Angler's Inn Reports
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
April 16th to
May 10th 2009
|
| Air Temp:
68°- 76°F (early morning/late evening) 91°-97°F (siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
74° - 77°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11.3 pounds |
Popular lures used this week:
Topwater Baits:
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers or Yellow Magics: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad (Hot colors).
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and white.
Swimbaits:
- Storm WildEye 4 -inch Swim Shads: Shad, Pearl and Bunker (Hot colors).
- Yum Money Minnows: 5-inch in foxy shad, hologram shad and herring with 5/0 or 6/0, 1/8-ounce weight hook. Also with Blade Runner ½ Paddle Head jig.
Spinnerbaits
- Booyah double willow blade: ½ and ¾ -ounce in white/chartreuse and white.
Plastics:
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: Hot colors were watermelon red flake and watermelon (Hot Colors).
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail (Hot colors) and green pumpkin.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5- and 6-inch Stinkos: watermelon red flake, watermelon and black with blue flake.
- Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper in Penetration and Dirty Sanchez.
- Zoom Super Flukes: pearl white.
Crankbaits:
- Bomber Fat Free Shad: deep diver in citrus shad.
- Lucky Craft CB D20 in Aurora Black.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
Jigs:
- Strike King Premium jig in ½ and ¾ ounce in black/blue, green pumpkin and watermelon (Hot colors).
ADDITIONAL INFO:
We want to come back!
We’ve heard that comment again and again from countless clients ever since we
first opened Anglers Inn Lodge on Lake El Salto. The time of year doesn’t
matter. Visitors have expressed that sentiment whether they’ve been here in
December as well as July. Do we like to hear that sort of thing? You better
believe it! We bust our collective tails here at Anglers Inn to provide the kind
of experience you’re not going to forget. We invite you to take a look at the
comments of clients who have visited us recently. As usual, we’re not big on
tooting our own flute. We much prefer to let our visitors do it for us. Here are
a few examples of what we’re talking about. Following are comments from clients
who stayed with us from mid-April to mid-May. George Tabone is a valued client
who has visited Anglers Inn many times. Here’s what George had to say about his
recent visit: “I’ve just returned from another great visit to Angler's Inn at El
Salto Lake. This was my 13th trip and I was joined by my father Frank, Uncle
George and good friend Jimmy North. As always everything was fantastic and
exceeded expectations. The rooms were clean and cool, the food was delicious and
the staff unbelievable. Jose, Sammy, Tony, Joel and the entire crew made our
stay wonderful. “As for the fishing, once again El Salto did not disappoint us.
We primarily focused on bigger fish this trip so our numbers were not
staggering, but the quality was phenomenal. I personally added 10.2 and
11.3-pound bass to my El Salto record books. In addition, I lost count of the 4
to 8-pounders I caught. Most fish were caught on watermelon red lizards and
5-inch swimbaits. My father also landed a 10-pounder and Jimmy boated a
10-pounder on consecutive days. That's five fish over 10-pounds in just four
days. It doesn't get much better than that. Thanks for all you and your staff do
to make these trips so special for us. I look forward to seeing you at the end
of May on my next trip. I’ve attached some pictures for you.” Keith Kaneko and
his father were also among our recent visitors. “My father and I want to thank
you for the kind offer to visit and fish El Salto,” Keith says. “It was a
special trip for us and, even more, it was a much needed getaway for Dad. It was
quite special to share some father-son fishing time again. Your staff and
service was top notch as always. Dad was constantly amazed at the attention to
detail that your staff provides. He really felt at home there at El Salto.
“Also, it was truly a fishing trip of a lifetime for him. He landed some monster
bass. As usual, he landed more big fish than I do no matter where we fish. He
ALWAYS lands the biggest fish. It was great to see him with that
‘big-fish-smile’ again. After the first day of the trip I could tell that he had
finally ‘unplugged’, let go, and just relaxed. I had not seen him relax like
this in quite some time. “I thank each of you wholeheartedly for the opportunity
for Dad to join me on this trip, it’s much appreciated.” Mike Ishikawa is
another angler who has been here before. He says his latest El Salto adventure
was the best ever for big bass. Here are some of the details he shared with us.
“Lance and I had another very nice trip to Anglers Inn. As usual, the staff from
the driver Hugo to the dining staff was great. “The fishing was also great. We
had our greatest big fish trip ever. We caught 60 bass between 6 and
10.5-pounds. Lance got the big one. We averaged about 65 fish per day. On the
last morning we caught 57 bass before departing. We fished the shallows in the
morning and moved out to the flats and fished some drop offs in the afternoon.
Senkos rigged either Wacky or Texas Style were great for me. Lance caught his
share of large bass on a Berkley 10-inch worm in black with a blue tail. On our
very first day we caught 28 big bass between 6 and 10-pounds!” Our good friend
Stan Fagerstrom, of Arizona, came back to El Salto again last month. Stan is a
writer who helped pioneer bass fishing in the western United States. He’s been
writing about bass fishing for more than a half century. He’s also a member of
both the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. We
already knew how Stan felt about El Salto because he’s told us many times. He
considers it the best bass fishing he’s ever found in a lifetime devoted to
fishing and writing about it. Here’s what he had to share in regard to his
latest visit: “When my friend Heidi Roth, editor of Gary Yamamoto's Internet
magazine, heard I was going to El Salto in late April she had a question. Would
I, she asked, be interested in trying a couple of the new Yamamato worms
designed especially for big bass. She went on to say that anglers had been
hammering the fish with these new baits on other lakes. I told her I'd be
pleased to give them a try. The way things turned out, I was glad I did. “The
two new worms, they are a 12-inch Curly Tail and a 10-inch Kut Tail, were our
most productive on the recent El Salto visit. We caught more fish and larger
fish on these two baits. I had my best success with the new 12-inch worm Curly
Tail. My partner, Marion Sundwall, of Idaho, got most of his bass on the 10-inch
Kut Tail. Our best colors were black with blue flakes and a watermelon with red
flakes. “We fished these big worms rigged Texas Style with sufficient weight to
keep them on the bottom during the retrieve. Some of our best success was in
water 20-feet or more in depth. It was essential to fish the worms slowly with
an occasional lift and slight shake of the rod tip. “These lures, along with a
YUM Money Minnow in a white shade, took a bunch of fish from 6 to 7 1/2-pounds.
I also caught a number of fish on a 5-inch Swimming Senko rigged Texas Style and
fished behind an easy-turning Max Lure Smile Blade. That combination was hot
when I was at El Salto last year and it was still productive this time around,
“My biggest thrill during our morning topwater fishing came while I was casting
a 3/8th-ounce Chug Bug. I'd worked that lure all the way back to the boat and
was just about to pick it up and throw it again when---wham! I don't know how
big that fish was. I do know it busted my 20-pound line like it was cheap cord
string. I was lucky it didn't do the same to my rod because it jerked the tip
clear down under the boat when it hit. “I've fished bass in a good many spots
around the country. If there are bass anywhere that fight any harder than those
El Salto fish, I've not found 'em. Hook a 2-pounder and you flat won't know for
sure it's not four times that size until it finally tires out enough so you can
get a look at it. “There are so many other things to be said about Anglers Inn
and El Salto Lake. Over the past half century I've had the rare good fortune to
be a guest at fishing lodges from Alaska to the Amazon and from Argentina to New
Zealand. Taking the treatment, service and food I've experienced into
consideration as well as fishing results, I've not seen a darn one that tops or
even equals Anglers Inn Lodge at Mexico's Lake El Salto. “As I’ve mentioned, my
latest experience came during the last week in April. I had a companion who had
never fished at El Salto before or visited an Anglers Inn. I got almost as big a
charge out of his reaction as I did catching a bunch of bass myself. He darn
near went bonkers! “Nothing in life is worth much unless it can be shared by at
least two people. I don't care how much you tell close friends about El Salto
Lake fishing and Anglers Inn food and service, it has to be experienced to be
truly appreciated. “But there's a warning it's only fair to include. Don't go
there planning on making just one visit. It's not going to happen. That's why
the fantastic operation Billy Chapman Jr. has put together down there south of
the border gets so many repeat customers. The last time I checked I found
Anglers Inn annually gets more than 80 percent repeat customers. Wow! I know a
whole lot of businesses that would like to be able to have that kind of record.
“The number of returning clients also provides the single best yardstick as to
what kind of reception you'll receive once you get there. Those El Salto bass
will provide the same kind of unforgettable experience as does Anglers Inn. I've
been there enough to know what I’m talking about. I still get a memory filled
red hot case of the ‘I want to go back fishin' itch’ just talking or writing
about it.”
That’s about the size of it, friends. You’ve just read the comments from a few
of the anglers who have been here recently. Most of them had been here before.
Every darn one of them has talked about the great fishing as well as the service
and attention they received from our staff. Isn’t it time for you to have the
same kind of experience? Give us a call when you’re ready. We’ll be waiting to
hear from you. And we’ll do our best to make sure you leave feeling the same way
so many of our other clients already do.
There’s nothing we’d like better than having a chance to prove that to you.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
March 2009
|
| Air Temp:
59°- 65°F (early morning/late evening) 79°-87°F (siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
70° - 74°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: |
Popular lures used this week:
Topwater Baits:
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and white.
Swimbaits:
- Storm WildEye 4 -inch Swim Shads: shad, white with chartreuse top and pearl and bunker (Hot Colors).
- Yum Money Minnows or Basstrix: 5-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring with 5/0 or 6/0, 1/8-ounce weighted hook. Also with blade runner ½ Paddle Head jig and Blade Runner Spintrix jig head spinner.
Spinnerbaits
- Booyah double willow blade: ½ and ¾ -ounce in white/chartreuse and white
Plastics:
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon red flake and watermelon (Hot Colors!!!!).
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail and green pumpkin.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5-, 6- and 7-inch Stinkos: watermelon red flake, watermelon and black with blue flake. A small bullet weight goes very well with these baits in 1/8- and 1/16-ounce.
- Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper in Penetration and Dirty Sanchez.
- Zoom Super Flukes: pearl white.
Crankbaits:
- Bomber Fat Free Shad: deep diver in citrus shad and Dance’s Tennessee Shad.
- Lucky Craft CB D20 in Green Apple and Aurora Black.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Rapala DT series in 10 and16: Hot Mustard and Parrot.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
At Anglers Inn El Salto, we’re proud to offer special couples packages for
folks who want to share the experience of visiting our lodge with their spouse
or significant other. We know many wives are hesitant at first to visit a
fishing camp with their husbands, but almost invariably, when they have an
opportunity to experience first-hand our great accommodations, food and service,
they fall in love with Anglers Inn and come back many times. Most of them find
they enjoy the great fishing action as well, even if they’re not experienced
anglers. We recently were visited by three couples who came to Anglers Inn
together: Norman and Dana Fowler, Norman’s parents Paul and Norma, and the
Fowler’s cousin Jody Barrios and her husband Dennis. Norman and Dana wrote back
to tell us they all enjoyed a fabulous vacation. “I know this is probably not
your typical fishing report,” said Dana, “but I want all families out there who
like to fish to know how family-friendly Anglers Inn is and for the women
especially, it is not just all about fishing. My husband Norman and his dad have
been going to El Salto for about eight years. One year they took our oldest son
Daniel (14 at the time) and the following year they took our youngest son Seth
(age 11). Norman usually books a year in advance, and when it is nine months
from the time to go, the countdown begins at our house, and he can tell you each
morning exactly how many days there are to go before they leave again for El
Salto. That tells you how anxious he is to get there! “This year we decided to
take advantage of the couple’s package and us three women packed our bags and
went along,” she continued. “We had a great time. It was a pleasure to wake up
each morning to coffee or juice served in your room by the friendly and
ever-efficient staff, and then to go to the dining area for breakfast where we
could choose from the large variety of breakfast foods that were offered. By 6
o’clock, each couple was usually in their own boat with a guide. And believe me,
the guides were wonderful and full of patience. They changed the women’s lures,
took out the bird nests, got us loose when we hung up on a tree, and even took
the lures out of the fish. Because of them, our husbands were able to fish
without us interrupting them.” None of the women were seasoned anglers like
their husbands, but they were catching fish like pros as soon as the fishing
began. “The very first morning, we were catching a lot of 5- and 6-pounders,”
said Dana. “We were using mostly Money Minnows, Senkos, swimbaits and lizards. I
liked fishing with the Money Minnow best because you were pretty likely to get a
nice fish with it, but I used a variety of lures like watermelon lizards on
Carolina rigs. Norma used the 8-inch watermelon lizard but liked the swimbait
the best. Jody stayed mostly with a wacky-rigged Senko, which she used to catch
her big 7.4 bass on.” According to Norman, this was one of his best trips as far
as the average size of the bass went. “During each session, morning and evening,
I had at least one fish of 7 pounds or better,” he said. “In the mornings, the
pattern seemed to be finding underwater humps and fishing for the large fish as
they moved up. During afternoons, we fished deep water leading up to flats and
usually caught three to four quality fish. We could have fished different
patterns and baits and caught a lot more fish, but I was after size and not too
worried about numbers. “The main baits we used were 5-inch Money Minnows on
white jig heads,” Norman continued. “The colors of the jig head and lure didn't
seem to matter much because I ran out of white and switched to bass color and
didn't see a drop off in fish. The fish would hit about anything. We fished
Storm 5-inch swimbaits and caught quality fish, and when we fished 4-inch
swimbaits we caught a few more although the average size fell off. My second
biggest fish, an 8.4, came on a Bill Dance Citrus Shad crankbait. When the
fishing would slow down our guide would put a green lizard on a Carolina rig for
my wife and the action would usually pick up some for her. We also did well
fishing a 3/4-ounce, white, double-willow spinnerbait.” Of course, fun fishing
is just one part of the overall Anglers Inn experience. When the morning fishing
ended and they came back to the lodge, Dana, Norma and Jody were in for some
additional treats. “When we would go in for lunch at 11o’clock, another fabulous
meal was waiting,” Dana said. “And because the boats did not go out again until
2 o’clock, we had time to choose from a facial, pedicure, manicure or a massage,
or we could just take a siesta. Talk about being spoiled! We took advantage of
everything. The massages were wonderful!” Everyone in the group caught quality
fish. Norman caught the biggest at 9 pounds, 4 ounces, while Norma and Dennis
tied, each catching 8-pounders using swimbaits. Paul followed close behind with
a 7.9 on a watermelon lizard. Dana caught a 7.5 on a Carolina rig, and Jody
followed real close with a 7.4. Those are good bass anywhere you fish. “We took
hundreds of pictures,” said Dana. “The lake and surrounding area are beautiful;
there’s always something different to see. At night, it was wonderful to relax
after another great meal and compare notes of the day’s count. We were surprised
to find each couple had caught a fish at the same time and took pictures. Dennis
even caught two fish on one lure at the same time. He said he thought he had a
monster of a fish.
“In the coming spring, Norman plans to take our two daughters Macey and Kasey,
on their first fishing trip to Lake El Salto,” Dana said. “And yes, us women are
planning on going back, too. In fact the count down will soon begin.”
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Feb 16th thru March 10th, 2009
|
| Air Temp:
53°- 59°F (early morning/late evening) 79°-87°F (siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
69° - 74°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11 pounds |
Popular lures used this week:
Topwater Baits:
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and white.
Swimbaits:
- Storm WildEye 4 -inch Swim Shads: shad, white with chartreuse top and pearl and bunker (Hot Colors).
- Yum Money Minnows or Basstrix: 5-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring with 5/0 or 6/0, 1/8-ounce weighted hook.
Also with blade runner ½ Paddle Head jig and Blade Runner Spintrix jig head spinner.
Spinnerbaits
- Booyah double willow blade: ½ and ¾ -ounce in white/chartreuse and white.
Plastics:
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon red flake and watermelon (Hot Colors!!!!).
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail and green pumpkin.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5-, 6- and 7-inch Stinkos: watermelon red flake,
watermelon and black with blue flake. A small bullet weight goes very well with these baits in 1/8- and 1/16-ounce.
- Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper in Penetration and Dirty Sanchez.
- Zoom Super Flukes: pearl white.
Crankbaits:
- Bomber Fat Free Shad: deep diver in citrus shad and Dance’s Tennessee Shad.
- Lucky Craft CB D20 in Green Apple and Aurora Black.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Rapala DT series in 10 and16: Hot Mustard and Parrot.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
In this report, we’re going to let our guests do the talking. They’ll tell
you how the fishing has been during recent weeks. Hope you’re sitting down …
Phil Pasley and Dave Kretz said their recent visit was the best ever. “The fish
were really biting and not just the normal 3- to 7-pounders you always catch at
El Salto,” they told us. “The big girls were really putting on a show! On
Tuesday, February 24, our five largest fish were 10 pounds, 9-8, 9-3, 9-3 and
9.0, for a five-fish total of 47 pounds. Our goal was to have five fish in one
day that broke the 50-pound barrier, but we couldn't get rid of those 9-pounders
regardless of how hard we tried. We followed that up on Friday, February 26,
with a catch of 9-8, 9-3, 9-3, and two 7s. (Don't you hate it when you can't get
rid of those puny 7-pounders?) We suggest anyone fishing El Salto in the near
future bring PLENTY of crankbaits as most of our large fish were caught on
3/4-ounce Fat Free Shads and DD 22s. The primary colors were Chartruese Blue
Back and Dance's Tennessee Shad. We also had good success on Senkos and lizards.
“As always, the wait staffs at Anglers Inn were fantastic, and the food was
awesome,” Phil and Dave said. “We gained some weight while we were there! Billy
Chapman, Jr.’s Anglers Inn is a world-class organization on the world’s greatest
bass lake!” Mike Cage was down with several friends for a three-day visit, and
his group also enjoyed great fishing. “Five of the six people in our group
caught at least one fish over 8 pounds,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to
catch one that weighed 11.2! This is by far the biggest fish that I have ever
caught, and I can’t wait to get the replica back from the taxidermist. Most of
our fish were caught on Texas-rigged lizards and Money Minnows. I have fished
other places, but no other outfit delivers such exceptional fishing, guides,
food, and service like Angler’s Inn. Thanks for the trip of a lifetime.” When
Mark Owens sent us a note, he said his wife Kim “almost fell over from
excitement” when she saw the nice room they’d be staying in at Anglers Inn. And
they found the great meals and great fishing much to their liking as well. “We
felt like this was another honeymoon,” Mark said. “You have, without a doubt,
the best run organization … Anglers Inn gets a 5-star rating in our book.” Kim
caught her biggest bass ever, a 9-pounder that had already spawned. “It was a
big fish with a huge head but no belly,” Mark said. “We guessed it to be 27
inches long. She also caught an 8-8, 8-0, 7-6, and a lot of 5- to 6-pounders. We
pulled up on a point one afternoon and in 30 minutes we both caught 6s, 7s, and
8s. We had double hook-ups twice. All those bass were caught on Carolina-rigged
7-inch watermelon red flake and black and blue lizards. One morning in an hour
and a half or less, fishing 7-inch black and blue Senkos, I alone caught 68
pounds of bass, with the largest being an 8-8, and the smallest a 4-pounder!
That's WIDE OPEN bass fishing! The numbers were down slightly this year, but the
average fish were all big, 4 pounds plus. Kim averaged about 30 fish per day,
and I averaged about 70, with at least 60-plus 5-pounders. I lost 10 big bass,
including six that broke 15-pound line and two on 20-pound. El Salto bass are
hands down the strongest bass out there! Thank you so much for another trip of a
lifetime!” Tom Rada and Terry Connolly came down with a group that has visited
El Salto for 12 connective years. “Each year, the fishing has been outstanding,”
Tom reported, “and the food and service keep getting better. The only thing that
never changed was the weather. Each day was a repeat of the day before—sunny and
warm.” Terry said their party had never fished El Salto this late in the year
and noted, “We did not catch 50 or 60 fish a day, but we did get some large
fish. On Saturday morning, in three hours, I caught four 6-pound-plus fish, a
4-10, a 5-8 and a 7-13. I don’t think I can go anywhere and do that, and I have
fished about every lake in Texas, Florida and Georgia over the last 30 years.
The food and service were great as usual. This is beyond what you would
anticipate in a fishing camp; it’s more like a fishing resort. Thanks for
another great year.” Rick Hunter came down from Tennessee, and had what he
described as an “awesome trip.” “This was our best big-fish trip to date,” he
told us. “We caught over 200 fish, with 17 over 7 pounds and the largest
weighing 9.7. There were countless 5- and 6-pounders! I found a cove on the
second day with standing timber in the middle, and the fish were suspended in 15
to 18 feet of water holding in the timber. Every afternoon these fish would
start feeding on baitfish, and we were able to catch them throwing swimbaits …
It was hard to believe we caught so many good fish in one spot for four days! We
caught several other fish over 7 pounds fishing a Carolina-rigged lizard on
drop-offs and ditches. “This was our fifth trip to Anglers Inn,” Rick said, “and
the service is always AWESOME! This was my girlfriend’s second trip and she
loves it! All you have to do is catch fish; they do everything else for you!”
Our friend Sheldon Brown sent photos of two big bass he and his son-in-law Joe
caught while they were down. The note with the photos was short but sweet: “I
thought you might want to see a few pictures from our trip,” Sheldon said. “Had
a great time, thanks. That's an 8-pound bass I caught, and Joe got this
11-pounder. He even got a free massage for it!” Chuck Kass and his wife Marianne
sent some pictures as well. “As you can see by the photos, we caught some very
nice fish,” Chuck said. “I already stopped at the sport shop to get ready with
different weights and lures in anticipation of our return next year.” Like many
of our guests, Chuck and Marianne were very pleased with the services of their
guide. “Luis is a great guide,” they told us. “He is very communicative and did
a great job instructing and helping us catch fish. We are planning to have our
friends join us next year and will figure out a schedule for duck shooting and
fishing. You have a great operation. If you need references, by all means have
your customers give us a call in Wisconsin. You will definitely receive
outstanding recommendations.” If you thought we had packed all the big-fish
action we could into one report … well, we’re not quite finished yet. Here’s
another great testimonial from Will Brandt. “We caught around 150 fish in four
days of fishing,” he said, “most of which were caught on Carolina-rigged
swimbaits. Others were caught on Yum Money Minnows rigged on a 3/4-ounce head
with a spinner blade. They were fished on bottom, slow rolled and that's what I
caught my 10-pound bass on. I would say 75% of the fish we caught were between 5
and 7.5 pounds. It was incredible. Almost every fish weighed 5 pounds or more! I
can't wait to get back down there!” To wrap up the news from our guests for this
report, let us share with you some of the fun Dong Sung Won and Mi Young Choi
had during their recent five-day visit. On Day 1 of their trip, they caught many
5- and 6-pounders on Carolina-rigged lizards and Mi Young Choi caught a 7-5 bass
on a Damiki 6-inch watermelon Hotdog. Many bass were striking short, however, so
on Day 2, they changed to Carolina-rigged Lake Fork Crawdad Tubes with a very
strong garlic scent, a move that helped them catch a bass on every bite. Dong
Sung Won caught a 9-3 bass on this lure and noted “The second day was
fantastic.” The fishing pattern changed again on Day 3, but Dong Sung Won
changed, too, using a a Berkley 12-inch fire-red Ribbontail Worm to entice an
8-pound, 13-ounce lunker. Not to be outdone, Mi Young Choi landed a 9-6 bass on
Day 4, and on Day 5, their last day of fishing, swimbaits and tubes produced
many 5- and 6-pounders for the pair. “My wife hooked a truly big bass, but it
broke her line,” Dong Sung Won said. “And I got a bite and had my 30-pound line
broken, too. My last bass on this riprap point was a 6-9, though, a good way to
end our trip.” And finally, we wanted to tell you about some television programs
you might want to see. Last December, Steve Babbidge hosted a group from Western
Outdoor News at El Salto. Cody Herman from Shimano outfitted all the guests with
some of their new rods and reels, and WON brought a ton of baits from their
sponsors. To round off the trip, they had Michael Fowlkes and Shay McIntee from
Inside Sportfishing. Steve says, “Michael knocked me out with the three shows he
produced from this trip. They are truly the best shows I have ever seen on
Anglers Inn/Lake El Salto. What makes the show so good is that Cody, Shay and
Mike caught big healthy fish on a myriad of baits. So did everyone on the trip,
including my son Aaron who caught five fish on Spooks and Ricos one morning that
weighed 35 pounds.” All three shows are a must see for anyone planning a trip to
El Salto. Thank you Shimano, WON and Inside Sportfishing! Enough said. Have you
planned your next visit to Anglers Inn El Salto? Give us a call to talk fishing
or to make preparations for your next trip. Time is going by.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Feb 1st thru 15th, 2009
|
| Air Temp:
48°- 56°F (early morning/late evening) 79°-82°F (siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
68° - 72°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 13.7 pounds |
Popular lures used this week:
Topwater Baits:
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers or Yellow Magics: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and white.
Swimbaits:
- Storm WildEye 4- and 5 -inch Swim Shads: Pearl and Bunker (Hot Colors)
- Yum Money Minnows or Basstrix: 5-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring with 5/0 or 6/0, 1/8-ounce weighted hook.
Spinnerbaits
- Booyah double willow blade: ½-ounce in white/chartreuse.
Plastics:
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon red flake and watermelon (Hot Colors!!!!)
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail and green pumpkin.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5-, 6- and 7-inch Stinkos:
- watermelon red flake, watermelon and black with blue flake.
- A small bullet weight goes very well with these baits in 1/8 and 1/16-ounce.
- Zoom Super Flukes: pearl white.
Crankbaits:
- Bomber Fat Free Shad: deep diver in citrus shad.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Rapala X-Rap or 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits: white and shad.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
A full moon rose over Lake El Salto during this report period, and that was
good news for visiting anglers. February’s full moon marks prime time for
spawning bass down here south of the border, and the fishing has been hot.
Here’s what some recent guests had to say about their trip, starting with our
friend Bruce Holt, executive director of G. Loomis Rods and a lifelong angler,
who says he enjoyed some of the most incredible fishing action he’s ever
experienced during his recent visit. “When it comes to consistently catching big
bass, Mexico’s Lake El Salto is where it’s at,” he said. “The bass grow big, and
they are aggressive. Pound for pound, there isn’t a bass anywhere that fights
harder than those in El Salto. There are tons of fish in the 4- to 7-pound
range, with fish up to 15 pounds available. I have taken several El Salto bass
over 10 pounds, with the biggest being 13 pounds, 5 ounces. El Salto is about as
good as it gets. I can’t remember the number of fish I’ve taken there in the 5-
to 9-pound range. Having just spent a few days on the lake with fishing buddy
Renaud Pelletier, I was reminded just how good the fishing can get, not to
mention the unbelievable service that Billy Chapman, Jr.’s Anglers Inn crew
provide.” Bruce and Renaud caught some really quality fish on their trip, with
four around the 8-pound mark. One morning, they had 20 bass of five pounds or
more in about a 90-minute period. On another day, they say a “wolf pack” of 4-
to 8-pounders attacked a school of shad off a secondary point right in front of
their boat. They hooked several before they moved off, but adrenalin coursed
through their veins for the rest of the afternoon! “We were so excited it was
hard to settle down,” Bruce told us. “We caught most of our bigger fish on 5-
and 6-inch soft-plastic swimbaits like Strike King’s Shadalicious or an 8-inch
Mission Fish in deep water – 15 to 24 feet. We did really well with a Bomber Fat
Free Shad (Citrus color, ¾-ounce size). Zoom watermelon 8-inch lizards caught us
a number of bass, but those fish were smaller on the average than those caught
on big crankbaits and swimbaits. Another great big-fish bait is Yamamoto’s
7-inch Senko in watermelon/black flake or watermelon/red flake, fished on flats
around timber or around cover along the shoreline. “The one thing that really
makes the difference in a fishing trip is the lodge,” Bruce continued. “A bad
day at most lodges is just that. But at Billy Chapman, Jr.’s Anglers Inn, even
the bad days are great. The food, the surroundings and the staff’s attention to
detail and your every need make even the worst day of fishing great!” Bruce’s
friend Renaud Pelletier is a three-time qualifier for the Bassmasters Classic
and a serious, successful tournament fisherman in the Northwest. “If you're
looking for a way to shed wintertime cabin fever,” he said, “there's no better
escape than to Lake El Salto in Mexico. On my fourth trip to Billy Chapman,
Jr.'s Anglers Inn in ten years, we got exactly what my bass-starved ego needed.
Bruce and I spent four days there and caught plenty enough of those
hard-fighting Mexican bass to tide me over till they start biting up here in the
Northwest. The accommodations, service and friendly attention of the Anglers Inn
staff and guides made the trip exceptional.” Renaud said that while they didn’t
catch any bass over 10 pounds, as is common at El Salto, they caught plenty of
fish in the 5- to 8-pound range and many more 3- to 5-pounders. “Our most
consistent pattern for larger fish was using 4- to 6-inch swimbaits fished
slowly along the bottom in 10 to 15 feet over offshore humps and creek ledges,”
he reported. “Heavier weighted-keel hooks rigged Texas style in shad and
minnow-colored Berkley Hollow Bellies and Basstrix worked best. I also got into
a good bite with a 6-inch Mission Fish, landing two over 7 pounds on consecutive
casts. In one midday stretch, we caught four in the 7-pound class in less than
half an hour.” Renaud said their next best pattern was cranking 3/4-ounce,
deep-running Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits in Citrus Shad color over creek
channel swings. “On day three, we had an incredible hour and a half stretch
where we took 20 or more bass over 5 pounds and another 20 between 3 and 5,” he
said. “And man do those crank fish get mad when hooked. I had forgotten how
aggressive and strong they are down there. I also caught two or three quality
fish each morning and evening on an 8-inch MS Slammer wake bait, the largest of
which was 7.5 pounds. It seemed most of the better fish were not relating to
shallow shoreline cover on this trip except for very early and late. “Of course,
we caught many good fish on the standby Salto plastics like 8-inch Zoom lizards,
10-inch Berkley Power Worms and larger Senkos,” he continued. “You can't go to
Mexico without them! Just prior to our trip, a party whacked some 8- to
10-pounders on a 7-inch Senko. Watermelon black, watermelon red and green
pumpkin for lizards and Senkos worked best. The black/blue tail Power worm was
also a consistent producer. “I can't say enough about Anglers Inn Lodge,” Renaud
said in wrapping up. “The atmosphere generated by those people, along with the
fantastic food, great rooms and their caring attention to all your needs make
for a truly unique and fun experience. And then, by any standards, you’re going
to get great bass fishing with competent guides and excellent boats amidst
spectacular desert mountain scenery. I can't wait till my next trip!” Greg Gant
just turned 50 years old, and his wife Arlyne got him a great birthday gift: a
fantasy fishing trip to Anglers Inn on Lake El Salto! “We were so pleasantly
surprised at the accommodations and the nicest people we have ever had taking
care of our needs,” Greg told us after their visit. “Jose and the rest of the
Anglers Inn’s staff were like having old friends to spend time with. And my
guide Aaron knew all the great places to fish, the lures to use and the methods
to make the fish bite best. I caught between 120 and 150 bass in three days of
fishing, including two 8-pounders, five 7-pounders and many 5- to 6-pounders. On
the last evening, Aaron encouraged Greg to try a Zara Spook on the shady points,
and they got on a pattern that produced several fish over 5 pounds, along with a
couple of 7-pounders. “I just love topwater action,” said Greg, “and late each
afternoon, I caught quite a few nice bass fishing surface lures. Of course,
Senkos and Rat-L-Traps (I used a Lucky Craft LVR7) produced most of the fish.”
Arlyne fished with Greg one afternoon for a couple of hours, and Greg said Aaron
was very patient and fun with helping her. “We had only booked a three-day
fishing trip,” Greg said, “but we wished we had spent the whole week at Anglers
Inn. All the positive feedback I had read online made me leery. But those
reports did not do this resort justice. We were treated better at Billy Chapman,
Jr.’s Anglers Inn than we have been treated at five-star hotels in some of our
big U.S. cities. If someone is reading this and trying to decide where to stay
on El Salto, look no further. I’ve told many of my friends and fishing club
members about this great trip, and several are planning trips in the near
future. I’ll be back soon, too!” Imagine a trip where you catch not one, not
two, not three but four bass over 10 pounds. Jan and David Hudson experienced
just that on their recent visit. Their biggest fish, and the biggest reported
during these two weeks, was a 13.7-pounder caught on a Storm swimbait. A
Carolina-rigged 10-inch watermelon worm enticed an 11-pound, 3-ounce bass for
them, and they caught a 10.2 and 10.7 fishing chrome/black and clear/chartreuse
top Zara Spooks in early morning and late afternoon. “We also caught a ton of
7s, 8s and 9s on the Yamamoto Senko with a small weight,” Jan said. “About
three-fourths of our fish were caught in back of pockets or creeks, or on
pre-spawn areas on the main lake. A few came off of main lake flats, areas with
standing timber. I believe our success was due to the fact we were fishing with
lighter line—12- to14-pound-test. But you have to be brave enough to try it. I
lost two monsters. We were shaking off 5-pounders. “Thank you and all the people
at Anglers Inn,” she said. “David and I had a trip of a lifetime. We’ll be
seeing you again soon.” As you can see from these reports, the numbers of bass
being caught have been a bit slower than normal, but the number of quality fish
being caught has been excellent. We also want to let you know that Anglers Inn
is now offering complete Tackle Packages for El Salto and Mateos. These are
available through the Tackle Warehouse online store. You can find all the
information on our website homepage under "Anglers Inn Kit by Tackle Warehouse."
These packages have everything you need for a three-day fishing trip to either
lake. After years of experience on the lake, we know what you need. There is a
package per person and also a package per boat. And Tackle Warehouse will ship
the items right to your door. You can feel safe and secure ordering online, so
get your tackle package today. Be sure to order in advance so you have time to
receive it. Until next time, here’s hoping all your fishing dreams come true.
We’ll see you at El Salto or Mateos.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Jan 1st thru 15th, 2009
|
| Air Temp:
51°- 60°F (early morning) 81°-89°F (lunch time) - 51°-60°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
72° - 75°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 12.12 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
Topwater Baits:
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers or Yellow Magics: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and white.
Swimbaits:
- Storm WildEye 4- and 5 -inch Swim Shads: shad, white with chartreuse top and pearl.
- Yum Money Minnows or Basstrix: 5-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring with 5/0 or 6/0 weighted hook.
Spinnerbaits
- Booyah double willow blade: ½-ounce in white/chartreuse.
Plastics:
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon red flake, watermelon and black with blue tail.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail and green pumpkin.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5-, 6- and 7-inch Stinkos: watermelon red flake, watermelon and black with blue flake.
- A small bullet weight goes very well with these baits in 1/8 and 1/16-ounce.
- Zoom Super Flukes: pearl white.
- Damiki Hot Dog: watermelon black and watermelon red.
Crankbaits:
- Rapala X-Rap or 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits: white and shad.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 crankbaits: medium & deep divers in citrus shad.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
El Salto’s bass are exhibiting pre-spawn behavior now. During the past weeks,
there have been numerous lunkers caught on just about all types of baits. In
early morning, Zara Spooks are producing some real hawgs. These Heddon lures are
considered big bass baits down here South of the Border, but a Rico Pop or
Yellow Magic will catch heavyweight largemouths on top as well. Another popular
bait for big bass has been a large Senko or Yum Dinger in the 7-inch size. Most
anglers are rigging these baits wacky style and letting the lure sink all the
way to the bottom. John McCarthy landed the first 12- pounder of the report on
this pattern. Then father and daughter team Don and Lauren Gossett came to town.
“I knew my daughter was feeling the pressures of professional school,” Don said.
“I figured it would be good for her to get away for several days and forget
about her school activities. When I mentioned Anglers Inn for a few days of
fishing, she jumped at the chance to go. She knew that roughing it at the lodge
meant being met at the van with drinks and food, morning manicures, pedicures
and massages at night. The opportunity at a bass of a lifetime was also
available during the days of fishing. “Lauren is not an avid bass angler due to
time constraints,” Don continued, “but when she is fishing, she is all business.
The day started with casting and ended with casting. She caught several fish in
the 7-, 8- and 9-pound range to warm up. Then the big one came! Lauren was
Carolina rigging on a deep drop. The bait got to the drop, and it just suspended
and didn't act right. A sweep of the rod secured the hook and the fight was on!
The fish jumped once and really didn't look that big, but once it was in the
boat, the guide and I both knew it was a large, beautiful fish. It tipped the
scales at 12 pounds, 12 ounces! I knew Lauren would be tough to live with now.
Just another great trip to Anglers Inn. Great service, guides, food and fishing!
Thanks for making dreams come true for a dad and a daughter. Happy New Year.”
Are you one of those anglers who still does not believe in El Salto like Adam
Hall? “I had the awesome opportunity to come to Lake El Salto, but I have to
admit I had a hard time believing that all these reports about 50-60 fish a day
were true,” Adam said. “It was also hard to believe all these folks were
catching so many fish over 8 pounds. Well, let me tell you, I am a believer now.
We arrived late Monday afternoon, hooked up with our outstanding guide Louis and
headed out to fish for a couple of hours. In about 30 minutes, I set the hook on
a 7.5-pound fish that inhaled my Pop-R. The next morning, my buddy Rob who was
fishing with me caught a 10-pounder on a Pop-R. I was hooked on the Pop-R at
this point, and we continued to fish it early and late each day. The two of us
caught at least 250 fish. I personally caught three over 8 pounds, another four
or five over 7 pounds and a ton over 4 pounds. Texas- and Carolina-rigged
plastics produced during the middle of the day, particularly 8-inch lizards in
watermelon and black/blue. “The food and service were also second to none,” Adam
continued. “The staff makes the best margarita I have ever had, and I am hooked
on Pacifico. Great accommodations, great guides, great fishing, great service,
and great food and drink. I plan to return in the future. What a trip!”
This is what Michael Wolff & Jack Bohnet had to say about their trip:
"Another outstanding trip to Anglers Inn and Lake El Salto. This was our 4th
time and our best. The service, the food and the fishing were all world class.
We caught over 200 Bass in 3 days with 3 over 10 pounds and countless between 5
to 9 pounds. We also lost some very big fish as well. Jack hooked a monster on a
White Crankbait but it threw the hook when it jumped in some submerged trees.
The guide said it was well over 12 pounds. We also hooked and lost at least 4
other double digit size fish in and around the trees. The Bass were all very
healthy and pulled as strong as ever. We used mostly Watermellon with Red Flake
Senkos rigged wacky, White Deep Diving Crankbaits and White 4" Swim Baits. Fish
were caught throughout the water column from a few feet off shore to 20 feet in
submerged trees. Everything went as smooth as always and we will definitely
return next year".
We also would like to add some words from our December guests, especially
outdoor writer Bill Rice. Here is a recent article that Bill wrote for “Outdoor
Western News.”
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Nov 15th thru Dec 10th 2008
|
| Air Temp:
61°- 63°F (early morning) 84°-90°F (lunch time) - 61°-63°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
76° - 79°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11 3/4 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
Topwater Baits:
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding
shad
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and
white
- Buzzbaits: 1/2-ounce in white, white/chartreuse and black.
Swimbaits:
- Storm WildEye 4 -inch Swim Shads: shad, white with chartreuse top and
pearl
- Yum Money Minnows: 5-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring with
5/0 weighted hook
Plastics:
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon red flake watermelon and black with
blue tail
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5- & 6-inch Stinkos:
pumpkinseed, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake
- Zoom Super Flukes: pearl white
Crankbaits:
- Rapala X-Rap or 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits: white, clown and shad
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black
back
- Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 crankbaits: medium & deep divers in
citrus shad, hot mustard and fire tiger
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Bass fishing is at its best now at El Salto, with lots of bass in the 7- to
10-pound range are being caught. Check this out for a superb example: one angler
landed 20 lunker largemouths from 7 to 10.1 pounds in just two hours! And that
doesn’t include all the fish he caught during the rest of his trip. Here is what
Edgar Copeland had to say about his recent visit: “We just got back from our
stay with Anglers Inn and Billy Chapman’s fine staff at El Salto and just wanted
to tell you how very pleased we were with our trip this year. It was definitely
a year to remember. My wife, our daughter and I caught a total of 60 bass over 7
pounds. Most of our success was on a combination of buzzbaits, Pop-Rs, Chug
Bugs, Zara Spooks and 5-inch Senko worms in watermelon and watermelon/red flake.
My best catches came on the last morning we were there. I fished by myself so my
wife and daughter could sleep in and start preparing for our return to Mazatlan.
I had several bass that morning in the 6- to 8-pound class on topwaters, but
about 9 a.m. my guide put me on a worm bite using a Berkley 10-inch Power Worm
in black and blue with a blue tail. I landed 20 bass over 7 pounds topped off by
a 10-pound, 1-ounce lunker! I cannot truly express how happy I was at the end of
this trip. We had several chances at extremely large fish but were unsuccessful
until the last day. “This was my wife’s fifth visit and my sixth,” Edgar
continued, “and we have always had a great time and always marveled at the
service provided. My hat goes off to all of you. We are looking forward to our
next visit, which will most likely be sooner than later.” There has been some
excellent topwater fishing early in the morning and late in the evenings. The
weather has cooled down, but the bass bite is red hot! With the outside
temperature well into the 50s during early morning, you’ll want to be sure to
bring topwater lures such as buzzbaits, Spooks and Pop-Rs. These baits along
with some Zoom Flukes and Senkos are an awesome combination to start your days
on El Salto. This year, as always, the Anglers Inn Staff put out a scrumptious
Thanksgiving dinner with the little help from a good ol’ Southern gal named
Cindy Davenport. See what her husband Kirby has to say below: “When I
first came to Anglers Inn, it was first for the fishing, which was extremely
important at the time,” Kirby said. “But it seems as time goes by, the fishing
becomes secondary. I don’t know how many times Cindy and I have been down, but
each trip seems to get better, and now rarely do we even mention the fish that
are caught. We enjoy the people, the climate and the service and still continue
to catch more fish than anyone can believe. We caught over 100 in one day.
Another morning we caught three over 8 pounds, and yet these numbers are very
rarely mentioned in conversation. I think Billy Chapman has a real jewel of an
operation there, and the Anglers Inn staff is outstanding. My wife really
enjoyed helping with Thanksgiving dinner and preparing the ‘chittling’ (giblet)
gravy and the stuffing, I think the amount of vino rojo she had encouraged her
enjoyment, but working with Giovanni and Sergio without an interpreter she says
was hilarious. “We caught fish on topwater lures, on Senkos, on lizards, on
worms, and on jerkbaits,” Kirby continued. “We caught them shallow, we caught
them deep, we caught them early, and we caught them late. We caught big ones.
and we caught small ones. What else could anyone want? I think the old saying is
that you get what you expect. Well, we expected a lot and we got a lot--nice
people, good weather, and excellent food. How much better could it get?” Mike
Drisko and Leon Crosswhite spent 2½ days fishing El Salto in November. It was
Mike’s fifth trip and Leon’s first trip to Anglers Inn. Mike said, “I told Leon
the bass in El Salto get plenty of tilapia to eat and were very healthy and
fought harder than any others I’ve encountered. Leon is a very good fisherman,
and he was prepared for the bass and the action they gave us. However, I think
he was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic service and the professionalism of
the staff and guides. “We caught some very nice 5- and 6-pound bass on both
swimbaits and lizards, especially in the late afternoon and early evening,” Mike
continued. “After we both lost what appeared to be double-digit-sized lunkers at
the boat, we decided that checking our lines and knots and re-tying would become
a higher priority next trip!” Mike McCartney was down with a group that included
his friends Jim Bartolomucci and John Fowle, both of whom had never fished for
bass prior to this trip, and his son-in-law, Charlie Brown who had not fished
for bass in over 20 years. The lack of recent fishing experience didn’t keep
this quartet from catching lots of nice El Salto bass, however. “Charlie and Jim
had bass in the 9-pound range,” Mike said, “and I was lucky enough to catch 150
bass during our four-day trip, including a trifecta of three bass over 10
pounds. My largest was an 11-pounder. I specifically told our guide, Alfonso,
that we wanted big bass versus a large number of smaller bass, and he helped me
personally catch bass weighing 11, 10.2, 10.1, 9.7, 9.6, 9.4, 9.2 and over 8
bass between 8 and 9 pounds. A Berkley 10-inch Power Worm, black with blue tail,
accounted for half of the big fish. Storm WildEye 4- and 5-inch Swim Shads in
pearl and gray shad colors caught the other 50% of the big fish. Many other fish
were caught using 6-inch watermelon Senkos with various fleck colors and 7-inch
watermelon lizards with chartreuse. “I can assure anyone who is contemplating a
trip to El Salto that the fishing is wonderful, and they would be nuts to stay
anywhere else other than Anglers Inn,” Mike concluded. “You have no competition
when it comes to great food, a well stocked bar and guides who can put you on
fish. You have a wonderful staff, all of whom go out of their way to make the
guests feel welcome and well cared for. The pride Billy Chapman and all of his
staff have for Anglers Inn and the desire to make every guest’s stay memorable
is what makes this place special.” The big-bass bite was still on when R.T.
“Taylor” Abernathy was here fishing with another party. “We caught plenty of
fish, including a number in the 5-to 6-pound range,” he said. “The biggest was a
9-pound, 12-ounce monster caught by my son. Most of our fish were caught on a
Carolina rig using either a Zoom Fluke, Yum Dinger or Senko. We also caught bass
on swimbaits and Rat-L-Traps. I only kept up with the number for two days, but
during that time, the anglers in my boat caught 78 bass. We probably missed as
many as we caught. “Our guide was absolutely excellent,” Taylor continued. “When
we return next year, we want to be sure and have him again.” We want all our
guests to know we enjoy what we do and strive to make sure everyone goes home
from Anglers Inn with some great memories. We can’t make the bass bite, but as
often as not, our guests catch lunker largemouths anyone would be proud to land,
and many go home having landed the bass of a lifetime. What we can do is be sure
the food, the service and the accommodations are the best you’ve ever
experienced. And when you combine that with a great bass-fishing experience …
well, we think you’ll want to come back to El Salto again and again and enjoy
what we believe is the best lake and lodge on earth. We wish all of you the best
holiday season ever and look forward to seeing you next time you come visit all
your friends at Anglers Inn. We want to take a moment to remember our deeply
appreciated friend Edna Osborn, wife to Clifford Osborn. She went with her
angels on November 26th. She was such a kind, gentle soul and great lady angler.
She was a dear friend to the Anglers Inn family.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Nov 1st thru 15th 2008
|
| Air Temp:
70°- 75°F (early morning) 84°-90°F (lunch time) - 70°-75°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
78° - 82°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11 3/4 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Storm WildEye 4 -inch Swim Shads: shad, white with chartreuse top and pearl
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back
- Rapala X-Rap or 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits: white, clown and shad
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: shad, chrome with black top and white
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue tail
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5- & 6-inch Stinkos: pumpkinseed, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake
- Zoom Super Flukes: Pearl white
- Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 crankbaits: medium & deep divers in citrus shad, hot mustard and fire tiger
- Yum Money Minnows: 5-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring with 5/0 weighted hook
ADDITIONAL INFO:
The weather south of the border has finally started cooling down, and the big bass bite is on. The numbers of bass being caught are lower than normal, but the quality of those being landed is unbelievable. During one recent afternoon, one of our guests landed five fish over 8 pounds, and these catches were even more exciting because all these brawlers were caught on top with Zara Spooks. Dave Bennet landed the biggest bass during the first half of November, a whopping 11-3/4-pounder, plus several largemouths in the 9- and 10-pound range. The topwater bite has been on and off, but big fish are being caught on Spooks, Ricos and buzzbaits. Another go-to bait is the faithful Senko in the 6-inch size and also Zoom Super Flukes in Pearl color. These soft-plastic jerkbaits are excellent follow-up baits if you miss a lunker on a topwater, so be sure to bring plenty when you visit. It seems that rigging the Senkos wacky style and adding a small bullet weight to get the lure down quicker has been most productive. During the midday bite, smaller swimbaits have been working very well. Four-inch Storm WildEye Swim Shads in Pearl, Shiner Chartreuse and Shad colors have been deadly. A couple of friends from Arizona, Joe and Erik Goldenson, did well on the 5-inch model and had this to say: “Our first day of fishing was slow on topwater Ricos. My son Erik and I caught a few fish before mid-morning, all of which were in the 5- to 9-pound range with no little ones. Then, from 10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., we got into a WildEye Swim Shad (5-inch, shad color) bite. I wound up with 12 fish from 5 to 8 pounds, and Erik caught three more—a 7, 8 and 9! ‘What's going on here?’ we asked our favorite and regular guide, Armando. He said the weather and time of the year were such that the numbers of fish being caught were down but the size was two to three times bigger than usual. We proved him to be the Oracle at Delphi! That afternoon was slow, with only about six fish caught between my son and me, but the sizes were between 6 and 9 pounds once again! “The second day was very slow for me, but Erik caught two 7s and a 9 on a Rico at first light. Topwater at its best! The afternoon was slow in numbers, but the eight I caught on a swim bait are shown in the photo I’ve included. As usual, Erik outfished me, catching 10 fish between 6 and 8 pounds. “The last day was slow in the morning,” Joe continued. “But we returned to the area where we experienced that marvelous swim bait bite the first day and Bang! Erik got his biggest bass ever, a 10-pounder, which is shown in the photo. It was a great fight and good netting prowess by Armando. The rest of the day was slow in numbers again, but we caught 5s, 6s and 8s! “Overall we counted an average of 20 fish per day, not our usual numbers action but the size does count! El Salto once again proved its "SALT" as the saying goes. Bragging rights aside, the thrill of getting the ‘big one’ is wonderful as well as humbling. I'm glad we ‘catch and release’ because someone else can enjoy the thrill of getting those fish again. “I want to thank Billy Chapman, Jr. and the great staff for their usual great service. The massages after fishing really helped this old guy recover from a fishing aches and cramps. My son Erik feels the same. See you all next year at El Salto or Mateos.” John Alvarez was down for his fifth trip this month and reported it was the best yet. “I didn’t think with the lake up so much the fishing would be that great for me because I haven’t had much luck in the past at that level,” he said. “But man was I wrong. I personally had the biggest average weight and the biggest overall size (8 pounds, 14 ounces). Although some guys didn’t catch as many as usual for that time of year, the size was definitely up. The biggest bass caught by anyone in our group was a 9-pound, 4-ounce hawg caught by Jason, but while we were there, a 10-pound, 6-ounce fish was on the board. It is amazing that fish that size are caught in your lake. “The guides were awesome as usual,” John said. “Although I didn’t fish with my favorite guide this trip, Luis put us on the fish every day. Even when the fish weren’t very active, it didn’t take long for him to find us bait or a spot that would yield a ton of fish. Swim bait, swim bait, swim bait: that was the lure of the trip for me. I had never fished one with much luck, but I’m a firm believer now. Even when the bass weren’t hitting a certain color, all I did was change to another and they were on it. “The service was outstanding, and Jose was on top of his game as usual,” John concluded. Your staff is as good as the fishing! We went to Florida in September and I have to say we did not get near the great service we get from your guys. Even when the lodge got full after we got there, the service never seemed to fade. Sammy was there with a Bloody Mary at every turn! Thanks again for hosting this awesome trip, and we will most definitely be seeing you in the spring.” Brett Bankston from FL. wrote to say, “I want to thank everyone at the Anglers Inn for saving my vacation. My brother and I had bought an offshore fishing trip out of Mazatlan this past spring. We bought it at a CCA auction and had been told it would be a striped marlin fishing trip of a lifetime. But after one day offshore we realized the fishing was off. “We were going to spend the next two days at the beach but then we saw an advertisement for El Salto and Anglers Inn. We arranged transportation from Mazatlan and left early one morning for El Salto. We were treated like kings from the time we arrived. The food and drink were top shelf, and the fishing was outstanding. Each of us caught at least 80 fish per day, including 10 bass over 6 pounds and two over 10. I can’t' wait to go back.” Many of you have enjoyed articles written by our friend Robert Montgomery, senior writer for ESPN/BASS publications. He was just down for some fishing, too, and says, “I just enjoyed some of the best fishing I've experienced at El Salto in several years. I always like going there, and I always catch fish. But this time, the quality of the fish was exceptional. In 4-1/2 days of fishing, my friend Dave Burkhardt of Triple Fish International and I caught two 9s, several 8s and bunches of 7s. We also lost several that might have been double digit. “The average size of the bass we caught probably was 4 pounds or better, the best that I've ever seen,” Robert reported. “That should translate into some terrific fishing for big bass during the next several years. Also, every fish was fat and feisty, as they fed all day long on shad and tilapia. The problem with all of that bait was getting the attention of the bass so that they would bite our lures. We averaged 30 to 40 fish a day. But on one afternoon, we boated 41. “We caught most of our fish on Rapala X-Rap jerkbaits, either throwing to feeding fish or into shallows along brushy shorelines,” he continued. “Color didn't seem to matter, but we used mostly glass ghost, silver and hot steel. During middle of the day, we boated a few on Texas-rigged worms, red shad and blue/black. “The topwater bite was inconsistent, but we did catch some quality fish on Sammys, especially on the final afternoon. Again, we threw to feeding fish, as well as across points and onto shallow flats where we thought they would be feeding. While the bites were few, they were ferocious and worth the wait. “I'm already planning my next trip to El Salto, my favorite place to fish for bass.” Dave Burkhardt sent a note as well, exclaiming, “Over the TOP! Where else in the world of bass fishing can you have 8-pound-plus fish blowing up on topwaters! Be still my heart!!! “The best fish on my November trip weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces, and I caught dozens in the 5- to 8-pound range,” Dave said. “Quality fish! With the sheer numbers of bass and abundant food source (tilapia fry), Angler’s Inn will continue to be the best bass fishing in the world. Combine the fishery with an attentive staff plus the wonderful accommodations and you have bass fishing heaven.” Willie Toppino enjoyed a visit with his girlfriend Loretta who caught her biggest bass ever, an 8-pounder, on a lizard during their first day of fishing. “She then caught a couple of 7 pounders on topwaters,” Willie said, “which were her biggest ever on topwaters, and I got a 10-pounder on a junebug-colored Senko. On our last afternoon, I experienced the best worm bite I have ever experienced. We released 26 bass in an hour and a half up to 6 pounds, all caught on a junebug Senko. I have been fishing all over North, South and Central America for the past 15 years, and your lodge is the best. All your staff was very friendly and helpful, and the accommodations were excellent. We will definitely be coming back.” Marty and Valerie wrote to say their trip to El Salto “was a perfect combination of exciting fishing and pampered luxury resort vacation. On the very first cast in the morning, Val caught an 8-pound bass on a Rico topwater, and it kept getting better all day,” Marty said. “Our guide put us on fish throughout the day. Overall we caught 185 bass in three days, with many 5- to 9-pound fish. Marty topped his all time record with an 11-pound monster bass on a blue shad swimbait. It was hard to tell who was more excited, Marty or Martin the guide. Every evening Val sat at dinner and looking out over the moonglowed lake would say, ‘I can't believe how beautiful it is here.’ We already have our date set for next year, but can't decide which of your fabulous venues to visit. We decided we should alternate years between El Salto and Mateos or stay a few extra days and split the time between them. “Thanks for letting us stay at your place in El Salto,” they said. “The extra touch made us feel like much more than members but friends as well, and the staff treated us like royalty. We were humbled to say the least. Please thank everybody at Anglers Inn for the champion effort to assure our vacation was all that it could be. Can't wait to be with you all again.” As you can see, great fishing is alive and well at El Salto with numerous big bass being caught. For those anglers who are on the way to visit us, be sure to get the recommended baits, and for those of you who are thinking about coming down to fish El Salto, now is the time! Call us for more information.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Oct 1st thru 31st 2008
|
| Air Temp:
82°- 85°F (early morning) 89°-98°F (lunch time) - 82°-85°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
80° - 82°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11 pounds 8oz
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Storm WildEye 4 -inch Swim Shads: shad, white with chartreuse top and pearl.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back
- Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits: white, clown and shad.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy: clear, chrome with black top and white body.
- Eight-inch Zoom Lizards: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue tail.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5 & 6-inch Stinkos: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Spinnerbaits: ½ & ¾-ounce with double silver willow blades in white and white/chartreuse.
- Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 Crankbaits: medium & deep divers in citrus shad, hot mustard and fire tiger.
- Yum Money Minnows: 6-1/2-inch in bluegill, hologram shad and herring.,
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Shad busting all over at El Salto By Billy
Chapman, Jr.
During the past couple of weeks, El Salto bass have been following schools of
their favorite baitfish—shad—down here South of the Border. Most bass have been
caught in the backs of coves, where they are feeding on shad, and the best lure
for catching them has been the 4-inch Storm WildEye Swim Shad in Shad, Pearl or
Shiner Chartreuse colors. Dipping the tail in garlic-scented chartreuse dye from
companies like Spike-It often improves the lure’s effectiveness even more. The
shad being eaten by bass are relatively small, which is why the smaller
swimbaits have been producing the better quality fish. Anglers have been working
the swimbait back to the boat a couple different ways. The first way is to cast
the bait and, as soon as it hits the water, make a slow, steady retrieve. While
retrieving the lure, pop your rod tip occasionally to create an upward motion in
the swimbait that draws strikes. The second approach is to let the lure sink all
the way to the bottom and work the swimbait very slowly back to the boat, making
sure you are on the bottom. One thing I like about swimbaits is the fact they
can be worked in any depth of water. Another type of swimbait that is getting
pretty popular down here is Yum’s Money Minnow. We put together a nice little
video about the lure, which you can find on http://www.anglersinn.com/FishingTechniques.html
For the best action, fish these swimbaits with a 5/0 weighted hook or try my
favorite technique, which is rigging the lure on a jig head. Blade Runner Tackle
Company makes a nice Weedless Paddle head jig in a ½ ounce size, which fits
perfectly with Yum’s Money Minnow. The better jig head colors are shiner and
chartreuse/white. Our longtime friend Joe Bullock showed us this technique last
year, and it has been producing ever since. Thanks, Joey B! Because the bass are
busting on shad, another popular lure landing big bass down here has been the
ever-trustworthy Rat-L-Trap. The best colors have been chrome with a blue back
or chrome with a black back. And be sure to bring down both ½-ounce and ¾-ounce
Traps.
Here is what a recent angler had to say about his trip:
Jason Grupp was down recently for his first October fishing trip, and said he
found this a great time of year to visit. “The lake was full and teaming with
life,” he said. “The big fish were up and feeding heavily. During the four
fishing days I was there, I caught 40 to 50 fish that weighed between 7 and 9
pounds. Mixed in with all the pigs, I was catching numerous 3- to 6-pound fish.
The anticipation of each hook set was amazing. Every time I had an 8-pounder
belly flopping in front of our boat, the excitement was so much fun.” “Swimbaits
were the most productive for our boat,” Jason said. “Jerkbaits and
Carolina-rigged lizards were also the ticket to fish. For the fly-fisherman,
make sure to bring flies that imitate shad. Laying these flies on the surface so
they look injured would get an immediate crash. Fast stripping clousers and
deceivers was also working well. Big deer-hair poppers for the morning and
evening hours are a must. Make sure your leaders and tippet knots are strong.
These fish pull hard and are not tippet shy. “I have been bringing groups to
this lodge for many years,” Jason added, “and there is never a doubt in my mind
that they will have a great time. I know the staff will treat them with the best
service they’ve ever had in their life. The entire trip, my group is constantly
telling me how amazing the service, food, and accommodations are, and how
impressed they are with the workers’ genuine personalities. These people have
now become lifelong friends of mine. I look forward to each and every trip I
take to this magical place!" Well, like Jason says, jerkbaits also have been
great bass catchers down here. The Rapala X-Rap in the white, shad and clown
colors has been the most productive. There have been some really big bass caught
on these lures the past couple of weeks, especially where the bass are busting
shad. Early in the morning and late in the evening, the topwater bite has been
strong. Just this morning, bass weighing 10.4 and 11.6 were caught on chrome
Zara Spooks. The Spook will normally catch bigger bass. And working this big
topwater plug a little faster then normal has been successful. The other great
topwater plug is the Rio Rico Pop in the ½-ounce size. The best colors have been
bleeding shad and white. Yellow Magic Pop Rs are just as good and are a little
bit cheaper on your pocketbook. During the mid-day bite, the best baits have
been soft-plastic worms and lizards. The Berkley 10-inch Powerworm in the black
with blue tail color and the Zoom 8-inch Lizard in watermelon and watermelon red
flake have been good. Carolina rigging these soft plastics seems to be
outproducing the Texas rig.
In our last report, you saw a nice photo of Leslie Corbin. Here is Ronny’s
and Leslie’s testimonial from their trip in early October.
“My wife and I really wanted to spend our first anniversary somewhere we could
set precedence for many more to come, somewhere that would provide us with an
overall big-time experience,” Ronny said. “I made my living for nearly 20 years
as a professional fishing guide, bush pilot and tournament fisherman. I’ve been
blessed with the best fishing from Alaska to Costa Rica but had always been on
those trips as the provider, so I wasn’t sure how the experience would pan out
being a guest. Leslie loves to fish but had yet to experience a world-class
fishing trip so we set out to accomplish this lofty goal. “We had seen Angler’s
Inn at El Salto on several fishing shows and looked it up on the Internet. After
some correspondence, we booked our trip for September 29 thru October 3. Let me
say emphatically that ALL of my HIGH EXPECTATIONS were exceeded! First off, the
staff is the best in the business. They greeted us at every step along the way
with huge smiles and made us feel at home. The accommodations are the best I’ve
seen (keep in mind I ran and worked at some of the elite Lodges in Alaska). The
food … Oh, my, the food! Let’s just say my clothes shrunk a size during our
stay. Les didn’t fish every session but really enjoyed the spa treatment that
came with our couple’s package. She also worked out a trip to a local spot for
some shopping and said the staff made her feel safe and comfortable along the
way. “Now the fishing report. Although the water was high, the shad were rockin’
and the bass were scattered about. I had a HUGE time! Our guide Oscar worked
hard and really turned us on to a world-class fishing experience. Every morning
we slung topwaters to the tune of 15 to 20 bass from 3.5 to 8.5 pounds! Then
we’d hawg hunt till lunch and take a little siesta. Afternoons were filled with
everything from jerkbaits to swimbaits to crankbaits to worms and MORE big bass.
Leslie caught the fish of her life when she boated a 9-pound, 4-ounce beauty on
a crankbait. On the last cast of the trip, I landed an 8-pound, 4-ounce hawg
right in front of the lodge. “Billy Chapman, Jr. and his staff have really set
the bar high for any competition, and deserve the kudos in every way. It’s
obvious they’ve done everything right because in all detail, it shows. I can’t
wait till we can get back down to Anglers Inn and can say without reservation
that Leslie and I recommend the chance to spend your time with our new friends.
Let them share their home and hospitality with you!” As you can see, the fishing
was superb in October, and we expect the great action to continue in the coming
months. While bassing on other lakes often has ups and downs through the
seasons, catching trophy bass, and lots of them, is a year-round experience on
El Salto. Come visit us and experience it for yourself. Our staff stands ready
to make your trip an experience you’ll never forget.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Sept 15th thru 30th 2008
|
| Air Temp:
82°- 85°F (early morning) 89°-98°F (lunch time) - 82°-85°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
80° - 82°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 10.4 pounds 4oz
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Zoom Lizards: 8-inch, watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch in black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers and Bass Pro Shops Stinkos: 5- and 6-inch, watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Storm WildEye Swim Shads: 4- and 5-inch in shad, white with chartreuse top and bunker.
- Rat-L-Traps: ½ and ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Spinnerbaits: ½ and ¾-ounce with double silver willow blades in white and white/chartreuse.
- Bomer Fat Free Shad and Rapala DT16 medium- and deep-diving crankbaits in citrus shad, hot mustard and fire tiger.
- Heddon Zara Spook and Lucky Craft Sammy in clear, chrome with black top and white body.
- Rapala X-Rap and 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown and shad.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
New Season at El Salto Starting Off Right
By Billy Chapman
There’s good news for anglers planning a visit to Anglers Inn El Salto. We
have not experienced torrential hurricane rains this year like those two years
ago that caused the lake to rise more than 20 feet in just one day. Instead, the
lake filled slowly over a longer period of time, which is much better for bass
fishing. As the new fishing season started, the water level was at slightly more
than full pool, with about a foot of water going over the spillway. The water
level now has stabilized, and with few more rains to come, we are expecting
another great season. Bass patterns the past two weeks have been normal for a
warm month like September, with most of the best fish being caught in deeper
water. Swimbaits, plastics lizards and crankbaits have been the best midday
lures. And during early morning and late afternoon, topwater plugs, Senkos and
spinnerbaits have been doing the trick. Here’s what some of our recent guests
had to say about their trips.
Mike Ishikawa came down with his friend Lance Withee, but unfortunately for
this pair of hardcore anglers, Lance found out he had a kidney stone, and,
instead of fishing, had to spend his time at Sharp Medical Hospital in Mazatlan.
Mike managed to get in a day and a half on the water, nevertheless. “I fished a
full day on September 17 and a half day on September 18,” Mike said. “My last
trip to Anglers Inn in March 2007 was spectacular, with my friend Bob and me
catching 475 bass in 3-1/2 days. I was not expecting the same results this time
because the lake was brim full and it was raining upon our arrival. “Well, the
fishing was just as spectacular as our March trip, and the quality was
unbelievable. My first day ended with 107 bass, including 19 between 5 and 8
pounds. Trees that usually grow above the exposed shoreline were now overhanging
the water, providing great bass cover. We could bass crashing baitfish under the
trees. In the morning, we had a ball throwing wacky-rigged Senkos to the edge of
the trees. The bass would attack even before the lure had a chance to sink to
the bottom. Later in the morning, we switched to Rat-L-Traps, and, in the
afternoon, Texas-rigged Senkos, Robo-worms and 10-inch Berkley red-shad worms
worked just great.” Day 2 was excellent for Mike as well. “What an incredible
morning,” he said. “Our guide found a shallow bay loaded with large bass. We
threw Rico poppers and landed nothing but large bass, many times with double
hookups. One 7-pounder attacked the popper four times before I finally set the
hook. After the surface bite slowed slightly, we moved to a deeper section of
the same bay, and jerkbaits and wacky Senkos revived the hot bite all over
again. The final count for the half-day of fishing was 58 bass, most over 3
pounds. These included bass weighing 6-5, 5-6, 3-7, 3-8 and one topping 9
pounds. I’m convinced anytime is a great time to experience the fantastic
fishing at Anglers Inn.” And how about Mike’s friend Lance? Well, he’s doing
just fine and sent us this note: “Words aren’t adequate to express the depth of
my gratitude to you and your organization for all you did for me. Thanks to you,
I am now back in San Diego and well into recovery mode. Without you, I am well
aware I could have floundered around in pain and confusion, and things could
have been very different. Thank you for getting personally involved from the
outset, and thank you again for your care, concern and attention throughout the
rest of the ordeal. I am looking forward to visiting Angler's Inn again in
December and many more times in the future. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!” Ronnie and
Leslie Corbin, also were among the September visitors and here’s what they have
to say: "After arriving at the lodge in the early afternoon, we went out for an
afternoon of fishing. On our second stop, we got into a bite off the point of an
island. My wife Leslie, who is new to bass fishing, landed a 9.4-pound bass
using a Norman DD14 crankbait in the chartreuse/blue color. What a thrill! I
landed a 7.10-pound bass on chrome Norman. It was a great afternoon. Although we
found high water and scattered bass, we experienced excellent topwater bites
early morning and tons of quality bass up to 9 pounds. My last cast produced a
8.3 pound bass in front of the lodge on a 10" Berkley powerworm in the
black/blue color." Vern Leder and his two sons recently fished El Salto as well,
and here is what Vern had to say: “Any time I can go with my boys and they catch
enough fish to make them want to go again is a successful trip. We are ready to
come back! “My son Henry landed some nice bass, including two 8-pound-plus fish.
His most productive baits were a junebug lizard and Pop-Rs. Drew also landed an
8.11-pound bass and said to tell you there was great fishing in early morning on
topwaters and in late afternoon on worms and swimbaits.” John Christie came down
with the Leders and it was he who caught the biggest bass of the group, a real
hawg that tipped the scales at 10.4 pounds. He caught this monster bucketmouth
on a 5-inch swimbait and also landed a 9.6-pounder the same afternoon.
And how about these impressive numbers from Benton, Arkansas, angler Tracy
Harmon?
Top 5 bass per day:
- Day 1 – 44 pounds
- Day 2 – 37 pounds
- Day 3 – 37 pounds
- Day 4 – 30 pounds
Tracy’s 20 biggest bass weighed in at an impressive 148 pounds. His biggest
weighed 9 pounds, and he landed many bass in the 5- to 8-pound range. As one can
see, the fishing at El Salto is stronger than ever. With the weather starting to
cool down, the topwater bite should be getting even stronger, and those big bass
will be moving out of 20- to 30-foot depths and holding closer to the surface.
This report we have a tie for the big fish between John Christie and Robert
Roupeman. Both anglers reported their biggest bass weighing 10.4 pounds. Have
you caught your 10-pounder yet?
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
June 1st thru 30th 2008
|
| Air Temp:
69°- 79°F (early morning) 89°-97°F (lunch time) - 82°-86°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
74° - 79°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11.4 pounds and with plenty of bass in the 8-11 pound range
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Crankbaits: Crankbaits: Bomber Fat Free Shad, Norman DD22s and Rapala DT16 deep divers in citrus shad, Tennessee shad, hot mustard and white
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Yum Money Minnow Swimbaits in bluegill, hologram shad, pearl and Tennessee shad. Be sure to bring 5/0 wide-gap weighted hooks along with ½-oz. jigheads with weed guard.
- Storm WildEye 4- and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white and golden mullet.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers, El Grande Lures Pepper Sticks 5-, 6- and 7-inch: watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, tilapia and baby bass.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back and gold.
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico and Yellow Magic poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Spinnerbaits: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in white, white/chartreuse with gold willow blades
- Jigs: 3/8-, 1/2- and 3/4–ounce in black/blue with rattle.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
As we roll into summer, action for big El Salto bass continues to be red-hot.
Near dawn, topwater and spinnerbait action is good, and later in the day,
crankbaits, swimbaits, soft plastics and other lures are nabbing bass in deeper
water. Anglers in each boat are averaging 60-80 bass daily, and lots of those
largemouths are true lunkers. Three- to 7-pounders are really abundant, and
nearly everyone who’s on the lake is bringing in an 8- to 10-pounder sometime
during their stay. Bigger bass always are possible, too. Just ask Jimmy Webster
III who was just down for a visit. “Here are a few pics of the 11.4-pound
whopper I caught on my trip this June,” he said in a recent email. “I have been
waiting four years for these hawgs to bite a jig-and-pig again. Thanks for
another great time.” John Zitelli also boated a bucketmouth over 11 pounds. He’s
made fishing trips all over North America, chasing salmon in Alaska, steelheads
in the Great Lakes, tarpon and bass fishing in Florida, and trout fishing in
Colorado. But from what he told us, his June visit to cast for bass in El Salto
topped them all. “This was my second visit to Anglers Inn,” he says, “and it was
the best fishing trip I have ever had. Not only were the fishing numbers great
at El Salto (100 fish in the boat per day), but the repeated size was awesome at
3 to 7 pounds for every one. My largest, caught on a crankbait, weighed 11
pounds, 14 ounces and will be made into a replica for my wall. I also had a lot
of luck with spinnerbaits and 10-inch PowerWorms. Lots of fun! The food was
wonderful, and the service was friendly and enthusiastic. Next year, I won't
pack as much since my clothes were laundered every day. And I'll get a massage
more often!” Outdoor writer Keith Sutton and his wife Theresa also were down
this June, and say this, their third visit together, was the best ever. “Theresa
fishes one lure, a purple Yum Zellmander, every time we visit,” says Keith, “and
she always catches the most fish. This time was no exception. She caught over
100 bass, and fully half of those were 4- to 6-pounders. Her biggest weighed
7-1/2. I’m always looking for a trophy and caught three between 8 and 9 pounds
on Storm Swimbaits and Fat Free Shad crankbaits. I lost three more right at the
boat that were much larger—all of which broke fresh 20-pound-test line! (Next
time, I’ll be using heavy braid!) No doubt, the fishing was better this time
than on any of our previous trips, and though it hardly seems possible, the
superb service, food and accommodations were better than ever as well. Each
visit is better than the last, and we’re eager to make a return trip as soon as
possible.” Sutton wrote an article about their visit, “El Salto: Still the
World’s Best Bass Lake,” that already has appeared on ESPN’s website. You can
check his article on our website and learn more about the great fishing Keith
and Theresa experienced. This month we’ve heard lots of stories about fishermen
catching hundreds of bass during their stay, with some real trophies seasoning
the catch. Such was the case for Larry Brewer who came down with his buddy Jim
West for 3-1/2 days of El Salto bassing action. “Our guide did a fantastic job,”
says Larry. “Jim and I caught 293 bass during our stay. The biggest weighed
9-14, and we caught several over 7. The 8-inch, watermelon-red Zoom lizard
seemed to be the most consistent lure, but our two biggest fish were caught on a
Gene Larew purple-and-black Salty Snake. We caught quite a few bass on a citrus-
shad Bomber also. As always, the service and food were excellent. This was my
third trip and the best ever. Thanks!” Jay Dee Schurz, president of El Grande
Lures, was down with his wife Dana to test some new lures and shoot video of
their products in action. They fished half a day on their arrival, half a day on
their final day and three full days in between. And their new baits proved
irresistible to some El Salto grandés. “The key bite was on the new El Grande
Lures 5-inch swimbait,” said Jay. “Dana and I caught well over 100 fish on the
green tilapia color, and other colors such silver shad, black and blue, and
white and chartreuse produced as well. I fished against Dana while she threw a
Fat Free Shad in white and chartreuse and outfished her 2 to 1 with this
swimbait. Most fish were in the 3- to 5-pound range. Other productive lures
included our 7-inch, tilapia-colored Mexistick and the 9-inch El Grande Shad,
which produced the biggest fish of the trip at 7.1 pounds. With a full moon, the
topwater bite was poor, and the new El Grande Rana Toro 5-inch frog was a slow
producer, although I did catch one nice fish on it. I’ll return when the
topwater bite is better to get some additional footage. The El Grande Mexican
Rattler in black and blue diamond back caught fish anytime and anywhere on the
lake. I would estimate we caught 40-60 fish daily, with little time fishing the
banks and lots of time fishing 12-20 feet of water.” Bob White says his recent
trip to Anglers Inn was truly memorable. “From the first cast to the last, I had
an experience I will never forget,” he says. “All the stories and articles I had
heard and read up till then paled in comparison to the real thing. During the
five and a half days I was there, we caught fish on nearly every cast with
everything we threw. During each eight-hour fishing day, there were three hours
that were unforgettable and as good as it gets. The ability of our guides to put
us on these fish was remarkable. They knew exactly where and when to go and then
told you what lure to throw. It was up to the individual to present the bait the
correct way, but if you didn’t do it right, the guides would show you what they
wanted so you could catch fish. Their skill and experience is second to none.”
Bob and his friends generally started each day casting lightweight Senkos
against bluff walls. “BIG FISH would eat that bait as it slowly sunk,” Bob says.
“Four to 8-pounders were there in numbers hard to comprehend. On occasion, a
truly large fish would rock your world, and you had better be ready.” As the day
continued, Bob and friends would fish crankbaits and soft plastics. “Do you have
any idea what it's like to throw a deep-diver and hook a 4- to 8-pound fish on
every cast?” Bob asks. “Well, I do, and it’s incredible. Six-to 7-inch
watermelon-red lizards and crankbaits in citrus shad or crawfish colors were our
tickets to success.” Before their trip was over, Bob’s gang had caught an
astounding number of bass. “Tallying up the number of fish I personally caught
was a bit ethereal as I realized I had boated somewhere between 350 to 400 fish
during our stay,” Bob says. “The average size was between 4 and 5 pounds. I’ve
finally found a spot where I feel like I might be able to catch a bass bigger
than the 14-pound, 5-ounce Florida lunker that is my personal best. And there’s
another part of the story, too. The staff at the Angler's Inn is without equal.
These folks were the most professional, friendly, good-natured bunch I have ever
had the pleasure of spending time with. From the first moment you arrive, these
people make you feel welcome and at ease. They fulfill your every need and
instantly become your friends. Billy Chapman has created a paradise for us bass
guys! The only thing left to say is (to paraphrase Arnold), "I'll be back!!” The
six-man group Bob was fishing with calls itself “The El Salto Posse.” Stacy
Twiggs is a member of the posse, too, and he had some great things to say about
this astounding bass fishery as well. “Over five days, we caught hundreds of
fish from 2 to 10.6 pounds on ¾- to 1-oz. Berkley and Jewel watermelon jigs with
trailers. I had my best luck with the new Strike King Rage Tail Craw and the YUM
3-1/2” Wounded Pumpkin Chunk Trailer. “Six- to 7-inch Senkos produced fish all
day,” he continued. “We fished them on 5/16- to 1/2-oz. Texas rigs, weightless
Texas rigs and wacky style, catching countless fish regardless of the rig we
used. The bigger the bait, the bigger our fish. In the afternoons, the El Salto
Posse used Fat Free Shad and Lucky Craft crankbaits to catch bass feeding on
baitfish. “We had several coves that would produce 30-45 minutes of nearly
back-to-back hook-ups on every cast,” says Stacy. “These were situated where
wind blew baitfish into the center of the coves, in addition to holding healthy
populations of tilapia. We made long casts down the center of the coves,
swimming our crankbaits through the channels and bouncing them with a pause off
of standing timber. We caught countless 4- to 7-pounders and several up to 8
pounds.” “Our best fishing unquestionably came alongside of standing timber in
20-30’ of water,” he continues. “In just four hours of fishing, my partner Jim
Holcomb and I boated 53 fish from 1 to 9 pounds on ½ oz., Texas-rigged Senkos,
7-inch watermelon-red Zellmanders, watermelon-red Lake Fork Craws and black/blue
or watermelon ¾-oz. jigs.” “What a run it was!!” Stacy says in conclusion. “The
El Salto Posse had another amazing visit. The success of a vacation like this is
the result of a lot of hard work by the staff of Anglers Inn. Although you’re
focused on fishing, the Anglers Inn staff and Chapman family are focused on your
total adventure and world class service. Jose, Tony, Armando, Sammy, Lupita and
all the lodge staff do everything under the sun to ensure you enjoy hospitality
that makes every other vacation destination seem inadequate.” Another group of
friends visiting Anglers Inn recently was Jerry Sepulveda, Lou Villenueve and
Steve Basarich. “It's hard to say what we like best—the service, the scenery,
the fishing or just being on vacation at beautiful Lake El Salto,” they said.
“We can never say enough about the friendly staff who do everything they can to
make your stay an absolute pleasure.” “Each of us has been to El Salto or Mateos
at least nine times, and we’ve had some very productive fishing trips. But
collectively, this was our best. We caught a boat load between 4 and 8 pounds.
On the first night Steve caught five bass between 5 and 7 on his first six
casts, and it was on from there. We all had our hot streaks, but the fishing was
very consistent for all of us every time out during our 3-1/2 days of fishing.
We caught somewhere around100 fish a day for the boat, with very few under 2-1/2
to 3 pounds.” The trio caught their bass on a variety of lures, but said “the
citrus-colored, deep-diving Fat Free Shad and swimbaits in pearl or pearl
chartreuse seemed to be the best for larger fish.” They also recommended dipping
the tail of lizards and swimbaits in chartreuse-colored, garlic-flavored
Spike-it paint to draw more strikes. “Our guide did an outstanding job of
putting us on fish,” they said. “And we can't wait to get back on Mateos or El
Salto this December and or next summer. Thanks for everything.” Vic LeCause is
another happy customer who says his visit this month was superb in all respects.
“This was by far was my best trip to El Salto,” he wrote. “We caught over 275
fish in 3-1/2 days, including more than 100 between the two of us in just one
day. Most were between 3 and 5 pounds, but there were many 6- to 6-1/2-pound
fish. We caught most 8- and 10-inch watermelon and watermelon red flake lizards,
deep-diving crankbaits and 4- and 5-inch Storm swimbaits.” “I have fished for
bass many places,” Vic said, “but by far the most satisfying and successful trip
has been through Anglers Inn at El Salto. After my fourth visit, and my friend
Bob's first, we are already looking forward to returning, not only for the
fishing experience, but also the excellent service by a staff whose only goal is
to satisfy you with great food and a very welcome atmosphere.” While many people
think summer fishing on El Salto can’t be as good as other seasons, this report
should put that rumor to rest. Summer fishing here produces incredible numbers
of big bass, including, for many anglers, the trophy of a lifetime. In fact,
this is one of the best times of year to fish if catching numbers of quality
largemouths is your goal. The topwater bite isn’t as good as earlier in the
year, but if you like working crankbaits, swimbaits and other lures in deeper
water, you won’t find a better place to hook a trophy when the weather gets hot.
Here’s hoping we’ll see you soon at El Salto or Mateos and that your summer is
the very best ever.As spring ends and summer begins, you can see that the
already incredible fishing here at El Salto continues to improve with every
passing week. Everyone who visits goes home with great memories of the big ones
that didn’t get away. And the size of some of the bass being caught and released
is just unbelievable. Every time you cast, there’s a good chance you could catch
a bass that weighs 10 to 15 pounds, maybe more. And like our friend Gary Jacob
says, that’s just the gravy! We promise ever time you stay at Anglers Inn you’ll
enjoy the best service, the most delicious food and the finest accommodations
available on any bass lake in the world. Call us soon and plan a visit. We’re
looking forward to seeing you!
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
May 1st thru 31th 2008
|
| Air Temp:
65°- 79°F (early morning) 85°-94°F (lunch time) - 82°-86°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
73° - 77°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 15.8 pounds along with plenty of bass in the 8-12 pound
range!!
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Crankbaits: Bomber Fat Free Shad, Norman DD22s and Rapala DT16 deep divers in citrus shad, Tennessee shad, hot mustard and white.
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Yum Money Minnow and Berkley Hollow Belly Swimbaits in shad, white, blue heron and white/chartreuse.
- Storm WildEye 4- and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white and golden mullet .
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers, El Grande Lures Pepper Sticks 5- and 6-inch: watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, tilapia and baby bass.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail, red shad and junebug
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back and gold.
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico and Yellow Magic poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Spinnerbaits: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in white, white/chartreuse with gold willow blades.
- Jigs: 3/8-, 1/2- and 3/4–ounce in black/blue with rattle.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
15-1/2-Pound Bass Highlights Two Weeks of Red-Hot Fishing!
It’s not the first time Les Melton has caught a bass weighing 15 pounds in El
Salto. In fact, during one week fishing here in 2005, this experienced angler’s
top five fish alone weighed an incredible 71.5 pounds, a lake record. (That’s an
average of 14.3 pounds each in case you were wondering.) During past trips to El
Salto, Melton has caught at least two bass that weighed 15 pounds even. But
recently, Melton outdid even his previous best, landing a gigantic largemouth
that tipped the scales at 15.8 pounds. That’s bigger than the state-record
largemouth bass in 36 U.S. states! We don’t want to steal his thunder, however,
so let’s allow him to tell you about it in his own words. “This was my 36th trip
to El Salto, and like many of the others, it was fantastic,” says Melton. “I
have had wonderful outcomes in the past, but this trip ranks at the very top. I
caught the biggest fish of my life this trip—a bass that weighed an amazing
15-1/2 pounds, and the very next day I caught one weighing 14.4. In all I caught
510 bass, including 10 over 10 pounds (15.8, 14.4, 12.14, 12.12, 11, 11, 10.12,
10.8, 10.2 and 10), sixteen 8-pounders and three 9-pounders. I can’t even
estimate the number of 6s and 7s. Unbelievable. “I have fished Lake El Salto
from the beginning, and it just keeps getting better,” Melton continues. “My
next goal is to catch one 16 pounds or better, and I firmly believe that I can
do that. The biggest fish were caught on 1-ounce jigs (black and blue) with a
black or blue pork chunk. The technique was vertical jigging or flipping outside
edge trees. It required a very stiff rod and 50-pound braid line, plus a great
deal of patience. When they hit, there was no doubt; there was nothing subtle
about the strike. “I also caught numerous fish on 10-inch, black/blue, red shad
and junebug Power Worms. There also was a very good deep crankbait bite, and I
caught many fish on golden mullet and chartreuse/white, 4-inch and 5-inch
swimbaits.” Melton says his late-May trip once again demonstrated the staying
power of El Salto and how well it is being managed. “The service, as usual, was
excellent, and the staff could not do enough for me. And that was the same for
every guest. The staff and guides are simply superb. Nobody could ask for more.
Anglers Inn has taken service to a level that they alone occupy. “I will be
returning to El Salto later in the year,” he says, “and I excitedly look forward
to that trip. Every trip to the lake brings something new and exciting. You
never know what will bring the next big fish. As an added bonus for myself, I
will also be spending some time at Lake Mateos . Everything I said about El
Salto can be repeated for Mateos. This will be my second trip to Mateos, and if
it is anything like the first, I will be returning there many times. Mateos is a
topwater paradise, and big fish are being caught. I could go on and on, but,
suffice it to say, simply UNBELIEVABLE!! Everyone at Anglers Inn has my deepest
thanks.” George and Pam Hawley during their recent Anglers Inn visit enjoyed
memorable fishing as well. George says, “The reason we keep coming back is
because the people are friendly and respond to our needs and wants, plus the
fishing is the greatest in the world. Pam caught the biggest bass of her life on
this trip. I ended up with three bass over 8 pounds, including a 9.3. I had at
least two bass over 7 pounds every day and lost count of the bass in the 5- to
6-pound range. The most productive lures were Bass Trix and watermelon red flake
lizards. While fishing the Bass Trix, I was using a 1/2-ounce jighead and
working the bait in the trees.” Kirby and Cindy Davenport had to cancel a goose
hunt in Argentina because of the Chaiten volcano eruption in nearby Chile, but a
last-minute phone call to Anglers Inn had them hooked up for a five-day El Salto
bassing trip in no time. “Fishing was like I remember it being five years ago,”
says Kirby. “Cindy and I averaged 100 bass per day. I caught three over 10
pounds (including two on back-to-back casts) and another over 11. One morning, I
had a 9-something blast a Zara Spook and then caught several 6- to 7-pounders as
fast as I could land them. The day I caught the two 10-pounders, I landed 25
bass in a row on a plastic worm. And one afternoon we landed 40 bass on a
swimbait, including one over 8 pounds Cindy caught. The crankbait fishing was so
good one day, I told the guide, please, no more! I actually was tired of reeling
them in! “Cindy had an absolute blast, and the service was impeccable,”
Davenport continued. I am so glad you introduced us to Anglers Inn. It is
absolutely exceptional.” Alan Girod was just down for his sixth trip to Anglers
Inn and says he’s planning another visit already. During the 5-1/2 days he
fished El Salto, he caught 168 bass, including numerous 2- to 3-pounders, 20
between 4 and 6 pounds, three between 6 and 7, a 7-pound 10-ounce hawg, and his
best bass ever, an 11-pound, 3-ounce monster any bass angler would be proud of.
“The topwater bite was hot and cold in the morning,” he reported.†“A low of two
bass and a high of 14 were taken on Pop Rs in black back and baby bass patterns.
Most of my fish were caught on 8-inch, watermelon-seed Zoom lizards, and dipping
the lures’ tails in chartreuse dye seemed more productive than fishing them
without the dye. I also caught a few fish on 10-inch, black-with-blue tail Power
Worms and 3/4-ounce blue-back Rat-L-Traps. Most of the fish over 6 pounds were
caught on Fat Free Shad deep-diving crankbaits, including†my 11-pounder, which
fell to a chartreuse/blue back†pattern. Citrus shad, chartreuse citrus shad and
blue holographic shad patterns also took good fish. “This was a great fishing
trip, and my guide was topnotch and a real pleasure to fish with,” Girod
concludes. “The hospitality at Anglers Inn is second to none. If you can't have
a great time here, you can’t†have a great time anywhere.†The entire staff is
first rate.” Joe Bullock caught lots of really exceptional fish during his
recent stay as well. “El Salto lived up to its reputation again†by kicking out
many big fish during our stay,” he says.†“I caught hundreds†in the 4- to 7-pound
range, with 16 to 18 fish tipping the scales†over 8 pounds and one over 9
pounds. The water had stabilized, and the fish were starting†to stack up on
points and structure. The fishing is only going to get better as the weeks go
on. The baits that worked best for me were large crankbaits in citrus colors and
swimbaits, which I†love to modify and throw all day long. That is my go-to bait
for big fish. “El Salto is still the best lake in the world for big bass and
lots of them,” Bullock says. “Just ask Les Melton, who just caught a 15.8. The
fishing just keeps getting better and better.” Our friend George Tabone never
seems to grow tired of visiting our south-of-the-border honeyhole. He’s made 11
trips so far, and this month, he says, “Anglers Inn and Lake El Salto once again
exceeded my expectations. I decided to come just two days prior to my arrival,
but Maggie and the office staff arranged all the details without a hitch. Jose
and the lodge staff were at their usual best, meeting all our needs with service
that the finest resorts in the world could take a lesson from. The meals seem to
get better every trip, and it’s amazing how the bar never goes dry.” And the
fishing, George? “It was spectacular,” he says. “In 3-1/2 days, I caught over
200 bass that including a 10-13, 9-0 and 8-8. Even more amazing is the fact that
I caught 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 lizards. The fishing is definitely alive and very
well at El Salto. I’ll be back and look forward to another memorable
experience.” Gary Jacob and his friend Sam Bransma did something more and more
of our guests are doing these days. They made a combo trip to El Salto and Lake
Mateos. The first leg of their visit was at our lodge on Mateos, and according
to Jacob, “The lake was big and beautiful, the boats were great, and the
accommodations were outstanding! The crew of Ramon, Joel, Julio and Ziggy were
great, and the fresh fish Ziggy cooked for us one night was the best I ever had.
We caught fish on topwaters, crankbaits and lizards, and we plan to come back
later in the year when Mateos is at full pool so we can get in on some of the
great topwater action.” On their third day, Jacob and Bransma left Mateos to
fish at El Salto, arriving just in time for the morning session. “Chichi was in
the boat waiting, and Ziggy delivered us right to the boat,” Jacob says. “As we
expected, El Salto is never a disappointment. When we arrived, I still had
blisters on my thumb and index finger from my previous visit just three weeks
earlier! Sam had heard me talk of Anglers Inn and soon discovered I hadn’t
exaggerated in my description of the fabulous fishing, food and accommodations.
In one afternoon, we caught 37 bass over 5 pounds, a real treat for Sam who had
never landed that many big bass.” Jacob actually sold two beautiful bass boats
because he got tired of fighting the crowds on lakes near home and paying the
ever-increasing costs of gasoline for his boats and truck. “When I discovered
Anglers Inn, the whole idea of fishing became a different world to me,” he says.
“It is worth it for me to make several trips a year. I catch so many fish it
keeps me satisfied for months. So, I sold the boats with no remorse. Now,
Anglers Inn at El Salto and Mateos is like my home away from home. I tell
everyone I go there for the meals, relaxation and the friends. Fishing is just a
bonus! I applaud Billy Chapman, Jr. for his accomplishments.” As spring ends and
summer begins, you can see that the already incredible fishing here at El Salto
continues to improve with every passing week. Everyone who visits goes home with
great memories of the big ones that didn’t get away. And the size of some of the
bass being caught and released is just unbelievable. Every time you cast,
there’s a good chance you could catch a bass that weighs 10 to 15 pounds, maybe
more. And like our friend Gary Jacob says, that’s just the gravy! We promise
ever time you stay at Anglers Inn you’ll enjoy the best service, the most
delicious food and the finest accommodations available on any bass lake in the
world. Call us soon and plan a visit. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Apr 1st thru 30th 2008
|
| Air Temp:
62°- 75°F (early morning) 82°-93°F (lunch time) - 82°-86°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
72° - 74°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11 pounds and numerous over 10 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Crankbaits: Bomber Fat Free Shad, Norman DD22’s and Rapala DT16 deep divers in citrus shad, Tennessee shad, hot mustard and white.
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white and golden mullet colors.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers, El Grande Lures Pepper Sticks 5- and 6-inch: watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, tilapia and baby bass.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back.
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
59°- 75°F (early morning) 78°-83°F (lunch time) - 75°-81°F (late afternoon) |
|
| Water Temp:
71° - 74°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11.8 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Crankbaits: Bomber Fat Free Shad, medium and deep divers in Citrus shad, Tennessee Shad and White
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white and golden mullet colors.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers, El Grande Lures Pepper Sticks 5- and 6-inch: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake, tilapia and baby bass.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back.
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
59°- 75°F (mornings and late evenings) - 75°-81°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
69° - 73°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11 pounds
(a bunch of them along with numerous 10s)
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Crankbaits: Lucky Craft and Bomber Fat Free Shad, medium and deep divers in citrus shad Tennessee Shad and MS American Shad.
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white and golden mullet colors.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back.
- Rapala X-Rap and 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- El Grande Lures Pepper Sticks, Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers and Bass Pro Shops 5- and 6-inch Stinkos: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Chatterbaits: 1/2-ounce in white, white and chartreuse.
- Jigs: 3/4-ounce rattling models in black and blue.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
52°- 64°F (mornings and late evenings) - 75°-81°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
66° - 72°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 13 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers, El Grande Lures Pepper Sticks,Bass Pro Shops 5- and 6-inch Stinkos: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders: watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye Swim Shads: 4- and 5-inch in shad, pearl white and golden mullet.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back.
- Rapala X-Rap and 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Crankbaits: Lucky Craft Flat CB and Bomber Fat Free Shad, medium and deep divers in citrus shad and MS American Shad.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Chatterbaits: 1/2-ounce in white, white and chartreuse.
- Jigs: 3/4-ounce rattling models in black and blue.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch, blue flake with trailer.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
52°- 64°F (mornings and late evenings) - 75°-81°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
66° - 72°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 10 pounds and many quality bass in the 5-9 pound range
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Rat-L-Traps: 1/2- and 3/4-ounce in silver with blue back and gold.
- Lobina Lures Rio Rico poppers: white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Lizards: 8-inch Zoom, 7-inch Yum Zellamanders, 6-inch Berkley PowerBait in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Berkley Power Worms: 10-inch in black with blue tail, red shad and junebug
- Storm WildEye Swim Shads: 4- and 5-inch in shad, pearl white and golden mullet.
- Rapala X-Rap and 4- to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad
- Heddon Zara Spook, Lucky Craft Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen: clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Bomber Fat Free Shad Crankbaits: deep divers in citrus shad.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers and Bass Pro Shops 5- and 6-inch Stinkos: watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Chatterbaits: 1/2-ounce in white, white and chartreuse
- Buzzbaits: 1/2- and 5/8-ounce in black, white, chartreuse.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
62°- 74°F (mornings and late evenings) - 81°-84°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
72° - 78°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11.94 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Rio RicoPop in white, white with sparkles and bleeding shad.
- Eight inch Zoom or 7” Yum Zellamanders Lizards in watermelon, watermelon
red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Ten inch Berkley Power Worms in black with blue tail, red shad and
junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white and golden
mullet colors.
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and gold.
- Buzzbaits in ½ & 5/8-ounce in black, white, chartreuse
- Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with
black top and white
- Lucky Craft CB20, Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 Crankbaits in deep
divers in citrus shad, shad and MS American Shad.
- Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5 & 6 -inch Stinkos in
watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Devil Horse or Wounded Spook in chrome/blue, chrome/black and bone.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
65°- 74°F (mornings and late evenings) - 81°-86°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
74° - 78°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 11.4 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
-
Buzzbaits in ½ & 5/8-ounce in black, white, chartreuse.
-
Eight inch Zoom or 7” Yum Zellamanders Lizards in
watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
-
Ten inch Berkley Power Worms in black with blue tail, red
shad and junebug.
-
Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad, pearl white
and golden mullet colors.
-
Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and
gold.
-
RicoPop in white, white with sparkles and shad.
-
Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear,
chrome with black top and white
-
Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 Crankbaits in deep divers
in citrus shad, parrot, fire tiger and white.
-
Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch
and shad.
-
Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5 & 6 -inch
Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
-
Devil Horse or Wounded Spook in chrome/blue, chrome/black
and bone.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Bassing Just Gets Better and Better on El Salto
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
|
| Air Temp:
74°82°F (mornings and late evenings) - 86°-92°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
78° - 81°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 10 -1/2 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
-
Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 Crankbaits in deep divers in citrus shad,
parrot, fire tiger and white.
-
Eight inch Zoom or 7” Yum Zellamanders Lizards in watermelon, watermelon red
flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
-
Ten inch Berkley Power Worms in black with blue tail, red shad and junebug.
-
Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad and golden mullet colors.
-
Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5 & 6 -inch Stinkos in
watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
-
Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back
-
RicoPop in white, white with sparkles and shad.
-
Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with black
top and white
-
Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
-
Buzzbaits in ½ & 5/8-ounce in black, white, chartreuse.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
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
|
| Air Temp:
82°85°F (mornings and late evenings) - 88°-95°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
80° - 82°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 12 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Bomber Fat Free Shad & Rapala DT16 Crankbaits in deep divers in citrus shad, parrot, fire tiger and white.
- Eight inch Zoom or 7" Yum Zellamanders Lizards in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in shad and golden mullet colors.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5 & 6 -inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake and black with blue flake.
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back
- RicoPop in white, white with sparkles and shad.
- Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with black top and white.
- Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
- Buzzbaits in ½ & 5/8-ounce in black, white, chartreuse.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
El Salto Lake Fishing Report
El Salto Is In Great Shape!
El Salto is in great shape as we begin the 2007/2008 season here at Anglers
Inn. Rain has been bringing the lake up steadily for the past couple of months.
Right now the lake is holding at 100 per cent full pool. This represents a
dramatic change compared to conditions we experienced a year ago. Last year the
hurricane saw the lake climb some 25-feet in just 24 hours. The result was it
scattered the lake's bass population all over the place. Right now the lake is
stable and the fishing has been excellent. Smaller bass and tilapia are tight to
the bank and larger fish can often be found moving in to feed on them early in
the morning and late in the afternoons. The result is some great topwater action
with both surface lures and buzzbaits. Mid-day the bass have been following the
schools of shad around and can also be found off the deeper drop offs. Other top
baits since we reopened have been 5 and 6-inch Senkos or Yum Dingers in
watermelon or watermelon with red flakes. Anglers have been scoring later in the
day by Texas or Carolina Rigging 8-inch Zoom Lizards. Other good bets have been
4 and 5-inch Storm WildEye Swim Shads in a shad color. When the bass are feeding
on shad you need to have these baits in your box. The ever popular Rat-L-Trap is
another good bet. If you want to concentrate on lunkers, fish deep and medium
diving crankbaits along the underwater points and creek channel drop offs.
Burning Bomber Fat Free Shads in a citrus color have been excellent producers
for anglers using this approach. The faster you work your retrieve with these
crankbaits, the better. Following is what some of our clients who have been here
since we reopened have to say about their experiences. Jeff Dugan nailed one of
those monsters that have made El Salto famous when he fished El Salto in early
October. "I was bouncing a green pumpkin lizard off submerged tree branches in
15-feet of water," Jeff says, "when I hooked a 12-pounder. I was lucky I hooked
her up close to the boat or this would have just been another fish tale." Mike
Thurston sums up his recent visit to Anglers Inn this way: "It was a fantastic
trip as always---lots of fish along with excellent food and service. El Salto is
alive and well. I caught more than 250 bass in three days. Many were quality
fish that topped 6-pounds. My best bait was a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm in
black with a blue tail." A Fat Free Shad used with a fast retrieve caught a
bunch of fish for David Hudson on his recent visit. "I caught more than 200
bass," David says, "in 3 ½-days. The largest weighed more than 9-pounds." Jeff
and Hunter Daniels, a father and son team, won't forget the last day of their
trip to El Salto this fall. "I caught two 8-pound, 15-ounce bass the last
afternoon," Jeff says, "by throwing a crankbait off windblown points. We caught
a lot of good fish burning crankbaits. Some in our group had better luck with a
slow or medium retrieve. It's wise to vary your retrieve speed until you
determine what the fish want." Rich and Paul Thurber had their best success
using a Rapala DT-16. "The best color," they say, "was a honey-mustard. We
caught more than 40 bass in just one afternoon." If you watch the fishing shows
on television you're likely aware Mark Zona is the host of the "World's Greatest
Fishing Show." Mark, along with Pro Bass Fishermen Gerald Swindle and Greg
Hackney who are part of the ESPN film crew, visited El Salto recently. Here's
Mark's report: "Both the quality and numbers of bass came from deep water. I had
an unbelievable number of 4 to 6-pound bass out of the 100 plus fish I caught in
three days. "When you found a school of fish in 20 to 40-feet of water, you
could get them on every cast for about an hour. Crankbaits caught the most, but
a swimbait used with a slow retrieve caught better quality fish. "I've been bass
fishing in Mexico several times and I've seen many outfitters. Without a doubt,
Anglers Inn provides the finest all around service I've experienced. And that's
from the minute you get to Mexico, to the minute you leave. Anglers Inn is by
far the best in the business. If you've never been bass fishing in Mexico---look
no further." Gerald Swindle caught his largest El Salto bigmouth on his recent
visit using a 5-inch Storm WildEye swimbait. "The 8-pound, 2-ounce fish," Gerald
says, "bit on a slow retrieve in 18-feet of water. The really big bass are not
up good, but fish in the 4 to 7-pound class are biting well. We had good luck
burning crankbaits over trees that were 25 to 40-feet deep. A crank and pause
retrieve was best in the middle of the day. Another good bet was using Storm
swimbaits in the golden mullet color. We let them sink, and then used a slow
retrieve." Greg Hackney also used a fast retrieve with excellent success. "The
best tactic was burning a crankbait through submerged trees," Greg says. "The
key to getting bites is to vary your retrieve and bang your lure into the trees.
Our best colors were shad and white. A swimbait was the best bet for big fish.
All of my hits from big fish came that way. "The first day I lost a monster
right at the boat. It would have easily topped 10-pounds. El Salto is an awesome
place to fish. Every cast may bring the fish of a lifetime. That big fish I had
on will stay with me forever." That's about the size of it. El Salto continues
to do exactly what it has been doing for years--helping visiting anglers return
home with a bag limit of treasured bass fishing memories. Ask somebody who has
been here. They're going to tell you you're missing a bet if you don't give
yourself a chance to do the same.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
June 2007
|
| Air Temp:
77°83°F (mornings and late evenings) - 95°-101°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
82° - 86°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 12-pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmander Lizards in watermelon and watermelon red flake, junebug or red shad.
- Ten inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, blue flake.
- Bomber Fat Free Shad and Berkley Frenzy Magnum Diver in deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and white with chartreuse top.
- Spinnerbaits in ½ & 3/4th-ounce sizes in white with double silver willow or Colorado blades.
- Booyah Boogie Buzzbaits in black, white and white with chartreuse.
- Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
El Salto Lake Is Producing Season's Best Bass Action
By Billy Jr. & Chappy Chapman
Some of the best known bass anglers in America were among our late June
guests at Anglers Inn Lodge. Many were here as part of two different groups. We
know you'll recognize some of their names as we get deeper into this report.
Shimano Rods & Reels brought one group to El Salto Lake. The second group came
with Berkley Fishing Tackle. Anglers in both groups put a big time hurt on El
Salto Lake largemouth while they were with us. The 42 experienced experts in the
Shimano group estimated they caught and released more than 7,500 bass during
their trip. Many of these fish were in the 6, 7 and 8-pound range. They also had
fish in the 10, 11 and 12-pound category. Please read a recent Internet article
published by Tackle Tour that is printed below. The Tackle Tour article says
some of the same things you've seen in our fishing reports this season. It's
simply this: The tough season some have experienced at El Salto this year was
caused by the hurricane last October. That storm was only the third hurricane
we've experienced during our operation at El Salto. Anglers went from about 75
fish per boat daily the day before the hurricane to about two fish per boat
daily the day after the storm hit. Normal rainfall had the lake 94 per cent full
before the hurricane. A couple of days later we were at 122 per cent of full
pool. Water went over the spillway for six weeks. The lake turned over and the
bass suspended. The tilapia also suspended allowing the bass to feed on them
with ease. Good fishing started to kick in a couple of weeks before the Shimano
and Berkley groups arrived. It should get better through the balance of this
season. Historically seasons after a hurricane have seen super fishing. Better
take advantage of it. And don't forget our coming Anglers Inn El Salto Lake Fall
Special. You can qualify for an extra day of fishing at no charge. Here's what
some of the anglers in the Shimano party had to say about their recent El Salto
Lake fishing. Jimmy Houston, television host: "El Salto continues to be a Bass
Factory! Anglers Inn outdoes itself with service every day. For sheer numbers, a
¾-ounce Fat Free Shad in the submerged trees is a great way to go. Use a stop
and go technique. We got many quality bass up to 7-pounds in the shallows by
slow rolling a white Terminator ½-ounce spinnerbait." Tim Woods: "We had great
action! I caught more bass on buzzbaits than any time in my life. Also lots of
quality fish on soft plastics and crankbaits. Chartreuse green and blue & white
were the best colors." Greg Drown: "I caught between 90 and 100 quality bass,
including one about 7-pounds and another about 8 pounds. I got them on a variety
of baits." Greg Pullen: "I caught 140 to 150 fish in 3-1/2 days - unbelievable!
My best baits were 8-inch Zoom Lizards in watermelon with red flakes and Fat
Free Shad crankbaits. My biggest fish weighed 7-pounds." Alex Mei and Jack Ip,
from Tackle Tour, were also with the Shimano party. They are authorities on
what's up with tackle, baits, equipment, etc. When you visit their web site read
the article on fishing El Salto with pre-release Shimano products. Also check
out the story on Jimmy Houston. Again, you'll find them on the Internet at
www.tackletour.com. Many of the anglers in the Berkley group reported similar
experiences. Here's what some of them said. James Hall, Editor Bassmaster
Magazine: "The topwater bite was very good in the mornings with a popper
out-catching walking baits. The action was very consistent in both deep water
and around structure. Berkley 10-inch Power Worms and 6-inch Power Lizards were
very good Texas Rigged and Carolina Rigged. Gulp sinking minnows caught a ton of
fish as well. The number of fish we caught was outstanding - nearly 100 per day.
The big fish bite eluded us, although I did break off a couple of large fish. El
Salto, in my book, is still reigns as King of the World's largemouth fisheries."
David Sams: "I had a 7.7 pound bass on a Berkley Frenzy Pop'r and a bunch on
topwater as well. Trolling big cranks worked great.
I got several 5-pounders and one 7.2-pounder trolling---yes, you can catch bass
trolling! We found most of our fish on deep water humps with trees. There was
also lots of fish in the submerged trees. Steve Quinn, editor In-Fisherman
Magazine: "I caught the biggest bass I've had in the last four years, a
9.12-pounder. The lake is full of healthy bass from 1-pound to up to lunker
sizes, and there is plenty of shad and tilapia to keep them growing fast. The
Anglers Inn staff once again set the gold standard for hospitality and
accommodations." Ryan Gilligan, Managing Editor of North American Fisherman:
"During my stay fish were pounding watermelon Berkley Power Lizards and 10-inch
Gulp worms. Bass ranged in size from 1 to 5 pounds, with most between 3 and
5-pounds. The best pattern was dragging Texas Rigged baits down points and
channel breaks, although on the last day of the trip a hot crankbait bite
developed. Throwing a deep diving Frenzy to a subtle creek channel drop-off
produced 39 fish in the span of about 2 hours." Hank Parker, TV Personality:
"Fishing was great! Carolina Rig fishing with big 10- worms produced 70 bass a
day. No big fish for me this time but lots of bass in the 3 to 4-pound class.
The water temp was 86 degrees and the air temp in the high 90s. Not bad for a
hot day of summer." Steve Sharp and his son, JB, were also among our late June
guests. Here's what JB said: "This past trip has been the most fun and
productive trip I've had. My dad has been an A-Team member since 1991 and this
was my fourth trip. In 3-1/2 days we caught 300 fish, the most of any our
previous trips with multiple 6-pounders and a 10-pounder apiece. I can honestly
say this is the best all round fishing experience I have ever enjoyed and I look
forward to coming back to the wonderful fishing and magnificent hospitality for
years to come." Steve added these comments: "Every fish we caught was put on a
clicker counting device. We had 300 fish in 3-1/2 days. The clicker doesn't lie.
The experience of fishing with my son makes lifetime memories. We look forward
to returning year after year. I don't know how you do it but Anglers Inn just
keeps getting better and better."
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
May 16th thru May 31st 2007
|
| Air Temp:
65°70°F (mornings and late evenings) - 89°-95°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
75° - 79°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 10.5-pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmander Lizards in watermelon and watermelon red flake, junebug or red shad.
- Ten inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, red shad.
- Spinnerbaits in ½ & 3/4th-ounce sizes in white with double silver willow or Colorado blades.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger.
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Booyah Boogie Bait or Chatterbait in white and chartreuse.
- Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
- Bomber Fat Free Shad and Norman DD22 medium and deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Early And Late Surface Fishing Is Good At El Salto Lake
Like to take your bass off the top? Darn near everybody does. The opportunity
to do so has picked up sharply over the past two weeks here at El Salto Lake. As
you might expect, recent Anglers Inn clients have had their best success fishing
surface baits early and late in the day. The Pop R has been one of the most
effective lures. If it's big fish you're after we can point you in the right
direction there, too. The single most effective big bass bait recently has been
lizards in a watermelon color. During one five day period this past two weeks
every bass of more than 5-pounds that was reported to us came on a watermelon
lizard. As is often the situation where plastic baits are concerned, darn near
all of the successful big bass anglers had their best success fishing their
lizards extremely slow. Lots of good quality bass have also been coming where
schools of shad are located. If you find the bass feeding on shad, don't
hesitate to throw spinnerbaits, crankbaits or swimbaits. The best cover to work
much of the time continues to be off deepwater points, flats and drop offs near
submerged timber. One of our recent visitors was Jarrod Wallace. Jarrod got his
biggest bass ever while he was here. Here's what he had to say about it. "This
was my second trip to Anglers Inn over the past two years. This trip I boated a
10-pound, 8-ounce bass as well as several in the 6-pound range. I got all of
them on a watermelon lizard with red flakes. The 10-pounder was largest bass
I've ever caught and it was a dream come true---thanks to Anglers Inn at Lake El
Salto. Chuck Sponsler was another recent guest. Here's his report: "We fished
for three days. My partner and I caught 60 to 80 bass per day with the
predominant size ranging from 3 to 5-pounds. Our largest bass weighed
7.5-pounds. The best bite came on 7-inch Zoom Lizards in a watermelon color with
red or blue flakes. The fish seemed to prefer the Zoom Lizard over other baits.
The bite was best when the lizard was fished very slowly right against the
shoreline. If you missed the shore by 3-feet it was best to reel in and cast
again. "We were also successful late in the day in 20 to25-feet of water fishing
the same lizards on a slow retrieve. Your guide had to know where the holes
were. The big boys were suspended and if you could find the holes, the bite was
good on a deep diving crankbait with a medium fast or very fast retrieve. My
friend Matt landed a nice size tilapia on a watermelon lizard as can be seen in
the picture. He also boated some quality size bass." Robert Montgomery, a senior
editor at Bassmaster Magazine, has fished El Salto Lake many times. He was here
again recently. Here's how things went for him and his partner on the recent
visit. "Norm Klayman and I didn't catch as many quality bass--- fish of from 5
to 8-pounds--- as we usually do, when we fished El Salto for 4 1/2 days. Still,
we managed a 10.5, an 8, and 7.5-pound fish along with a half dozen in the 5 to
6-pound range. "We probably caught a total of 175 fish. Most were in the 1 to
3-pound range. What was impressive was that nearly all of the fish were fat and
extremely healthy. I'd estimate that the 3-pounders were just two years old
because of their small heads in proportion to their chunky bodies. In a couple
of years, they're going to be tearing up tackle! "The lake was full of small
tilapia, which probably is what most of the bass were gorging on. Unfortunately,
bass feeding on tilapia were not interested in any of the baits that we offered
them. But when we found bass feeding on shad, we caught good numbers of quality
fish. We just couldn't find them often because of so many tilapia. "While most
anglers caught their fish on red watermelon lizards, rigged both Texas and
Carolina style, we caught most of our fish on 1/2-ounce double willow
spinnerbaits with twin tail trailers dipped in chartreuse dye and white X-Rap
jerkbaits. We also caught some on 4-inch swimbaits in white and chartreuse and a
white Fat Rap crankbait. We caught a few on lizards, including the 8-pounder. A
Carolina Rig, with an 18-inch leader and 3/4-ounce weight, worked best for us.
Early and late, we threw spinnerbaits up against the shore on points and through
standing timber. We used a very slow retrieve. The bite was much better in the
afternoon, with the 10 ½-pounder coming on a spinnerbait about 4:15 p.m. When we
found concentrations of bass chasing shad, they'd bite just about anytime. Our
best spot was off the end of a point, between the bank and the standing timber,
when an afternoon south wind blew through the slot. Our friends Kirby Davenport
and Wiley Hatcher caught most of their fish on lizards, including one that they
estimated weighed more than 10-pounds. They also had some good swimbait action
at times by throwing across points. In terms of numbers of fish, this was the
slowest action I've seen on El Salto since I first started visiting in 1999. But
all those chunky 1 to 3-pounders tell me that El Salto still is a world-class
bass fishery. And even on a slow day, I'd rather fish El Salto than any other
bass fishery in the world. The wonderful staff, great meals, and first-class
accommodations at Anglers Inn help make this my favorite destination." There you
have it, friends. Better get down here. You'll have a great chance to get in on
some of the best surface fishing we'll have all season. And that's not the whole
story. Always remember that when you're on El Salto Lake that bass of a lifetime
may be just one cast away!
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
April 16th thru May 15th 2007
|
| Air Temp:
65°70°F (mornings and late evenings) - 85°-88°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
73° - 76°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 12.5-pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders Lizards in watermelon and
watermelon red flake, junebug or red shad.
- Booyah Boogie Bait or Chatterbait in white and chartreuse.
- 10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black
with blue tail and red shad.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in
watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad
and fire tiger.
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black
back.
- Spinnerbaits in ½ & 3/4th-ounce sizes in white with double silver willow
or Colorado blades.
- Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
- Bomber Fat Free Shad and Norman DD22 medium and deep diving crankbaits in
citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Big Bass Hold Tight To Wood Cover As El Salto Lake Water Level
Continues To Fall
Falling water levels and uncountable numbers of bait fish are making things
interesting for anglers fishing El Salto Lake. Our Anglers Inn clients have been
seeing swarms of tilapia, shad and bass fry lately. The lake's largemouth don't
have to work hard to find food. The abundance of bait fish makes bass harder to
catch than when the forage fish aren't as abundant as they are right now. This
has been a season of highs and lows where Lake El Salto water levels are
concerned. When our current season started water levels were about as high as
we've ever seen them. Now the lake is way below its high water mark and is still
falling due to the demands for irrigation. But Anglers Inn clients are still
catching some dandy fish. One of our recent guests---Sachiko Takeno, of
Japan---went home wearing a big smile. He boated a 12-pound, 5-ounce beauty.
Sachiko caught his trophy bass on a jerkbait he fished in submerged timber.
Right now the submerged timber is where most El Salto Lake lunkers seem to be
holding. They are suspending up tight to the wood cover. Anglers who manage to
get their lures where these fish are have taken some heavyweights. Our clients
have been scoring on a variety of lures lately. Some have done well on Booyah
Boogie Baits as well as Chatterbaits in white or chartreuse colors. Medium and
deep diving crankbaits have also produced good fish. We've also had clients who
have taken fish of more than 10-pounds on Senkos, Yum Dingers and plastic
lizards as well as Storm Swimbaits. Watermelon shades have been the best color
in the plastic baits. As is usual at El Salto this time of year, anglers have
opportunity to try just catching numbers of fish or to concentrate on larger
bass. You'll find more average size fish around shallow water cover. As we've
mentioned, most of the big ones are being caught close to cover in deeper water.
Keith and Mo Guenther are a father and son team who visited Anglers Inn
recently. They found fishing on the slow side in deep water, but had no problem
finding action closer to the bank. "We caught a bunch of fish off points along
the shore," Keith says. "Most of our fish were in the 2 to 3-pound range, but
with an occasional 5-pounder mixed in." Rick and Lori Spliter went home happy
from their recent Anglers Inn experience. "As usual," the pair say, "we were
treated like a king and a queen. We were upgraded to the Honeymoon Suite. We had
our own table for both lunch and dinner. They even prepared our breakfasts 'to
go'. All together we caught 95 fish. The largest ran between 5 and 6-pounds."
Both air and water temperatures are warming up here. The early morning and late
evening boat rides can still be on the cool side. You'll likely be more
comfortable wearing a light jacket going out and coming back in.
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
April 1st thru 15th 2007
|
| Air Temp:
64°69°F (mornings and late evenings) - 82°-86°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
72° - 75°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 10.5-pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Bomber Fat Free Shad and Norman DD22 medium and deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
- Eight inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellmanders Lizards in watermelon and watermelon red flake, junebug or red shad. Try dipping the tail in chartreuse dye.
- 10-inch Berkley Powerworms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, blue flake,
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger.
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Spinnerbaits in ½ & 3/4th-ounce sizes in white with double silver willow or Colorado blades.
- Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
End Of Spawning Season Brings
Changes In El Salto Lake Angling
Another spawning season has wound up at Lake El Salto. The end of this annual
ritual brings with it changing angling conditions. One such change sees falling
water levels. As a result El Salto bass are beginning to stack up. Lots of trees
are exposed as the water drops. Some of the biggest fish Anglers Inn clients
have taken over the past two weeks have been coming where bass have suspended
around trees. The very best spots are where these lunkers have ready access to
deeper water. As usual, some of the post spawn fish have recovered in good shape
and are now suspended in deep water. Find a cluster of these fish and you may
wind up having the best action ever. Visiting anglers have a choice at this time
of year. That choice is to fish a variety of spots and take numbers of fish or
to concentrate on spots that hold trophy fish. Our experienced guides can be of
great help regardless of the way you choose to go. George Tabone was among our
early April guests. Here's what George had to say about his latest adventure: "I
have just returned from my 9th trip to Angler's Inn. Once again I was not
disappointed. Although the fishing was slower, the experience was the same if
not better. The staff was at its usual best. Jose, Ramon and Tony, as well as
guides Carlos and Pepe, went out of their way to make sure our visit would again
be memorable and enjoyable. Despite the lower fish totals, I was still able to
land 90 plus fish during our stay. I caught fish of 10.5, 8.5 and 8-pounds as
well as several 5 to 7-pounders. My father, Frank, also landed 8 and 9-pounders.
"The two patterns that worked for us were Carolina Rigged watermelon and red
colored 8-inch lizards. We did best in water 15 to 25 feet deep near drop offs.
We also fished 5-inch swimbaits in 25 to 40-feet of water. Our guide, Carlos,
was amazing in finding these suspended fish. Goldfish, golden mullet and croaker
were the best swimbait colors. "As usual, Anglers Inn accommodations were
exceptional. The food was delicious and the service beyond expectation. The
hardest part about Angler's Inn is leaving and knowing you have to wait to come
back. We will continue to visit Angler's Inn as long as you and your staff are
there. I have attached some pictures from our recent trip and look forward to
visiting again soon." Stan Weaver was another early April visitor. Stan says:
"Our recent trip to El Salto was our seventh. Although we didn't catch the usual
number of bass, we did manage to haul in several in the 5 to 8-pound range. Our
largest weighed 9.5-pounds. Most of our bigger bass were caught on crankbaits
and swimbaits. I brought a couple of buddies down for their first trip to El
Salto. I had been telling them for four months prior to the trip about the 100
to150 bass they would catch each day. That didn't happen this trip but there
were several other guests at Anglers Inn who had made many trips to El Salto.
They backed up my story. "We still had a great time and will be back again soon.
One thing that was the same was the excellent service from the entire staff. You
don't get that kind of service at a five star hotel. Your staff is the best. I
look forward to seeing you again soon." Mark Rogers is a regional sales manager
for Okuma Fishing Tackle. Mike was also a recent Anglers Inn guest. Mark says:
"With my position at Okuma I get the opportunity to travel all over the world
and fish at exotic locations. I had never been to Anglers Inn prior to my trip
with a few of our customers. I have to say that the service we received by the
staff and guides at Anglers Inn is second to none! We have never been treated
better in all the years that I have been able to travel for the company. "Aside
from the staff, the food also was more than what I expected. I'm generally not
one to get too excited about food but I often found myself wondering what they
were going to come up with for our next meal. I was really pleasantly surprised
with every meal. I could definitely see why there were more women there than I
am used to seeing in places like yours. Anglers Inn is truly a spot where
someone can feel comfortable bringing his wife along. "As far as the fishing
went, the numbers were fantastic for my small group. I personally focused more
on trying to catch big fish rather than numbers, but my customers ended up
catching more than100 fish each for their three days of fishing. While the big
fish did not want to bite, they had a great time catching fish that averaged
about 2-pounds on Okuma's new low profiles. One of my customers was able to get
his biggest bass ever that was right at 7-pounds. He caught it on a Senko. I
stuck with swimbaits the majority of the time so my numbers were lower but the
quality was better. I ended up with seven fish between 5 and 6-pounds. My
biggest fish for the trip was 7.5-pounds. I also caught a good number of 3 to
4-pounders. "For anyone who is looking for a lot of action and great service, I
highly recommend Anglers Inn. I can't wait for my next trip in the near future."
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Mar 1st thru 15th 2007
|
| Air Temp:
60°-67°F (mornings and late evenings) - 80°-84°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
72° - 75°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 30-50 |
| Largest
bass caught: 13.8-pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Bomber Fat Free Shad and Norman DD22 deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
- Eight inch Zoom or 7" Yum Zellamander Lizards in watermelon and watermelon red flake, Junebug or red shad. Dip tail in chartreuse dye).
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, and junebug.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger. Dip tail in Chartreuse dye.
- Rat-L-Traps in 1/2 and 3/4th-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Spinnerbaits in 1/2 & 3/4 -ounce in white with double silver willow and/or Colorado blades.
- 10-inch Berkley Powerworms in watermelon, green pumpkin, junebug and red shad.
- Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Catches of Bigger Bass
Picking Up At El Salto Lake
The action for big bass has picked up sharply at El Salto Lake over the past
couple of weeks. The water temperature and the air temperature are both warming
up. So is the angling for trophy sized fish. In recent days we've recorded a
number of fish running from 10 to more than 13-pounds. We've seen more big bass
over the past two weeks than we've seen since our current season began. The
spawning season is nearing its end but some of the big females taken lately are
still bulging with eggs. Lots of fish in the 5 to 7-pound range have already
spawned. Two patterns have been producing the best action lately. Anglers
fishing a variety of plastic baits along the shore are catching the most fish.
Clients who throw deep diving crankbaits are taking the largest bass. Brett Ware
and some of his friends were among our recent guests. Brett is with Ambush
Lures. Brett's party got some nice fish. Kyle Burch boated a 12-pounder came off
of our new Pot Bell'EE Deep Diver Crankbiat in around 15 ft. of water. Charlie
Ware, Bretts father, caught a 10-pounder using a new Ambush Lures bait called
the Pop & Buzz. It's a topwater plug that has the action of a Spook, but that
also has a small buzz blade in its belly. Brett says "The topwater bite was good
early in the morning and the Ambush Buzz-a-Long was a blast fishing for about
the first hour of fishing. One moring I pulled in an 8 lb, 6 lb, and two 5 lb
bass in about 30 minutes. There's nothing like big bass blowing up on topwater
lures. The Ambush Stealth Diver worked well fishing on the flats and brighter
chartruse colors produced well." Frank Ceriello says his recent visit wound up
being another fantastic trip. "I cast a 4-inch swimbait into deep water," Frank
says. "I let it fall to the bottom and then started my retrieve. Something hit
it like a ton of bricks! I wound up catching an 11.7 pounder and fulfilled a
lifelong dream. Alex Burka, my fishing partner, also boated some nice bass."
Bruce Fritz and Tony Mandile were other early March Anglers Inn guests. "Our
recent trip was more challenging than our visit last year," Bruce says. "But
even when it's slow, El Salto Lake is still fantastic. We caught more than 60
fish during our stay, mostly on spinnerbaits, Senkos, swimbaits and worms. My
largest fish was a 9-pounder. While the fishing fell a little short of typical
El Salto standards, the hospitality, accommodations and service at Anglers Inn
certainly did not. Thank you once more for an unforgettable fishing experience."
Tony Mandile says he has made several trips to El Salto. "The fishing was tough
this trip," Tony says, "but even a slow fishing trip to El Salto is better than
any stateside fishing I've experienced. We caught our largest fish on deep
diving crankbaits. Most of our smaller fish were caught on Yum Dingers and Yum
Craw Papis or 10-inch watermelon colored worms." Sidney Trice and Ted St.Pierre
really hammered the lunkers one afternoon during their recent stay. "We got on
an afternoon pattern where we threw crankbaits over a flat that dropped off to
25-feet," Sid says. "Finding that pattern led to the best bass fishing day I've
ever had and I'm 71 and I've been fishing all my life. "That one afternoon we
boated bass of 13.9, 11.6, 10.8, 10.3, 8.2, 8.1 and 8-pounds. We got all of them
on crankbaits while others were complaining fish weren't hitting their plastic
baits. This was my seventh trip to Anglers Inn on El Salto Lake. The service,
food and fishing just gets better and better." As we've reporting ever since the
current season started, this has been an unusual period at El Salto Lake.
Sometimes the fishing has been spotty. There's really no mystery why that's
happened. It's all related to the weather. If you were a guest here at the tag
end of last year's season you know El Salto was extremely low. We estimated that
the lake was only 34 per cent of being at full pool levels. Then in
mid-September Hurricane Lane swept through this region. The lake rose 25-feet
almost overnight. The result was that the lake's bass population was scattered
all over the place. But now things have changed. El Salto is getting back to
near normal levels and fish are returning to their usual hangouts. That's why
you're seeing that increase in numbers of trophy sized fish. We expect that
trend to continue. Come on down a get in on it!
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Feb 16th thru 28th 2007
|
| Air Temp:
54°-62°F (mornings and late evenings) - 75°-79°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
69° - 72°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 10-pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or 7" Yum "Zellamander" Lizards in watermelon and watermelon red flake.
- Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, and white & chartreuse
- Bomber Fat Free Shad and Norman DD22 deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad, Tennessee Shad, fire tiger and white.
- Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger. (Dip tail in Chartreuse dye)
- Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
- Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
- 10-inch Berkley Powerworms in watermelon, green pumpkin, black with blue tail.
- Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in Shad, chrome with black top and white.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Slow Presentations Are Taking
Most El Salto Lake Bass
The spawning season is just about over at Lake El Salto.
Recent Anglers Inn clients have been finding that quite a few big bass have already spawned. Other fish have suspended and are in various stages of recovery.
Slow presentation of a variety of baits has been the key to success lately. Some of the best catches over the past two weeks have been caught on lures used in this fashion.
A good bit of the best action has been coming in close to the bank with 8-inch Zoom Lizards and 7-inch Yum Zellemanders in both watermelon and watermelon with red flakes. Senkos and Dingers rigged Wacky Style have also been producing good numbers of fish.
An increasing number of bass have been caught recently
on deep diving crankbaits. This has been especially true when the wind comes up in the afternoon. Clients have been finding fish from 15 to 25-feet deep.
Storm WildEye Swim Shads work equally well for suspended fish. The best approach with either the diving crankbaits or the Swim Shads is to crank the lures down quickly to the desired depth and then use a slow retrieve all the way back to the boat.
Some recent guests have been fishing diving crankbaits or Swim Shads all day long. Doing this will likely reduce the total number of fish caught, but does increase your odds of taking larger bass.
Brent Smith was one of our recent guests. Here's the way Brent sums up his trip: "On my last day I used a 6-inch watermelon colored Senko. I thought I had a snag at first but then the "snag" started moving. I told our guide to get the net. I had the good fortune to boat a fish of 10-pounds, 3-ounces.
What a thrill!"
In late February we hosted the Rapala Group. Zack Swanson, the vice president of sales for the Norman Corporation, summarized the group's experience. Here's his report: "We
arrived to find the bass in a spawning pattern and in water 15 to 20-feet deep. This presented an unusual situation as most of our experience with spawning bass has been where the nests are very shallow. Reports from previous anglers were not outstanding, but we didn't let this discourage us.
"We found we had to slow our presentations down. The X-Rap bite that was so strong on our last trip in November did not work for these deeper and more lethargic fish. Slow presentations of deep crankbaits (DT16's), slow rolling spinnerbaits (Terminator T-1 series) and Carolina Rigging lizards proved to be the answer. By fishing slowly we were rewarded with some nice fish! Several four to six pounders and four or five over 9-pounds were caught. Not bad! Our president Tom Mackin landed a dandy 9-pounder on a watermelon lizard."
"As always, the accommodations and service at Anglers Inn were World Class. Chappy, Jose and Tony took great care of our group. We are already looking forward to our next trip to Anglers Inn!
Brian Raab, who was in the Rapala group, is from Big Rock Sporting Goods distribution. Brian says: "Here's a picture of my biggest fish. It's not as big as some of the others that were caught, but the numbers were sure good."
Mike Marrone is the vice president of store operations for Big 5 Sporting Goods. Here's Mike's report:
"My friends and I fished the El Salto Feb. 23 through 26. The first several days of fishing were not typical El Salto fishing compared to our previous trips. Although we were able to catch decent numbers of fish, it took hard work and down sizing of baits to entice the fish to bite. The fish we caught also weren't the typical El Salto quality. Despite the tough conditions, we had two members of our group nail fish of more than 10-pounds. These fish were spawned out and easily would have gone 11 to 12-pounds in the pre-spawn condition.
"My last day at the lake we experienced the type of bass fishing for which El Salto is famous. My friend Mike Kennedy and I caught well over 30 bass in five hours. The quality of the fish was exceptional. We each caught an 8-pounder and had several fish in the 3 to 4-pound class. We fished with 5-inch Senkos and Yum Dingers. What a great way to wrap up the trip! I'll be back."
Jason Grupp had fished El Salto a couple of times before he joined us again recently. Jason says: "This was my third trip to El Salto. My last two were unbelievable. This trip was a little tougher than usual. We caught 30-40 bass a day mostly on Wacky Rigged Senkos or by dragging a Carolina Rigged lizard. Our guide was a professional with an amazing knowledge of Lake El Salto. When it was tough he still managed to find hungry fish. I boated a fish over 10-pounds which was a life-changing experience. I can't explain what it's like to see a fish that size come to the surface on the end of your line. Our thanks to the staff and guides at Anglers Inn."
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Feb 1st thru 15th 2007
|
| Air Temp:
45°-60°F (mornings and late evenings) - 73°-78°F (Siesta time) |
|
| Water Temp:
68° - 72°F |
|
Average number of bass per boat per day: 40-60 |
| Largest
bass caught: 12 pounds
|
| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or 7-inch Yum Zellamander Lizards in watermelon and watermelon with red flakes.
-
Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, and white & chartreuse
-
Bomber Fat Free Shad and Norman DD22 deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad, Tennessee shad, fire tiger and white.
-
Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger. (Dip tail in Chartreuse dye)
-
Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
-
Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
-
10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, green pumpkin and black with blue tail.
-
Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in shad, chrome with black top and white.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Spawning Season Under Way
At El Salto Lake
Another spawning season is in full swing here at El Salto Lake. Water levels are continuing to decline, but are still holding at higher than normal levels.
Angling success has been varied for recent visitors to Anglers Inn. Some have had excellent success, for others angling has sometimes been on the slow side.
Don't expect to find much sight fishing of the spawning beds at El Salto that's so common in the United States. The bass here tend to spawn deeper. There is some shallow water spawning on El Salto, but not all that much.
El Salto bass often spawn in at 12 to 20-foot depths and sometimes right down in the tops of submerged trees. You're just not going to be able to spot the beds at those depths.
So what's your bet best as far as lures go right now? Some of our recent visitors have had excellent topwater action. Rico surface lures have been especially effective.
Lots of average size fish are being taken on Senkos. Watermelon colored lizards with red flakes and rigged Texas or Carolina Style have also been excellent. Clients have also been boating some dandy fish on Storm WildEye Swim Shads in white with a chartreuse top. Some successful anglers have done well by dipping the tails of their Swim Shads in chartreuse dye.
Jay Schurz and Jim Doll were among our recent Anglers Inn guests. They caught a total of 180 bass in their 3 ½-days on the water. Their largest fish was 6-pounds, 8-ounces. They also had several other fish that topped 5-pounds.
Jay and Jim had their best luck with 8-inch Zoom Lizards and with Swirl Wave Worms in a black and blue color. They also scored with Chatterbaits in a pearl finish.
"Fishing was steady and somewhat predictable," Jay says. The fish were shallow early and late and went deeper as the sun rose. The fishing was good, but the weather was great! It was my seventh trip down to El Salto, but this was the first time in February. I had no idea how nice the weather was going to be. I still like to fish on the drawdown but, February was the perfect medicine for cabin fever. We flew back to find
6-inches of snow. I already miss not being at El Salto with you."
Mike Ishikawa and his friend Wayne were also recent guests. "We're back home," Mike says in his message to us. "Wayne told me he had a good time on his first bass fishing trip, although the big fish I had promised him did elude us. Fishing was so-so. I did manage a 7-pounder and caught about 50 to 60 fish per day. The water is still very high. "
Jerry Davis was here with a group of four anglers. Here's his report: "The overall fishing was a little under expectations by El Salto standards. Deeper water did not produce results like past trips, although we lost one fish on a Swimbait that was between 8 to 10-pounds. Most of our action was in shallower water and against steep bluffs on Senkos and Flukes. Most fish were between 1½ to 2 ½-pounds.
"Throwing right up on the cliffs and letting the bait sink was the best technique. Fishing Swimbaits by letting them sink, retrieving several feet and then letting sink again was another good approach. Split shooting 4 and 5-inch worms in shallow water produced a lot of action for one member of our group. He caught the most and biggest bass using this tactic.
Carolina Rigging was also good with watermelon red colored baits. We also got a few fish on Rat-L-Traps.
Terry Connolly got a 9-pound, 12-ounce beauty while he was here. Terry got his big one on a Swimbait in 25-feet of water.
Jim Smith headed up a party of eight recent Anglers Inn guests. Jim says: "Our party spent the Feb. 5-9 at the lodge. What a great experience with every boat catching between 25-35 bass per day. Most were landed on 10 ½-inch watermelon worms or 8-inch pumpkin lizards with chartreuse tails. Another worm that really worked was a 10-inch Persuader in junebug with a chartreuse tail. At least one bass that topped 7-pounds came on a white spinnerbait. Our party had numerous fish over 5-pouds and three of more than 7-pounds.
"Five-inch Senkos produced all day with low light periods being the best. A 1/2-ounce Rat-L-Trap in chrome & blue or black also produced. It was a fantastic experience and worth every penny and every one of us vowed to return next year."
Stu Fiehler had this to say about his early February visit.
"This was my second visit to Anglers Inn and again my expectations were far surpassed and fishing was indeed for me no less than epic and a trip for the history books. As a frequent tournament angler I get to fish a variety of different lakes with a wide range of population and quality of bass. El Salto fish are some of the healthiest and most aggressive fish I have had the opportunity to catch. The average fish for me was 4-pounds with several more than 9-pounds and with 11 and 12-pounders topping my four days of fishing.
"I caught most of my fish on a Norman DD22 crankbait that had a white body and green glitter on top. Letting it hit the bottom and stopping and starting was the key. It was a trip to remember and the first class staff and accommodations have made this a trip I will make every chance I get. Fishing at El Salto is as good as it gets. Right now it's prime time for a monster bass and I've got to go home. Aaaah!"
Also in the same group Jim and Judy Scott boated some nice bass on watermelon lizards.
As you can see from these reports, some of our recent guests have had excellent success despite not always having the best of weather conditions. We've had a couple of cold fronts recently that made for more difficult angling conditions.
That still didn't stop Gus McFaddin, a long time member of our Anglers Inn A-Team. Note the accompanying picture of the 9-pound, 8-ounce dandy Gus caught. Carl Sylvester also boated 10½-pounder on a Carolina Rigged watermelon lizard. Terry Connelly got one of 9-pounds, 12-ounces. Those are trophy sized fish any time and anywhere.
As experienced bass anglers know, the big females are on the nest during the spawning season and can be difficult to catch as a result. But they are there. Figure out what they'll take and how it has to be presented to get results and you're in business!
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Jan 16th thru 31st 2007
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| Air Temp:
55°-64°F (mornings and late evenings) - 78°-82°F (Siesta time) |
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| Water Temp:
66° - 72°F |
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Average number of bass per boat per day: 30-40 with some 50-70 |
| Largest
bass caught: 12 1/2-pounds
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| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or Yum Lizards in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, blue flake.
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Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake and white & chartreuse
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10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, and black with blue tail.
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Chatterbait and BOOYAH Boogie Bait in 3/8 and ½ ounce in pearl white.
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Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger.
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Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
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Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
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Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
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Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
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Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with black top and white.
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Chartreuse Dye to tip the tails of the lizards and worms.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Lake El Salto bass are currently in the middle of their spawning season. The male bass guard the big females while they are on the beds. This is one of the reasons that for the past two weeks large numbers of bass have been caught but most weren't trophy size.
That's not to say all the fish have been small. Some dandy fish have been taken, including Dick Saba's 12-pounder. "I caught her in 3-feet of water," Dick says, "while using a 5-inch chartreuse Senko rigged Texas Style. She was full of eggs ready to release them."
The best advice we can give El Salto visitors right now is to I bring plenty of 8-inch Zoom Lizards in watermelon with red flakes. Other good bets are 5 and 7-inch Senkos or Yum Dingers. Most anglers know how bass act are when they are spawning. The males guard the beds, but those big females are near by. Once you get the male out of the way, concentrate on the female.
We've also had a few customers who have recently sampled the super bass fishing action at Lake Mateos. As we've previously announced, we'll be opening an Anglers Inn operation at that big bass lake later on. Mateos is a lake you need to keep in mind once we open our new lodge. We'll give you our opening dates as soon as they are available.
Here's what some of our January clients have shared with us following their early 2007 El Salto Lake fishing.
Bassmaster's Editor James Hall says "Fishing was quite consistent, Others in our group had great luck with big fish. Jim Holcomb, for example, landed a 10.8-pound giant one morning. In the same area he had several others over five pounds. We averaged 25 to 30 fish per half day with 2 ½-pounds being the average size. Our biggest was 5-pounds, 8-ounces. Although the majority of the bass weren't giants, they were healthy and fought like fish twice their weight! I really had quality time with my brother Gary on this trip."
"We focused on fishing points and flats adjacent to spawning areas. The bass had not yet moved up to bed, but were close to doing so. Most fish came on Yum Dingers in a watermelon shade, Zellmanders in watermelon & red flake and 10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon & red flake. We rigged all of our plastics Texas Style."
James and Gary also got a quick look at Lake Mateos. Here's what they had to say about that: "What an awesome lake! We caught 25 to 30 bass every outing with a 7 ½-pounder being the biggest. We only had a day and a half to fish. Most bass were caught on Texas Rigged lizards. A ½-ounce weight was very important because of the stair-stepping ledge banks of Lake Mateos. The highlight of the trip was a mind-blowing topwater bite the only evening we were there. The bass were exploding on poppers and walking baits. We had no less than 15 blow-ups in the last 30 minutes of fishing --- with the
7 ½-pounder, a 6-pounder and a couple of 5-pounders putting an exclamation point on the day's success. Several good fish were also caught on spinnerbaits. Spinnerbaits should be a great option when the weather warms. We did our fishing during the tail-end of a cold front. We can't wait to go back for a longer visit!"
Jim Holcomb, of Fort Worth, Texas, was another recent Anglers Inn guest. Jim says: "Here is a photo of my big fish - 10.8 pounds. She was caught at 2:34 p.m. on Jan.24. I caught her on an 8-inch watermelon lizard fished Texas Style. She came off of a point that had trees in about 20-feet of water."
Bernie Zutter and Tom Guthrie were guests from Wisconsin. Bernie says "In 3 ½-days I had a 7-pounder and one
5 ¾-pound bass. We didn't have any double digit fish this trip but hopefully next time."
"This was the best experience I ever had," Tom says. "This is a must do fishing trip. I caught 7 and 5 pounders on a junebug Culprit worm. My only regret was that I had to leave."
Gary Besmer is a member of our Anglers Inn A-Team. Gary was a January visitor and boated an estimated 90 bass during his 5-day trip. He had five fish over 5-pounds. The largest tipped the scales at 7-pounds, 2-ounces. "I caught the big one on an 8-inch watermelon lizard with red flakes," Gary says. "I've been coming to Anglers Inn for eight years and have not found a better place for accommodations, service and food. I plan to come back for many years."
Gary's fishing partner, Mick Robinson, also landed some nice bass on an 8-inch Zoom Watermelon lizard with red flakes.
Stacy S. Twiggs, of Bassmaster Magazine, used a variety of lures on a recent El Salto visit. Stacy reports "In the morning the fish were suspended in trees or at the base of brush when the winds were calm. We used a slow presentation to take fish up to 8-pounds, 3-ounces.
"In the afternoon fish moved to points and banks when wind started to create mud lines and current. As winds picked up we fished steep points, timber lined creek channels or flats next to deep water and channels. Fish were all relatively deep, only small buck bass were near the bank.
"Our best fish came inside of standing timber while using a slow retrieve using a Carolina or Texas Rig. Late afternoons always produced fish on a ¾-ounce chrome & black or chrome & blue Rat-L-Traps on windy points. I fished on Armando's boat each day. He typically led us to approximately 50 fish per trip and approximately 100 per day. On only one day did we have less than 30 total fish, which was because of a passing cold front.
Chris Horton, Conservationist for Bassmaster magazine, had the following to say about his recent visit. "As always, fishing on El Salto was great. It was a little slower than usual due to the passing cold front, but our guide managed to put us on fish each day.
"I used topwater lures near any surface activity early and late, usually around secondary points near the backs of coves. My largest fish was a 6-pounder early in the day. I used a Sammy 100 in silver & blue and a Super Pop R in the same color. I also threw a ½-ounce white & chartreuse buzzbait.
"As the sun rose, bass suspended in tree tops from 8 to18-feet. Many trees held more than one fish. Texas Rigged lizards in watermelon red; Carolina Rigged Lake Fork Ring Fry in watermelon red and sour grape; white, deep diving Fat Free Shads and Texas Rigged Yum Dingers in watermelon red and watermelon and smoke worked best."
Chris also got a look at Lake Mateos. "My first trip to Mateos was spectacular! The scenery, remoteness and lack of pressure were all unexpected pleasures. The first morning was a little slow as we were getting oriented, but by afternoon we had 'em figured out. Unlike El Salto, Lake Mateos is a rather deep canyon lake, but loaded with fish. We found the bass were in pre spawn and staging at the edge of flats, but often within a step of 50 feet.
"A bone colored Pointer 110 helped me to find a few fish over deep points, but Texas Rigged lizards in pumpkinseed & chartreuse and watermelon red and junebug colors were by far the best."
ANGLER'S INN
FISHING REPORT UPDATE
Jan 1st thru 15th 2007
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| Air Temp:
64°-68°F (mornings and late evenings) - 78°-82°F (Siesta time) |
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| Water Temp:
70° - 74°F |
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Average number of bass per boat per day: 30-40 with some 60-80 |
| Largest
bass caught: 9 1/2-pounds
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| Popular lures used this week: |
- Eight inch Zoom or Yum Lizards in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, blue flake.
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10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, green pumpkin, black with blue tail.
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Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake, and white & chartreuse
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Storm WildEye 3, 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger.
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Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
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Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
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Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
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Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
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Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with black top and white.
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Spinnerbaits in 5/16 or ½ ounce in chartreuse shirt with double willow blades.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Good Numbers Being Caught
Big Bass Still Suspending
The water level in El Salto Lake is falling and finally getting back to what we consider normal for this time of year.
If you've been following the current fishing reports here at our Anglers Inn web site you're aware that we make a practice of telling it like it is. Our reports are based strictly on the actual experience of our customers. We share with you what they share with us. We tell you when the fishing is hot and we'll also tell you when it's not.
That's the way we like to be treated when we seek information from one place or another. It figures that you feel the same way.
Recent visitors have been catching substantial numbers of fish. Most have been running from 1 to 3-pounds, but bigger fish are also showing up. One of the best bets lately has been to fish right up tight to the bank with a variety of plastic baits. Both Senkos and Yum Dingers in a watermelon shade have been especially effective. Most of our customers have been taking from 60 to 80 bass per day. These totals usually include a few fish in the 4 and 5-pound class.
Eight inch watermelon colored Zoom Lizards have also been hot in the same areas. The best bet has been to rig them Texas Style in the morning and switch to a Carolina Rig in the afternoon. This past week one client had a 9-pound, 8-ounce beauty. A dozen
8-pounders were caught on Carolina Rigged plastics or on ½ and ¾-ounce chrome and blue Rat-L-Traps.
Other successful lures, especially for mid-day fishing, have been 4 and 5-inch Storm Swimbaits in shad, white & chartreuse and golden mullet colors. Fishing these baits very slowly and keeping them suspended has been the best technique. El Salto Lake came up 50-feet from its July levels when hurricanes hit this area in September and again in October. Larger bass have been suspending much of the time as a result.
Jimmy Webster, one of our recent visitors, caught a couple of 8-pounders on a ¾-ounce Bomber Fat Free Shad in a fire tiger finish. "Cranking the lure down deep and then stopping it was the key," Jimmy says. "I found most of my fish suspended from 14 to 16-feet deep."
Another recent Anglers Inn guest was Bill Fenn. Bill is a fly fisherman. He boated a number of quality bass on his fly rod in the early morning while using a Gummie Fish lure and a popper. Bill wound up averaging per day with 60 to 80 bass with the biggest weighing 5 ½-pounds on his fly rod.
The El Salto lake weather has been a tad weird lately with hot mid-day temps and cold mornings. Recent showers have sparked top water action. Some of our guests have reported excellent results throwing Pop R lures.
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