you do to make the experience world class.” If you’re keeping track, the two big bass up to this point in our report weighed 11 pounds each. Could there be a third 11-pounder this month? Indeed! Al and Sandy Wells of Medford, Oregon sent a photo of an 11-pounder they caught, too, along with this note from Al. “We enjoyed our stay at Anglers Inn immensely,” he said. “The food was fantastic, the camaraderie was great, and it all added up to the best vacation we have ever had! Sandy loved the pampering and special treatment. Say ‘Hola!’ to everyone, and tell them thanks from both of us!” And if you thought that was all the 11-pounders possible … well, think again. Loren Smith from California was on El Salto with fishing partner Zack Gruner. Loren says, “I have fished bass my whole life, and my biggest bass was 6.7 pounds. In four days on El Salto, I caught 8.2-, 9.0-, and 10.1-pound largemouths. The pure numbers of big bass are amazing. Most of my bass came on deep-diving crankbaits and Storm swimbaits. Zack landed his biggest bass of 11 pounds on a Fat Free Shad crankbait.” We had other special guests at Anglers Inn this month, too. TV personality Larry Dahlberg, who hosts the show “The Hunt for Big Fish,” fished both El Salto and Lake Mateos on his recent visit. He and Jeremy Sweet from Shimano Corporation landed more than 300 bass on film in just 1-1/2 days of fishing! Also visiting Anglers Inn were Wayne Black and Joe Nickols, winners of an all-expenses-paid trip for two sponsored by Florida Fishing Weekly. As you’ll understand after reading the paragraphs that follow, these guys, like many other guests, say a trip to Anglers Inn isn’t just about the fishing; it’s about the whole experience.  “We arrived at Anglers Inn around noon, and cold drinks were brought to the van as the staff took our fishing gear and baggage to the cottage,” Wayne says. “We were asked what we wanted to drink in the morning and if we had any special needs or requests for food or lodging. Then, at 2 p.m., José said it was time to go fishing. He took us and our gear to the boat where we met our guide Manuel. Manuel asked if we wanted big fish or numbers, and we told him numbers. We caught 63 fish the first afternoon, including several 4s and 5s. Even the smaller ones fought like much bigger bass. “When we came in that afternoon, we were greeted by José, Armando and Sammy whose politeness and obvious enjoyment of working at Anglers Inn were very plain to see,” Wayne continued. “They were just fantastic, and it got even better when they brought the filet mignon to our table cooked just the way we said we liked it. Then it was off to a very clean, air-conditioned room and comfortable beds for a great night’s sleep.” According to Wayne, he and Joe’s first full day at El Salto started just like the day before had ended—with great food and great service. Then their bass fishing began in earnest. “Manuel greeted us with a smile, and we proceeded to boat 77 quality bass, including a lot of 3s and 4s, with several in the 6-pound-plus range. We came back to the lodge for lunch and had an appetizer on our way to the room to freshen up before the terrific lunch. After lunch, it was siesta time, and we rested up for another great afternoon. Shrimp Rockefeller for supper; need I say more?” Day 2 included more great fishing, with Wayne and Joe landing more than 100 bass. “I started using 65-pound braid with a 3-foot, 20-pound Vanish leader tied with a uni-knot,” Wayne says. “This worked very well, even when throwing the 6-inch Storm swimbaits. We caught fish on swimbaits, deep-diving cranks, chrome-and-blue 3/4-ounce Rat-L-Traps, 9-inch worms, 8-inch Zoom lizards and 5-inch craws. The colors on the worms, lizards and craws were black with blue tail or watermelon red. The crankbaits were Fat Free Shad, white with a green back, and Bandit watermelon-red, 16-foot divers. We also caught a few on a Spittin’ Image white with a blue back topwater very early. The topwater bite was just starting to get good, and by May, I’m sure it will be a hot bite. “Day 3 was more of the same,” Wayne continued, “and I had to put an Ace bandage on my wrist, which was sore from setting the hook. Now isn’t that something! We caught well over 300 bass in our three and a half days.” Wayne concluded by reemphasizing that great fishing is just one facet of the El Salto experience. “It’s not just the outstanding fishing that made this trip a bass fisherman’s dream; it’s the whole experience, service and accommodations and, more importantly, the people,” he says. “We were made to feel like family. And to get that on a fishing trip … Wow! The sunsets, sunrises and scenery were wonderful. The quiet and peaceful nights were relaxing. Think about taking your family, too. If they like to fish or just get away to a quiet, hassle-free place, Anglers Inn is where to take them. We’ll be back!”

As you can see, the fishing on El Salto has been red hot. The number of bass being caught each week by all the guests combined is in the thousands. And these are good quality bass in the 6- to 8-pound range, with countless more weighing 3 to 6 pounds. The bigger bass take a little more skill and/or luck to land, but I’ve heard many stories of “the ones that got away,” and quite a few about those 10 and 11-pounders that didn’t get away. When you come down, be sure to come prepared with 17- to 20-pound-test line and the baits mentioned above to improve your chances of landing the big bass of a lifetime. And finally, with your sons and daughters getting out of school soon, you may want to take Wayne Black’s advice and bring your family to El Salto for a visit. That’s exactly what David Crook did with his daughter Gabby. Dave said, “We fished for one day and caught 50 bass. And Gabby caught the biggest fish of the day at 8.4 pounds. Gabby is just 9 years old, but she’s quite a little fisherwoman. She caught her bass on a lizard.” Give us a call to find out about our Summer Camp special. You and your son/daughter won’t regret it!

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Mar 11th thru 31st 2008

The fishing is definitely alive and very well at El Salto!

El Salto bass are still exhibiting post-spawn behavior, with most of the real bucketmouths being caught on citrus-colored Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits and pearl-white Storm WildEye Swimshads. The best fishing has been in early morning and late afternoon, leaving guests time for a nice afternoon siesta or massage. The morning bite has been great on topwaters like Rio Rico poppers and Zara Spooks. But soft plastics have been even better producers early and late, particularly 5- and 6-inch, watermelon red flake Senkos and Dingers. Both wacky and Texas-rigged lures are producing, especially for anglers and their guides who know how to rig soft-plastic baits to best suit conditions at each fishing spot. If you plan to go for numbers of fish, the most productive lure is probably the 8-inch Zoom lizard in watermelon red flake and watermelon colors. And here’s a great tip that could help you. Bring some chartreuse dye down with you and dip the tails of your all your soft plastics in it every once in a while (including Senkos and swimbaits). That little difference may be the extra enticement you need to hook a monster bass! Here’s what some recent guests had to say about their trip to El Salto: Mike Ishikawa reports that he and his friend Bob had “an epic trip,” the kind anglers always dream about, but only experience once in a great while. “Our first day fishing was March 11,” he says. “We started the day with a good bite on topwater lures and ended the morning run with 97 fish, including a 9-pounder. The afternoon bite was a little slower with 54 bass, for a one-day total of 144 fish. “The next day we caught 87 bass in the morning and 65 in the afternoon, including a bunch of 5- to 7-pounders,” he continues. “Our last day started off a little slow, but we moved to deeper water inside some tree branches and things really started going wild. We caught more than 20 fish between 5 and 8 pounds, and ended the morning with 52 large bass. The afternoon was just as crazy, with a lot more 5- to 8-pounders, for a total of 69 fish. In the mornings, Rio Rico poppers did the trick. Later in the day, we caught most of our fish on wacky-rigged Senkos and 10-inch worms and lizards. Our total for three days was 447 bass! What a fantastic fishing experience! The Anglers Inn staff was great, and our guide Daniel was fantastic.” Fred Pierson just came down for his twelfth trip to Anglers Inn, and he reports it was another great one. “Three of the six people in our group caught double-digit fish,” he says. “Sid Triche caught a 10.4, Mike Melancon caught a 10.14, and I caught an 11.5. Sid and Mike caught their big fish on deep-diving crankbaits and swimbaits, while I caught mine on a 6-inch watermelon Yum Dinger. Food and service were excellent as always. The steak, shrimp and ribs were great!” Our friends from Maverick brought a group of 10 anglers—Don, Kris, Jerry, David, Charlie, Andy, Skip, Frank, Bob and Keith—who were all eager to get on the water for an afternoon outing soon after they arrived on March 27. Bob reports, “The fishing was excellent, making our anticipation for the rest of the weekend heated at best. The first afternoon each boat caught from 26 to 40 plus fish, including several over 5 pounds and one at 7 pounds. During three and a half days of fishing, each boat averaged between 250 and 300 fish per boat. Kris caught two 3-pounders on one cast with one lure! Cool! Andy and David caught 180 the last day. We had three friends with us who were new to bass fishing, and after a little practice, they were catching fish the rest of the gang. “This was our fifth trip, and we were happy to see that El Salto was back, alive and well,” Bob continues. “As usual the wonderful service and massages would match any five-star hotel in the tourist zone. The Anglers Inn team is great. We look forward to another trip very soon. Thanks for the great time!” Mike Marrone reports that he, too, had an awesome trip on El Salto. “The service provided by the Anglers Inn staff is incredible,” he says. “Upon our arrival, both Tony and Pedro helped us get ready for an evening of fishing by putting our gear together while my partner and I changed for fishing. During our three and one-half days of fishing, we caught somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 fish. The quality of those bass was the best I've ever seen. We easily caught more than 100 fish over 4 pounds, including two over 8 and another dozen over 7. On one stop, we ran into a school of bass busting shad on the surface. We caught about 40 fish in less than an hour, most of which were in the 2- to 3-pound range. The guide was outstanding. I'll definitely be back.” Our friend George Tabone, who now has made 11 trips to El Salto, says, “I never grow tired of visiting. Once again Angler's Inn and Lake El Salto exceeded my expectations. I actually planned my trip just two days prior to arrival, but Maggie and your office staff arranged all the details without a hitch. Jose and the lodge staff were at their usual best, meeting all of our needs with service that the finest resorts in the world could take a lesson from. The meals just seem to get better with every trip, and it’s amazing how the bar never goes dry.” George says the fishing was “spectacular,” too. “In three and a half days, I caught over 200 bass that included a 10-13, 9-0 and 8-8,” he reports. “Even more amazing is the fact that I caught approximately 50 fish that weighed between 5 and 7 pounds. The fight from these fish left me satisfied and tired. Most were caught on deep-diving crankbaits, swimbaits and watermelon-red flake lizards. The fishing is definitely alive and very well at El Salto. I will be back down the first week of May and look forward to another memorable experience.” And in closing, here’s a heck of a fish tale for you. Pasquale DeRosa came up recently for a one-day fishing trip on El Salto. He and his partner landed around 100 bass during the day. And that evening, just before that single day of fishing ended, a 10-pound bass nailed the Storm swimbait Pasquale was working across the bottom. What a great way to top off a day of fantastic fishing on El Salto! And we have Pasquale’s photo here so everyone can share see his monster bass. As you can see from the testimonials and photographs, El Salto is back and kickin’ ass. With some anglers catching over 100 bass per day, including many bass in the 5- to 7-pound range and numerous bass over the 10-pound mark, the fishing once again rates a 10 out of 10. Those of you who have trips planned for the near future should be sure to bring the lures listed in this report to help you hopefully catch the bass of your lifetime. If you are planning to come down but haven’t finalized arrangements for a visit yet, now is the time. Don’t sit back and wait. There’s still some of space available, and with this kind of fishing, you don’t want to miss out. We’ll be running our July special this season as well. For the basic 4 nights, 3 day package, we’ll give the second angler an $800 discount. And trust me, it’s not due to poor fishing. The last three Julys have produced more honeyholes than I’ve seen in my lifetime. Boats can literally stay on the same spot for an entire fishing session. This happens because the lake level in July is dropping slowly but steadily, and the bass stack up around the humps, points and creek channels. Topwater fishing is especially good due to the cloudy conditions and lower water levels. So come down and experience the renaissance for yourself. El Salto is back, and the fishing is great. Give us a call to get your dates in today!

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Feb 16th thru Mar 10th 2008

Post-Spawn Bass Stitting Things Up at El Salto! By Billy Chapman

Fishing the past two weeks has been off the hook! Anglers visiting recently have caught incredible numbers of big bass, most of which are now on a post-spawn pattern and holding around points, cliffs and tree tops. The most productive lure has been Bomber’s Fat Free Shad in the citrus shad color, which is ideal for cranking down to post-spawn lunkers suspended around these types of cover and structure. In early morning and late afternoon, the bite has been mostly on soft-plastic jerkbaits such as Senkos, Dingers and Pepper Sticks. The best colors have been watermelon/red flake and black with blue flakes. Some anglers like to rig them Texas style; others prefer wacky style. Both are proven bass-catchers, but the success of one or the other often depends on the area you’re fishing. Ask your guide which is best where you’re fishing, or switch from one to the other until you determine which is producing the most fish. We wish we could mention all the big bass that have been caught and share all the testimonials we’ve received in one report, but there never seems to be enough room. Here are some of the highlights from this fishing period. Jim Crook has fished all over North America during the 39 years he has represented various fishing, hunting and camping manufacturers. “The trip to El Salto was as good as I have ever had,” he said in a recent note. “We caught fish on almost every cast, and even the 3-pounders fought like they were 6-pounders with an attitude. We caught fish up to 8 pounds, and the action was great. Your wait staff at the hotel gets a five-star rating, the room accommodations were excellent, and the food was marvelous. All in all, I would rate this trip at the top of my list of fun times. I would highly recommend this trip to any angler of any talent because the fishing was very easy and the guides extremely helpful. You’ll definitely see us again soon.” Another happy visitor was Duane Peterson of Northland Fishing Tackle who was here for his second time. “My stay was absolutely A-1 in every regard,” he said. “The boats I fished in averaged 40-60 fish per day of all sizes, and we could have caught many more if we had stayed on the banks with soft stickbaits. When we moved away from the shoreline to deeper trees or bluffs, we caught fewer but larger fish. My two biggest at 10-4 and 9-0 came on on Northland Tackle’s 3/4-oz. Mimic Minnow in silver shiner color. Both were caught in 15-25 feet of water in late morning on this swim bait. I also caught larger fish on a Rapala DT16 crankbait in a parrot color, and on a Slurpies Swim Shad. I learned there are lots of ways to catch bass on El Salto, but the big bass have a preference. Thanks for providing this great fishing destination. I assure you I will be back.” Mark and Kim Owens came down for their third visit, and apparently third time’s a charm. They caught a mess of hawgs that would make any angler envious. “The fishing was unreal!” Mark said. “My wife Kim caught an 8.8-pound monster, and some 7s, 6s, 5s and 4s as well. I landed a 10.2-pound tank along with a 9.12, 8.8, 8.0, 7s and down the line. I also broke off five fish I could not stop. El Salto bass are, without a doubt, the strongest bass around. Together we caught over 500 fish in four and a half days of fishing using crankbaits, Norman DD 20s, 6- and 7-inch Senkos in black and blue, june bug and pumpkin, big worms in the same colors, and big lizards in watermelon red flake. As usual, the service was second to none. The staff at the lake is the best in the world. The food was outstanding as always. Thank you Giovanni (aka “Shack”) for the great tasting meals! The Shrimp Rockefeller was over the top. A piece of heaven is right here on earth. Anyone who hasn’t been to El Salto is missing the boat.” John Ennis dropped us a line to say his group enjoyed their four days on El Salto as well. “The food, service and accommodations were superb,” he said. “Armando really took care of us. I look forward to coming back with my family next month. “Our group fished many depths and many lure types,” he continued. “Our biggest fish weighed more than 9 pounds, followed by a couple of 8s, a trio of 7s and too many 6s and 5s to count. Gary had us on a topwater bite the last two mornings, and we caught several big fish on a Yellow Magic topwater bait. However, most fish were caught on watermelon lizards and Senkos (Carolina and Texas rigged), chrome-and-blue Rat-L-Traps (3/4 and 1 oz.), citrus-colored Fat Free Shad and Storm swim baits. Attached is a picture of Ken’s 9 plus.” As Executive Director for G.Loomis, Bruce Holts gets the opportunity to fish many places around the country with a number of different people. “Friends, customers, outdoor writers and industry VIPs are important to us in many ways,” he said, “but sharing the outdoor experience and building long-lasting relationships is our ultimate goal. We are fishing fanatics and know a good thing when we see one. “We can’t control how the fishing is or how the weather affects our day,” he continued, “but we can control the time off the water by being prudent in our selection of guides and lodges. We just can’t afford to have a bad experience on trips like these. It is critical that our guests have a good time, no matter how good or how bad the fishing might be. “Anglers Inn has, over the years, provided an unbelievable experience for me and my guests. Their service is second to none! From the moment you arrive, it is quickly apparent they want you to be comfortable and happy. The food is excellent, and they are more than willing to accommodate special dietary requests. The atmosphere is about as congenial as I’ve ever experienced. “Add to this the big bass of El Salto and you’ve got a winning combination. Mother Nature can put the kibosh on the fishing every now and then, but Billy & Chappy and the crew at Anglers Inn can make you forget even the worst day on the lake. In the case of El Salto, that may mean you only caught 40 fish up to 6 or 7 pounds. When it’s hot and the big fish are on the bite, this lake is as good as it gets. “I had never caught a bass over 10 pounds before my first trip to El Salto,” Mr. Holt continued. “The first trip down I caught four trophies, ranging from 10-1 to 13-5. I’ve been back seven or eight times, and I now have nine over the 10-pound mark ... all from El Salto! The fish in the 5- to 8-pound class fight as hard as any bass I’ve ever caught, and I usually manage at least one fish over 8 or 9 pounds every visit. Sound like a fish story? You bet it is, and if you’re serious about bass fishing like I am, it’s one you can’t afford to miss. When you finally bite the bullet and go, you’ll wonder what took you so long.” Lisa Williams caught a dandy bass on a Dancing Eel and sent a photo for us to share. “Had a great time at Anglers Inn Resort,” she said. “We will be visiting Mateos next year!” If you’ve been wanting to learn more about the great fishing at our sister lodge on Lake Mateos, Alex “Zander” Mei interviewed Chappy Chapman about this “forgotten” lake and posted it as one of the feature articles on ww.tackletour.com. “Thanks for the hospitality last weekend,” he said. “We have a lot of pictures that will be used for upcoming reviews online and a few new baits. Just wanted to let you know the interview is now live.” And finally, the father and son team of William and Clarence Wells landed some extremely nice bass on their recent visit. Together, they landed four bass over 10 pounds, including one weighing 11.4 pounds and another weighing 11.0. Three of the four bass were caught on a citrus-colored Bomber Fat Free Shad, and the fourth fell for an 8-inch Zoom watermelon red flake lizard. There’s no doubt about it: these fellows had an excellent bass fishing trip. Well, there you have it! The great fishing at El Salto should continue and even get better. The level of the lake is dropping about 2-3 inches per day, which is normal. We can expect the cranksbaits to be successful for the next couple of weeks after the complete spawn. The reason I say complete is because not all of the bass have spawned out, but most have. After the spawn, we usually get some great topwater fishing, so future guest may want to bring some topwater plugs like Rico Pops, Sammys and buzzbaits. Until next time, here’s wishing you the very best. Hook ‘em!

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Jan 16th thru Feb 15th 2008

El Salto Bass: Every Which Way You Can! By Billy Chapman

The bass are in every stage of the spawn possible here at El Salto, and you can catch them in just about any place imaginable. Most are in the shallows on beds, but others have spawned out, and still others are staging to spawn. This means visiting anglers can approach fishing in a variety of ways. Anglers targeting pre-spawn bass say the best lures have been Storm WildEye Swim Shads and Carolina-rigged plastics. Lucky Craft’s Flat CB and Bomber’s Fat Free Shad in citrus shad color also have been enticing lots of great quality bass, including some real giants. The best lures for spawning bass have been wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senkos or Yum Dingers with a rubber band to keep the lure on the hook longer. To fish these properly, you need lots of patience. Let the lure sink slowly to the bottom along the shoreline, and work it with quick jerks before letting it sink again. If you enjoy fishing these lures, bring as many as you can so you don’t run out! It’s possible to do so because the number of bass you can catch on Senkos and Dingers right now is absolutely astounding. Other excellent lures for spawning largemouths include jigs, spinnerbaits, Texas-rigged lizards and swimbaits. Most bass are spawning in 1 to 15 feet of water. Sight fishing is a little difficult, however, because the fluctuating water level has most bass spawning a little deeper than normal. After spawning, many bass are moving to timbered points where they’re being caught on Rat-L-Traps, crankbaits and Texas-rigged lizards. The silver/blue back Rat-L-Trap has been especially productive, but the angler who landed the biggest bass this reporting period, Tony Catenacci, was using a medium-diving crankbait in fire-tiger color. He was fishing off a point, just like mentioned above, and in one afternoon caught a 13-pounder, four bass over 10 pounds and two more in the 9-pound range. All of those lunkers fell for a medium-diving crankbait. So folks, no matter how you like to catch your bass, you can probably do it now on El Salto. Lunker largemouths—any which way you can! Come down and check it out for yourself. Now for a few more reports on the fishing sent to us by some of our recent guests. Leaving “balmy” 24-degree weather behind in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Steve Rumsey arrived in January to face a virtual heat wave in 75-degree Mazatlan. But things started looking up for his party when they arrived at El Salto. “The bass were in different stages of the spawn depending on where you were on the lake,” he said. “We caught fish that were pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn. There were four anglers in our group, and each boat averaged 70 to 80 fish per day. Most bass we caught were males in the 2- to 3-pound range, with our biggest being a 10-pound pre-spawn female†that was caught on a chrome-and-blue Rat-L-Trap fished deep. “In addition to the 10-pounder, there were two 8-pounders caught on the first and last cast of the last day,” Rumsey continued. “The fish that was caught early hit a buzzbait, and the late fish hit a spinnerbait that was allowed to drop to the bottom and then slow rolled so it just ticked the bottom. The best lure for numbers was the 8-inch Zoom Magnum Lizard in junebug, red shad and watermelon fished slow. As usual, the service, food and drinks were first class. Our clients were very impressed and had a great time.” Another January guest was Michael Yoke who was here for his tenth visit! “I figured it couldn’t get any better,” he said, “but this trip was one of my most memorable. I had a personal best day, catching a 7-pounder early on a topwater plug, followed by a 7-1/2-pounder at 10 o’clock. Late that afternoon, I caught an 8.2, also on a topwater plug.” And if that wasn’t exciting enough, during the Friday of his visit, Yoke had the kind of day most bass anglers only dream about. “Friday was my best numbers day,” he said. “And what a day it was. My fishing partner, Hotch Manning, and I caught 135 fish, including a 10-1/2 pound bass Hotch hooked on a Senko. We caught most of our fish on Senkos and other soft plastics. So while you folks reading this are sitting on your Lazy Boys watching the snow pile up on your driveway, think about this: the only thing cold about El Salto this time of the year is a cold beer in the ice chest. Get up off your recliners and call 1-800-GOTA-FISH and get to El Salto now!” Yoke’s partner, Hotch Manning, sent us a photo of his monster 10-1/2-pounder along with these kind words: “I absolutely had my best trip ever to El Salto (even though any day fishing is a good one).†My guide was excellent to fish with, and my fishing partner Mike Yoke is a great fisherman also. He and I decided to catch numbers one day. We landed 56 in the morning and stopped counting at 80 fish in the afternoon—over 135 fish in one day!” And what about that 10-1/2-pounder, Hotch? “That big beauty fell for a 5-inch watermelon Senko wacky rigged with no weight,” he said. “We also had a great morning with plenty of topwater bites (all quality fish) using the new Yellow Magic lure. Mike is good with a spinnerbait, and he slayed them on that. In early afternoon, we fished spinners, Senkos, Rat-L-Traps, and then about 4:15 went back to topwater fishing. “El Salto fishing is fantastic,” he said in closing. “And the staff is outstanding. I've fished at some nice lodges in Alaska, Canada, the Amazon and in the states, but Anglers Inn is outstanding. Thanks for making my early spring fishing trip the best.” Mario Bruno was invited on his first trip to Anglers Inn by his neighbor David Sobanski. “This is the best bass fishing in the world,” he said. “David was there for the fourth time and is already planning his next trip. I fell in love with the place and cannot wait to go back. Between David and me, we caught 327 fish. One day alone we caught 135 of them, with help from our guide Carlos (the young one). What an amazing day that was.” The big fish bite was good for Bruno and Sobanski, too. “Our largest catch was 8 pounds 7 ounces,” Bruno said. “We also had a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass and several more in the 5- to 7-pound range. The weather was beautiful, the service was amazing, the food incredible, and the fishing…well, the fishing could not be better. We used wacky-rigged Senkos most of the time, but we also got to play some with poppers, Texas-rigged worms, Rat-L-Traps, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. For me as an amateur, this was the best learning opportunity I could have gotten. Where else could you get to practice so much in so little time but El Salto?” In closing, Bruno wrote, “Thank you so much for what you have created. I’m looking forward to returning to Anglers Inn in the near future. Attached, you’ll find a few pictures from our trip, including one of the twins: two 5-pounders we caught at the same time!” The next note we share started out with this wonderful line: “It was a day of fishing that I will never forget.” And when you hear the rest of Eduardo Kazuga’s story, you’ll understand why. “I caught a nice size bass and was about to release it after our great guide, took my picture,” Kazuga said. “At that same time, my fishing partner Sergio had another one on his line and was bringing it in. It is very common that this happens at Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, which makes all the good things that happen here even better. “Last year I visited Anglers Inn three times,” he continued, “but this year I just felt that I was at a different lake. It was real late one day when I caught one of my biggest bass. My guide told my rookie friend to cast a wacky-rigged Senko between the bank and some timber, but my friend missed the cast. I threw a Rapala Skitter Pop to the place my friend was trying to cast to, and after a couple of jerks and stops, a fish boiled under the lure right where the guide had said to cast. My reel was spooled with 16-pound line but the guide told me calm down so I wouldn’t break it. Good thing for me the guide got the net under the bass on the first try because the bass jerked and the line was snapped in a blink. The fish was in the net, though, and I had the best bass fishing day of my life. My largest bass!” And finally, this happy note from guest Kyle Vilhauer: “You have a wonderful place at Lake El Salto. Our group of 12, headed by the VanBebber family, spent three full fishing days at the Anglers Inn Lodge. Great food, lots of beer, nice weather and good fishing.” Mr. Vilhauer and crew were at the lake the last week of January, hoping for some great pre-spawn fishing opportunities, and they weren’t disappointed. “Some of us fishing the lake for the first time were amazed by the action,” he said. “Others, having been spoiled by El Salto in the past, thought the fishing was a little slow. Not much has changed, though—topwater action in the morning and evening, and lots of lizard and Senko action†during the day. Some of us also had luck on the trusty Rat-L-Trap. Some boats had really good days, with up to 100 fish.†My biggest fish, pictured here, was about 10 pounds. I caught it first thing in the morning†on a Lucky Craft G-Splash†Popper.†We caught countless 1- and 2-pounders, a few†4s and 5s, and a couple of lunkers. It’s still our group’s opinion that the world record resides in Lake El Salto. We†will be back, most definitely, to try and catch it! Thanks again for the wonderful trip!” For those of you coming down in the next few weeks, or thinking about a trip, here’s a note of interest. The next full moon will be coming up on February 21, and you can expect most of those big female bass closer to the banks and on the nests. The male buck bass will be on the banks, too, protecting the big females.
If you’d like to catch one of those big bruisers (and who wouldn’t), the key is putting a lure right in front of their mouth. You won’t catch them if you are at home! So come on down and join us for a good ol’ time during the big bass spawn. El Salto is where it’s at!

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Jan 1st thru 15th 2008

Colder Temperatures Outside But Hot Bite On El Salto!!

Brrrrr! It’s been unseasonably cold down here South of the Border, but despite chilly mornings, afternoons and nights, the El Salto bass bite has been extra hot. If you plan to come down in the near future, bring a heavy jacket for the boat ride early and late in the day. But be sure to pack some shorts and T-shirts, too. You’ll want to change into those for midday fishing. Now for the good part—the fishing. Colder air temperatures have meant cooler water, but the bite hasn’t cooled down in the least. The big female bass are in the pre-spawn stage, and some being caught already have bloody tails. The smaller male bass have paired up with their partners for the season. That’s good news for anglers because it means more fish being caught for every hour spent on the water. With pre-spawn underway, bass are moving up into shallower water and cover. Early-morning anglers have enjoyed their greatest success fishing Pop-Rs, Senkos and jerkbaits. Larger Senko-type lures—6 and 7 inch—are great for weeding out some of the smaller male bass. With luck, you’ll cast one right in front of a super-heavyweight sowbelly and land the biggest bass of your life. Only one way to find out, right? The bite in the later part of the morning has been on a variety of lures, including worms, lizards, swimbaits, crankbaits and chatterbaits. Most of the larger bass are holding off the drop-offs and creek channels with standing timber. Some of these big bass will even spawn on the top of trees. Among our recent guests was a group of folks from the Pure Fishing Group in Spirit Lake, Iowa, a company whose portfolio of leading tackle brands includes Berkley, Stren, Spiderwire, Abu Garcia, Mitchell, Fenwick and SevenStrand products. Brian Perry was one of those people, and as you might expect, he landed a bunch of nice bass on lures from Berkley. “I caught 30 to 60 fish per session,” he said in a note sent after his trip. “Those bass weighed up to 7 pounds and averaged 4 to 5 pounds each. All of them were caught one of three Berkley lures: 5-inch Gulp! Sinking Minnows, 6-inch PowerBait Lizards or 7-inch PowerBait Ribbontail Worms. Green pumpkin was the most productive color.” Marty Brennan also was at Anglers Inn with the Pure Fishing Group. Here’s what he had to say about his visit: “I had a wonderful time, and everyone on your staff treated us like royalty. We caught over 160 bass during three days, all in the 3- to 5-pound range. My biggest weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces. Most were caught on 7-1/2-inch Gulp! green-pumpkin Carolina-rigged worms and others on Yamamoto watermelon with red flake. We also fished crankbaits, but the worm fishing was so fantastic we pretty much stayed with that. Our guide Lorenzo did a super job putting us on fish every day. I would love to come back again some time soon.” Another recent guest, Jamie Comrie, got to experience something every angler hopes for—a topwater bite that was out of this world. “I just wanted to say thanks for everything!” he told us. “We all had a great time. El Salto has the best bass fishing anywhere we've been. We had 100-fish days on topwaters! It doesn’t get any better than that. “We also caught fish on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, lizards and worms,” he continued. “The average size was 5 to 6 pounds, and we caught bass up to 9 pounds daily. I can't wait to come back. The guides were excellent, and the staff was unbelievable. We were treated like VIPs.” The fishing this entire season has been 100-percent better than it was last season. The water level is dropping steadily and is at normal pool. The main difference was the amount of rainfall we had during the rainy season. Last season, it came all at once, but this season it fell nice and steady, the way we like. The quality and quantity of bass coming out of El Salto have been excellent since our last report. Although there were only a couple of 10-pounders caught during the past two weeks (man, are we getting spoiled at times!), the amount of bass in the 5- to 9-pound range has been above average. And keep in mind that we are in pre-spawn as well, with mostly male bass are being caught. Yes, we get some big male bass down here. One of the biggest I ever saw weighed in at nearly 8 pounds. The best advice I can offer those who are coming is, if you hook a nice male bass, keep fishing that same spot for a while. Mix it up and throw different lures there because chances are excellent there’s female bass of a lifetime somewhere nearby. On a side note, we are back in the Amazons! We have a trip down to Brazil scheduled for March 13-22, 2008. Two spots are still available. If anyone is interested, please contact us and we’ll get you all the information you need to join us on this amazing trip. Our target: monster peacock bass! Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. If you always wanted to go, now is the perfect time. Billy Chapman, Jr. has over 10 years of experience fishing in Brazil and know the ropes. Call us for any information. Until next time, friends, here’s hoping all your fishing trips create memories that last a lifetime. We’ll hope to see you soon.

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
December 2007

El Salto Bucketmouths Biting! And Lots of Them!

Bass fishing at El Salto continues to be outstanding this month, thanks in part to Mother Nature. Unlike other south-of-the-border waters, El Salto hasn’t received heavy rainfall the past few weeks, so the water level has remained steady at normal pool, and the bass seem hungry all the time. There are tons of baitfish these lunkers could be eating, but they’re hitting lures instead, which creates a real bonanza for visiting anglers. During early morning and late afternoon, topwater fishing has been very productive close to the banks. During midday, Rat-L-Traps, crankbaits, swimbaits and plastics have been the ticket to success. Customers who have visited El Salto recently have been raving about the great fishing. Don Allphin sent a note to say, “This year’s trip was one of the very best. The lake, the staff, the guides and the fishing were all spectacular like always. Our seven-person party caught an average of 60 fish per day, with the largest being 11 pounds, 9 ounces. Several 8-pound fish were caught, and many seven-pounders. The average fish weighed between 4 and 5 pounds. “My wife Jeri fished part of the day and was pampered the rest of the time with pedicures, manicures and massages. Her largest fish, caught on a swimbait, weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce. One morning we caught 32 fish on consecutive casts! We were in a shad boil, and the fish were everywhere. Thanks for another great trip. You have the best lodge in Mexico.”
Cliff Sackett also had a memorable visit, and we appreciate the fact that he took time to write us about every fun day of his trip. “It was hard to leave the sun and the fun down in Ol’ Mexico’s El Salto yesterday,” he said, “but let me digress. Our group left Salt Lake City early the morning of December 2, with the temperature outside hovering around 30 degrees. We were met at the airport by the AnglersInn vans. They were waiting for us with big smiles and eagerly took our luggage. One hour and 45 minutes later, we were pulling up to the gates of the AnglersInn lodge on the shores of El Salto. “As we disembarked, we were greeted with margaritas, soft drinks, beer and other liquid refreshments and snacks. The party had already begun. We were escorted to our rooms. The service was fantastic. Anything you wanted was either waiting or delivered swiftly. (OK, guys, don’t tell your wives, but they would love it here, too. Massages and manicures. But we won’t tell them....right???) “We couldn’t resist the lure of the lake. Although it was evening, we headed down to the shore. I made one cast and caught a huge bass. “Three of us were fishing from shore, and it seemed that one of us had a hook-up almost constantly. It was soon dark, and although we wanted to fish, the resort help was serving dinner. Oh, my! What fantastic food! What a meal! I was so stuffed I didn’t stay for the key lime pie Brent reported he had that night. We were to be fishing in earnest the next day. “We were assigned our guides. Mine was Poncho, a great guide. I wanted one of those legendary huge El Salto bass, so off we went before the sun came up. El Salto has it all: quantity and quality. Today, I wanted the quality. Poncho said it could be either or. Big fish or lots of fish. “My first hookup was a 4-pound-plus bass on a topwater Zara Spook. Man! I was excited. What a monster. Poncho just snickered, however, and shook his head when I wanted to take a picture of it. He just removed the hook and tossed it back in the water. He said, ‘You no want picture of minnow.’ I told him in the states, a 4-pound fish is bragging material. “On my next cast, I landed a 9-pound bass, and in the dark on a topwater lure that hit was a heart-stopper. It sounded like someone dropped a bowling ball into the lake. My arms must have extended an extra six inches. I thought it was at least 10 pounds, but Poncho, an expert on humongous fish, said, no, it was only 9. Was I disappointed? No way! Where’s my camera? “On the first day, I boated lots of 5, 6, 8 and 9-pound bass but not a 10, my magic number. I wanted one so bad my teeth ached. Poncho worked hard to find me that monster. “Day 2 was a carbon copy of Day 1 with topwater before dawn till about two hours after daylight. Then on to the plastics, which I rigged Carolina-style with a Mojo Rockhopper weight. This rig worked great. I caught lots of fish, and by the end of the day, Poncho really liked the Rockhopper set-up over the regular Carolina-rigging weights. Fewer snags, just like on my home waters. “Poncho took the boat into a little canyon with points on each side. I caught several real quality fish as we worked our way in. On the way out, at the mouth of the cove, the water erupted, with several huge bass attacking tilapias along the shore. Poncho’s instructions were to throw a rattle bait. The closest I had was a Zara Spook, so I grabbed it and threw in their direction. The lure hit the water, and before the splash was completed, the water exploded. I had one huge fish hooked. Poncho got a good look and yelled ‘Muy grande!’ But the beast snapped my 15-pound-test line like it was sewing thread. “I grabbed my lipless rattle bait that Poncho had said to throw before and cast back into the boil. I made two turns of the handle and WHAM! I thought I snagged a tree. Then it took off. My 8-foot flipping stick was bent double but the line held. I just knew the line was going to break any second, but I had to get the fish out of the trees. It dove under the boat, and I was doing the bass catcher two-step around the boat while Poncho manned the net. He kept shouting, ‘Muy grande! “When I got the fish close to the boat, Poncho swiped it into the net. But before either of us could breathe, that bass leaped back out of the net. Our hearts stopped. On the third try, we boated the fish. “Poncho said it was big—11, maybe 12 pounds. Another boat was close by and came over with scales. According to those scales, she weighed 11 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 24-1/2 inches long by 20 inches girth. My guide was right and snapped a quick picture. We watched the fish swim away. “Poncho told me to cast back into the same spot. The very next cast, I hooked another huge fish between 9 and 10 pounds. Another picture, another cast and I hooked the same fish that had ripped me off. I got my Zara Spook back. It turned out it was only 7 or 8 pounds. My arms felt like I’d been doing a marathon set of curls with weights. “The evenings were filled with food, drinks, sunsets and lots of fisherman’s ‘BS’ with stories about what was caught and the big ones that got away. But we did have a bragging board set up, and you had to get at least an 8-pound fish to qualify for the board. “On Day 3, we went for quantity—lots of fish. And on this lake, quality is always there. I don’t remember how many fish I caught, but it was around 70 to 90 per day. But then everyone was catching those numbers. The lake swarmed with fish—along the shore, around the islands, everywhere. “Day 4 was carbon copy of Day 3, except the topwater bite lasted almost until 10 a.m. due to the fog. Everyone was getting tired. We were all battered and bruised from cranking in those lunkers. Now we understood why the massages were available at the lodge. Everyone in our group caught lots of fish, and the competition for their name on the bragging board was getting intense. “On Day 5, we could have gone into Mazatlan for the last night and done some shopping, but no one wanted to leave the great accommodations, service and fishing experience we had at the lodge. By the time we were back on the plane, everyone was already planning next year’s trip.” Mark Christmann sent us photos of an 11-pound bass he caught, along with this note about the fish he battled during his visit: “The 9-pound bass I caught on a Rat-L-Trap, blue with black back. Hooked him in about 2 feet of water. The 11-pounder was caught on a Storm Wild Eye Shad in open water 10-12 feet deep. I threw the lure into some bait that was boiling on the surface, and after three casts, I still had no hits. After a few more casts, the water became calm again, and I thought I had lost an opportunity for my big fish on our last day of fishing. But I made one more cast and almost immediately felt a huge hit. The way these fish fight, you can never be sure how big the fish is. Even the 3-pounders hit hard. So it wasn’t until the fish started stripping line off my reel that I knew I’d hooked a monster. I immediately checked my drag because I only had 12-pound line on the reel, and my brother-in -law Rob Szczepanek had just lost a big fish that wrapped his line around a tree. Our guide Oscar immediately went for the net and in a calm voice said, ‘Big fish, Mike. Easy. Easy.’ With his expert assistance, I landed the bass of a lifetime! “Lake El Salto is a great place for both the veteran and novice fisherman like me. Although I have fished several times here with my son Jason, I am by no means an expert in fishing for trophy bass. The accommodations and staff at the Anglers Inn were beyond my expectations. We met many great people and enjoyed the excellent fishing on Lake El Salto. I would not hesitate to book this trip again, especially when you consider that less than four hours after you leave LAX, you can be pursuing double-digit bass on a huge lake with an excellent guide.” Our friend Fred Privette said his trip to El Salto was exciting as well. “Mike Jordan and I enjoyed the fishing, food and service as always,” he wrote to tell us. “And I caught my biggest fish ever—9 pounds, 12 ounces—the first 10 minutes of our trip on a Pop-R in the dark. Mike caught a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass on a swimbait. This was the first time we used swimbaits, and we really caught some good fish with them. Can’t wait to get back and do it again. Thanks again!” For Rick Hunter, El Salto served up bass-a-minute action on a recent visit. “My fishing partner and I caught over 300 bass in just three and half days of fishing!” he said. “Most of those fish were in the 3 to 5-pound range, with our biggest fish weighing 6 pounds. We both lost several fish that were probably in the 8- to 12-pound range, but we were pleased catching over 300 bass during our visit. “Most of our fish were caught on four baits: a 10-1/2-inch ol’ monster Zoom worm in watermelon red color, an 8-inch watermelon-red Zoom lizard, a 1/2-ounce gold or silver Rat-L-Trap and a silver Storm Chug Bug. The gold Rat-L-Trap seemed to lure more strikes than the silver, and when using plastics, watermelon red is definitely the color for El Salto! This was my third trip, and I have never seen a color dominate as it did. “Believe it or not, we caught most of the 300 bass in only two spots on the lake. We would fish one spot early in the morning with topwaters and then change spots when the sun came up real good. I have never seen so many bass stacked up in two areas in my whole life! For this being my third trip to Anglers Inn, I can definitely tell you one thing: the service was AWESOME just like it had been the past two years!! If you are a bass fisherman, YOU MUST GO TO ANGLERS INN!! It’s a trip of a LIFETIME!!!” Andrew and J.C. Wells sent us a good word on their recent visit as well. “Just wanted to report how great a trip we had to El Salto,” they said. “We had great fishing, great weather, great food, great booze and spectacular service. I caught a 9-pound bass and three 7-pounders. The 9 and two of the 7s were caught with a topwater Silver Chug Bug early in the morning. The other 7-1/2-pounder was caught with a Carolina rig in the late morning. Thanks. All is well at El Salto. We’ll be back!” And last but not least, this kind note from our friend Greg Ray who was just down to do some fishing with clients: “I wanted to thank everyone at Anglers Inn for such a great time. My clients really enjoyed the trip and are looking forward to bringing three groups in next year. With what I do as a travel agent, I have had the opportunity to travel all over the world to hunt and fish with numerous outfitters. I can honestly say that Billy, Chappy and the entire Anglers Inn crew run one of the most organized destinations I have ever been to. “I believe the El Salto/Mateos combo will be a huge success. From the time we arrived at the airport to the time we were dropped off, we never had to ask for a thing. The staff was very attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. I was really impressed how the staff called everyone by name. We felt right at home. “I guess I also should mention the fishing was incredible! I personally caught over 200 fish on our three-day trip. The largest on El Salto was a 9 pounder. “Thanks for a great trip." As you can see from our guests’ testimonials, El Salto fishing is back and better than ever. And all these anglers sent photos to back up their stories. If you had your doubts about El Salto last year, that’s understandable with the water level rising so quick so fast. But this year is the year. Come on down as we are approaching the spawn in February and March and go after some of those giant female largemouth bass on the nest. The past three years, the biggest bass have come during the February/March time frame. Beat the lake record at 18.8 pounds and you’ll get yourself and your fishing partner a free trip back to either of our destinations! That’s a goal worth shooting for and certainly possible to attain!

Note: Should you be interested, my father and I are hosting an Amazon trip on March 13-22, 2008. There is very limited space available (two as of now). We are going to add some more benefits to our trip like a tackle package so you don’t have to go out and buy $500 worth of lures and also cover meals and two nights hotel stay in Manaus. There will be some other surprises as well! Call me if you are interested in this hosted trip with Billy and Chappy Chapman.

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
November 2007

With the weather starting to cool down (at least for those of us South of the Border), those lunker bass are starting to hit topwater baits like crazy. The best big-fish topwaters this month have been buzzbaits, Rico Pop-Rs, Zara Spooks and the Smithwick’s Devil’s Horse. The topwater bite lasts about an hour and a half in the morning and the same in the afternoon. The only problem for the late-afternoon topwater bite is that you run out of daylight! After the morning topwater bite dies down, nice bass still are being caught along the shoreline by anglers fishing with Carolina-rigged Senkos or Yum Dingers. Kirby Davenport reports that his wife Cindy was one of those anglers: “One bass she caught was a whopping 9-pounder taken on a Carolina-rigged Senko off the old bridge in front of the lodge,” Kirby said. “She hooked it on the last cast she made that morning, about 11 a.m. She caught the fish out of the back of the boat, and I didn’t believe she really had a fish hooked until it jumped. She’s has been a smart mouth ever since she caught it. It was the biggest one of our trip.” Longtime repeat customer Jay Schurz is producing an excellent “Senko” type bait called the “Pepper Stick”. Jay says “I have the three color themes of 6" sticks on www.elgrandelures.com now. I added heavy orange flake to the lower level of the tilapia. I am very proud to introduce a product designed for those chasing Mexican "Grande" Bass. The 6 inch Pepper Stick is just the right size for your favorite techniques. These Pepper Sticks have generous salt content for a slow fall and are loaded with shad oil. If you look closely, you can see that the Tilapia and baby Bass are Triple Poured Baits. You cannot find these color phases from the large companies. I am passionate about using the right bait for a particular situation.” Bass caught during the midday bite have been enticed mostly with 10-inch Carolina-rigged worms and 8-inch lizards. Fishing deeper water (15 to 25 feet) has been most productive. Rosy Mejia and Mickel Lang who work in the Anglers Inn reservation department landed some nice bass using this technique. "We were throwing Yum’s new Big Show Paddle Worms, Texas-rigged and Carolina-rigged, and they really produced,” said Rosy. “The best colors during midday seemed to be the darker shades in red shad, junebug and black with blue tail. Also it’s tough to beat an 8-inch watermelon lizard off the points and shallows.” Rosy landed this nice 7-pound bass on a Texas-rigged, 10-inch worm. Mickel landed some quality bass in the 3- to 6-pound range by working a swimbait slowly back to the boat. Jay “Buzz” Malkoff landed the biggest bass featured in this report, a real hawg that tipped the scales at 11.5 pounds. His catch came on another great El Salto lure: the Storm WildEye Swimshad. “I caught over 200 quality bass, including my personal best,” Buzz said. “Every time I come to El Salto, I break my personal record. Unbelievable!” Working these swimbaits during midday has proven successful for many other anglers as well, including Mickel and Rosy from the Anglers Inn reservation department who used them to land several hefty largemouths. The best swimbait colors have been shad, golden mullet and pearl white in 4- and 5-inch sizes. We also received this report from Dan and Debbie Pendley, who just enjoyed a great combo trip with two friends that included fishing on both El Salto and Mateos: “After our combo trip to Mateos (you’ll see our results on the Lake Mateos fishing report), we arrived at El Salto Thursday afternoon and were once again greeted with margaritas and snacks by Jose and the Anglers Inn staff. We quickly got settled in and got on the lake for some late-afternoon fishing. We had a average afternoon with only a couple of hours to fish, but managed to catch several fish to 4 pounds on Senkos and lizards. We fished two sessions on Friday and Saturday, catching numerous bass. Debbie landed the largest, a really nice 6.6-pound largemouth. The wives loved being pampered at El Salto with massages, manicures and pedicures, and we all enjoyed the food, drinks and exceptional service. It was also a benefit to be able to stay in touch with the folks back home while at Mateos and El Salto via the internet on the lodge's computer. All in all, the four of us had an incredible trip, and we’re planning to return in the near future. Thanks to all at Anglers Inn for making our trip a memorable one.” The fishing at El Salto this season has opened strong and is still strong. Of course, just like any lake, some days are better than others. But all in all, El Salto is still the best trophy bass lake around. Combine the great fishing with the exceptional service, comfortable accommodations and friendly staff, and you have the trip of a lifetime. The main difference from last year to this year is simple – water level. Last year, with two hurricanes, the lake rose 24 feet in just 24 hours. When this occurs, bass suspend and are very difficult to catch. This year, we had a completely different scenario. The lake is at full pool, but fortunately, the water rose slowly and did not cause the bass suspend like the previous year. If you enjoy catching 60 to 80 quality bass each day per boat, and want the chance to catch a monster bucketmouth like our friend Buzz Malkoff, start planning your trip to El Salto this season. The bass will be here, I promise. Will you?

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Oct. 16th thru Oct 31st 2007

We’re off and running with what looks like another super season here at Anglers Inn on El Salto Lake. The past couple of weeks have seen some great fishing. Our visitors have taken bass to more than 12-pounds recently and we’ve had reports of numerous fish in the 8 to 11-pound class. It’s a cinch to get even better, especially for our clients who like to take fish off the top, as we move into cooler weather. As the water temperatures go down, larger bass move into the El Salto Lake shallows. There has already been some excellent morning surface fishing with Rico Pops, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits. Once the surface bite peters out, Senko and Yum Dinger plastic baits have been good producers. Five and 6-inch lengths have been good in these baits and the most productive colors have been watermelon and watermelon with red flakes. Ten inch Berkley Power Worms rigged Texas or Carolina Style have been a good bet in the early afternoon. The red shad, black with a blue tail and Junebug colors have hooked a bunch of fish. Just ask Jack Zickl and Steve Slezicki who were early October visitors. They used red shad Power Worms and boated more than 200 bass in three days. Of those 200 bass caught and released 105 of them where in the 4-6 pound range including 4 bass in the 7-8-pound range. Have you had that kind of action on your own favorite lake lately? Don and Dan Drake were also among our recent guests. This father and son team shared some of their thoughts with us: “This was my 41st trip to El Salto,” says Don. “While some of my other trips have produced larger fish, our catch this time was excellent. We caught several bass between 4 and 6-pounds. Our largest was just under 8-pounds. Dan says, “You could catch smaller fish in large numbers but we were looking for that fish of a lifetime. We had beautiful accommodations and near perfect weather. As usual, the Anglers Inn staff continues to excel where service is concerned.” David Hodson used a deep diving crankbait with a fast retrieve to hammer some beautiful fish when he was here. David says he cranked the lure down deep fast, then used a quick stop and go retrieve the rest of the way. The Bomber Fat Free Shad in a citrus color hooked a beautiful 9-pounder for David while he was using this procedure. The citrus color in the Fat Free Shad has been a consistent producer in deep diving crankbaits for years at El Salto Lake. Philip Utigard will tell you he knows how it feels when one of those broad shouldered brutes that have made El Salto Lake famous busts into your bait. “We were working the shallows one afternoon,” Philip says, “and we were hooking smaller fish on almost every other cast. I decided to throw a chrome Rapala Rat-N-Rap into deeper water. On my second cast ---wham! I set the hook on that fish, but it just kept on going. I finally got her to the boat and she weighted a little over 10 pounds.” Gary Giudice is another skilled bass angler who has been an Anglers Inn guest numerous times. He was here again in early October. "Every trip I make to El Salto,” Gary says, “is an exciting adventure and this latest visit was everything I could expect. The service and facilities at Anglers Inn are the best and the fishing was outstanding. We were taking 60 fish or more a day. The largest weighed more than 9-pounds. A green pumpkin lizard and a deep diving crankbait really produced for us” We’d like to share another thought with you as we wrap up this fishing report. Right now bass are busting small tilapia and baby threadfin shad all over the place. Bring some Storm Wild Eye Swim Shads when you come. The best colors have been shad and golden mullet in both 4 and 5-inch sizes. It’s also wise to include a few 6-inch sizes in these excellent baits. There’s truth to that business about bigger baits taking bigger bass. It doesn’t always happen, but “always” is a word that should be eliminated where bass is concerned anyhow. You simply can’t guarantee the buggers are “always” going to do anything. Whatever size Swim Shad you tie on, keep in mind that a slow, steady retrieve is usually best. If there is no action in the shallows, let the lure sink to the bottom and fish it at about the speed you slow roll a spinnerbait. There you have it. As we said in the beginning, we’re off and running down here south of the border. One angler in this report mentioned he was on his 41st visit to Anglers Inn. We’ve got countless other repeat clients. Why do they keep coming back? Because day in and out you simply aren’t going to match either the service we provide or the fishing you’ll find on the lake our lodge overlooks. Better come down and find that out for yourself.

ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Sept. 15th thru Oct. 15th 2007