FISH THE PLASTIC OFF THE POINTS
By Billy Chapman, Jr.

             Enjoying that cold weather up North? Here in sunny old Mexico, we’re catching big bass from both Lakes El Salto and Mateos while wearing shorts and flip-flops. 

Lake El Salto

            With tilapia hiding near the banks, bass hold tight on points in one to four feet of water. At first light, white surface poppers produce good action.

“Tilapia are up on the banks in the morning with bass feeding on them,” said Bradley Hallman, a professional angler from Norman, Okla. “That’s why a Pop-R works so well on Lake El Salto. People might catch 20 fish in the first couple hours with a Pop-R, Rico or similar bait.”

Bradley and his wife, Dawn, visited Lake El Salto this week to catch bass, fished in the Sea of Cortez out of Mazatlan and enjoyed a stay at Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. Anglers Inn International serves as the exclusive Sportsman’s Club for all six Pueblo Bonito properties.

            “This is the best lake that I’ve ever fished – and I’ve fished a lot of good lakes,” the pro said. “The fishing is unreal. The accommodations are first-rate.”

            Fishing strictly topwaters on fly tackle, Will Van Rees from Los Angeles enticed a 9-pounder into hitting a white Pearly Popper. He joined his father, Norm, mother Diane and older brother Nick from Kansas City. Dedicated fly fishermen, they tallied many bass in the 3- to 5-pound range with some larger fish.

“Topwaters have been really good in the morning, but not quite as good as senkos,” Bradley explained. “As the morning progresses, bass move down the slopes into six to 12 feet of water. People are catching 30 to 40 fish by 9 a.m. on senkos with many bass in the 2- to 5-pound range, plus some in the 7- to 9-pound range.”

Steven and Jill Svrcek from Apple Valley, Minn., tried to catch 100 fish in four hours one morning. I’m sorry to say, they didn’t achieve their goal, landing only 98 before lunch! However, they did lose several lunkers. The Svrceks caught 14 bass in their first 18 minutes with most hitting in the 2- to 5-pound range. Some topped 6 pounds. They wacky rigged senkos around flooded timber or dragged watermelon red flake lizards through six to 12 feet of water.

            Ando Takeshi, a bass pro from Tokyo, Japan, caught a 9.8-pounder on a Texas-rigged chartreuse senko. He and Emily Kamata landed quite a few other bass in the 4- to 6-pound range.

“We had a great time,” Takeshi said. “Normally, I use darker colors like green pumpkin, but for bigger fish, I like to use brighter colors like chartreuse.”

As the day warms, fish big lizards or black and blue jigs tipped with craws. Also try slow-rolling green and blue spinnerbaits through eight to 20 feet of water. Run blue and chartreuse deep-running crankbaits parallel to ridges or creek channel edges in 15 to 25 feet of water in the afternoon.

“At mid-day, bass move into deeper water,” Bradley said. “That’s a good time to throw a Texas-rigged 10-inch worm. I caught a lot of big fish on a brown jig with a blue craw trailer, a watermelon or green pumpkin 10-inch worm and a Norman DD-22 crankbait.”

Bernie Kuhel of San Diego used a 10-inch black and blue Berkley Power Worm one afternoon to land the lunker of the week, an 11-pounder. Fishing with his brother Ray from Virginia Beach, Va., that morning, Bernie caught a 9-pounder on a watermelon senko. 

Lake Mateos

           Lake Mateos continues to produce outstanding numbers with some good fish. Most bass run in the 2- to 6-pound range, but some approach 9 pounds. Chartreuse spinnerbaits, white topwaters and watermelon plastics remain the hot baits.

           Michael Smith and Russell Hoyle and others from Ashville, N.C., enjoyed a combo package, fishing 2.5 days at Lake Mateos and 2.5 days at Lake El Salto. At Lake Mateos, Smith and Hoyle landed more than 600 fish with at least one breaking the 8-pound mark.

            “We caught many on spinnerbaits, but our primary baits were watermelon lizards and flukes,” Smith explained. “The fish were mostly shallow off points. We caught several fish in the 7- to 8-pound range with one over 8 pounds, but they averaged about 4 pounds. On El Salto, we went back to the lizards, but also caught some bass on watermelon and white swimbaits, flukes and spinnerbaits.”

            Lake Mateos stretches over 55,000 acres, about twice the size of Lake El Salto. The lake record exceeds 14 pounds. With no human structures anywhere on the isolated wilderness lake, most anglers target rocky outcroppings, points, humps, creek channels or flooded timber. Work a watermelon, white or pearl fluke, Yumdinger or senko next to the trees or drag Carolina-rigged lizards along bottom contours.

For more info on booking a Combo package or other Anglers Inn International deal, call 800-GOTA-FISH, (468-2347) or send an e-mail to info@anglersinn.com.