Current Conditions at El Salto Lake

By Billy Chapman Jr.

Water levels are about as low as they get at Lake El Salto right now. Low water levels from a bass angler’s standpoint aren’t all that bad. You’ll find proof of that in the comments we’ve had from recent visitors. You’ll find those comments shown below.

Low water levels concentrate the fish. Find where some of the monsters El Salto holds are congregated and you’d better have a strong rod and stout line. You’re going to need it!

Regular guests at Anglers Inn can still find fish in many of their favorite holes, but they just won’t fish as deep. Look for water about 8 to 25-feet deep.

Plastics rule the action at both El Salto and Lake Mateos as lakes reach their lowest levels. Although anglers can still catch some big fish in the shallows with topwater lures, spinnerbaits and crankbaits, many larger bass are being pulled off the banks and now lurk around deep submerged trees or rock piles. Work over these honey holes with Texas-rigged lizards.

Want to try something a bit different? Read the following tip of the week.

Tip of the Week
Run a 5-inch Yum Money Minnow across the surface like a topwater bait. Rig it Texas-Style with the hook inserted into the plastic to make it snagless and skip it across the top just fast enough to keep it on or near the surface. If you’re fishing around trees or over cover, let this lure sink a few feet like you’d fish a worm Wacky Style.

We doubt anyone has taken more big bass out of Lake El Salto than our good friend Joe Bullock. Joe, of California, gets down to El Salto several times a year. It would be well for first time visitors to El Salto to pay close attention to what Joe has to say.

Here’s what he told us about his most recent trip: “We just got back from another great trip to El Salto. We caught lots of big fish. If you want to do the same, fish black and blue, watermelon or black and chartreuse colored jigs on the banks or in the trees.
“We also fished Chatterbaits early and late in the day. We also got some big fish on these lures. I used these baits in a bluegill color and with a black and blue power worm as a trailer. I caught three or four fish of more than 8-pounds on this rig. Our best topwater bait this past trip was a Rio Rico popper in either a white or bone color. I rigged it with it a red hook up front and a feathered rear hook.

“My largest fish on the latest visit weighed 12-pounds. We also had two fish of more than 10-pounds; five of more than 9-pounds and 17 of more than 8-pounds. We concentrated on large fish. There are lots of small fish, but we didn’t fish for them. We were after size, not numbers.

”Overall it was a great trip. The water is the lowest I’ve ever seen but the fish are still there. The big fish move in and out of the trees. Just keep at it and you’ll eventually find them. When you do, set the hook---hard! I will be back down there next October and then again next May and through the first week in June.”

Gary Jacob is another frequent visitor to Anglers Inn. Here’s what he had to say about his most recent trip to El Salto. “It was another fabulous trip. Doug Smith and I ventured back this month for 6 ½ days of great fishing, good food and as always – excellent service from the staff. Sammy, Jose, Jesus, Ramon, Giovanni and Sergio all were in top form.

“We usually caught 50-65 fish each session. We had numerous fish in the 8 to 9-pound class. Our largest bass this trip was 10-pounds. Our most productive lure was the old faithful Money Minnow. It’s our favorite. It’s hard to put that lure down even in the early morning. This 5-inch swimbait always produced good fish and also worked well at the deep water drop-offs. We had our best luck fishing it real slow and right along the bottom. The Rapala DT-16 in a hot mustard shade along with the standard Fat Free Shad were also good at the usual crankbait holes.
“We can never say enough about the comradeship we share with our guide. He was constantly surveying the water for activity that indicated where fish might be holding. The entire Angler’s Inn package is always an exceptional experience for us no matter how many times a year we make the trip. We are counting the days until we come back.”
We also receive the following comments from another of our recent guests. This angler brought his wife along to share the delights of Anglers Inn and the tremendous action for bass that El Salto Lake produces day after day. Let’s let him tell us about his recent visit: “My wife and I had the trip of a lifetime in your resort at lake El Salto. I wanted my wife to catch the biggest fish of her life and our guide was exceptional for the task.

“We caught 200 fish per day with just too many bass in the 4 to 8-pound range to count. Our largest fish for this trip was an 11.1l-pounder that my wife caught. We also caught fish of 10.49-pounds and10.02-pounds. We had several bass of more than 9-pounds. And we did all this in just four days while receiving the best service and food we have experienced on any of our travels. We have been to other lakes in Mexico and they all pale next to your home away from home. I would say it’s not fishing at El Salto, its 100% catching! We are already counting the days until our next trip!”

Mike Thurston, of Utah, sent the following thoughts about his recent visit to Anglers Inn: “I was finally able to make it back to Lake El Salto after three years. It was great to see all of my friends at the Anglers Inn Lodge. I went down with three friends. They were Todd Daniel, his son Jackson and David Hodson. All had fished Salto in the past and we were able to fish five and a half days.

“We fished the first afternoon we arrived and it did not take long to find out it was going to be another great trip. The lake level was at 50% of full pool which gave the fish only about half of their favorite hiding spots. Right off the bat we started catching fish on lizards and worms in the same colors that have always produced in the past. Rat-L-Traps worked very well on a slow retrieve as well as spinnerbaits and crankbaits. I’m not listing a lot of colors because all of the old favorites worked well.

“Needless to say we caught hundreds of fish in the 3 to 5-pound range; many more in the 6 and 7-pound category and an 8 and 9-pounder as well. Jackson has no problem putting 8-pound fish on the bragging board. To sum the trip up, we caught tons of fish, ate tons of the best food on the planet, and had tons of fun doing all of the above. To those who have fished El Salto, you know what I am talking about. To the folks that have not had the chance to fish it---give it a try. You will be glad that you did. And to the staff at the lodge, thanks guys and gals, you are the best there is.

“After returning from El Salto I also had the opportunity to do some light tackle fishing out of Anglers Inn new saltwater fleet at Marina Mazatlan. The new saltwater office is right by the dock. It looks great and is very accommodating. All of the drinks, lunches, licenses, and tackle are right there waiting for you along with a hot cup of coffee. A very special thank you to Billy for making this trip, and test run possible.”

Another recent visitor was George Tabone. George says: I have just returned from yet another great trip to Anglers Inn at El Salto and wanted to let you know what a wonderful time I and my group of 10 had. We probably landed around 2000 bass between us during our stay. These totals included a pair of 10-pounders and several dozen over 7-pounds. Most fish were caught on the usual El Salto baits including watermelon, and black and blue worms, swimbaits and poppers. We had difficulty at times avoiding the nets, but our guides did a great job locating productive water.

“As usual the staff was spectacular. Jose, Sammy, Tony and all the others exceeded our expectations and provided that famous Anglers Inn service that I have grown accustomed to through the years. Everyone had nothing but compliments for their guide's abilities and expertise. This was my 15th trip and I must honestly state that the fishing, service, food and accommodations are as good or better than when I made my first visit more than10 years ago. I, as well as my entire group, look forward to visiting again soon.”

Until he visited Lake El Salto recently, Billy Silcox, of Florida, had never caught a bass bigger than 4-pounds. Fishing with fellow Floridian Fred Bedran, the pair averaged about 70 bass per day with most of them in the 3- to 7-pound range. They also tallied some lunkers. “It was one of the best fishing trips I’ve ever had in my life,” Bedran said. “We caught more than 200 bass. My biggest one weighed 9.5-pounds, but Billy caught the big one, a 10.2-pounder that hit a Texas-rigged watermelon lizard. A white Money Minnow was another good bait, but the bass hit the lizard 10 to 1. Anyone thinking of going to Anglers Inn should go. It will be the greatest trip of their lives.”

The Yum Money Minnow is a versatile bait that can catch fish from top to bottom. Rigged with the hook inserted into the plastic so it’s weedless, it darts through entangling branches of submerged trees. For pulling fish out of the depths, let it slowly sink all the way to the bottom. You can also dance it across the surface like Melinda Hickey, another recent visitor did.

Fishing with her husband Mike, Melinda used light spinning tackle early one morning to entice a 9.9-pounder, the biggest of the 150 fish the Florida couple caught. Mike caught a 9.3-pounder. They also caught several bass in the 7- to 9-pound range.

“We caught a lot of good fish with three over 9, lots of 8-pounders and many in the 5- to 7-pound range,” Mike said. “Melinda caught the 9.9-pounder on a pearl and pink Yum Money Minnow worked across the surface. We used it like a topwater bait with an unweighted hook. We also caught fish on a 10-inch Berkley Power Worm in a pumpkin or watermelon shade and with a firetiger Rapala DT 16 crankbait.”

After fishing at Lake El Salto, the Hickeys went to Mazatlan and stayed at the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay, a 5-Star, 4-Diamond resort. There they enjoyed some outstanding saltwater action off Mazatlan. They enticed 17 roosterfish to smash their trolled live mullets and boated 12 up to 32-pounds. Anglers Inn International is the exclusive sportsmen’s outfitter for Pueblo Bonito resort.

Back at El Salto, Len Batcha, of Texas, and three friends also experienced outstanding fishing. They caught bass up to 9.3-pounds. Bill Putnam caught the group lunker, tempting it with a 10-inch purple lizard dragged through 8-feet of water. They caught other bass by fishing worms Wacky Style. They were putting about 75 bass into the boat each time out. “We tried some other lures,” Len says, “but 90 per cent of the fish we caught came on Texas-rigged watermelon red lizards. Our bass probably averaged about 4-pounds, but Bill’s averaged more because he caught some 8 and 7-pounders besides his big one.

“A couple days we had steady action all day long. The last day was overcast with a little rain. That morning brought unbelievable fishing! When we go to El Salto, we call it ‘catching,’ not ‘fishing.’ The service is unbelievably fantastic, but people need to go on a diet before they visit Anglers Inn because they’re going to gain weight.”

The Bates party also enjoyed good action when they were here recently. In five days they caught 432 bass. Most of their fish hit crankbaits worked in 24-feet of water. Many fish ranged from 5 to 7.5-pounds.

“Everything went perfectly on the trip,” says Tom Bates. “Our guide was outstanding and did everything he could to get us big fish. Thanks so much to Billy Chapman Jr. for running a first-class operation.”

Meanwhile about three hours north of El Salto, Lake Mateos continues to produce impressive numbers of fish. Visitors fishing out of the beautiful Anglers Inn Lodge at that lake are often catching more than 120 bass a day. Many of these fish run from 4 to 8-pounds. This big and beautiful 55,000-acre lake can produce 9 and 10-pound fish as well. The all time Lake Mateos size record topped 14-pounds.

Besides Texas Rigged lizards, worms or Money Minnows, many anglers throw white spinnerbaits or shad-colored topwater poppers at Mateos.

You’ve just read the same sort of comments we’ve been getting from our visitors ever since we first opened Angler Inn Lodges on El Salto and Lake Mateos.

For more than two decades, the saltwater fishing has been a very important venue on our menu. We've hosted salt water anglers, writers and TV personalities such as Joe Thomas (Outdoor Channel), Michael Pearce (writer for Wall Street Journal and Robb Report), Alan Warren (Alan Warren Outdoors), Keith "Catfish" Sutton, James Hall editor of ESPN Saltwater Magazine, etc. We now have our own fleet and support vehicles to do light tackle, bill fishing, kayak fishing and surf fishing. This expansion has been in the making for a couple of years and now we are in a better position
to serve the sportsmen and their families. The new Anglers Inn Offshore, VIP Dock and facilities at the Marina Mazatlan aremfirst class providing same unparalleled service that has become synonymous with Anglers Inn operations.

The bottom line is that Anglers Inn International and its affiliates can handle every conceivable family sportsman vacation. We also have an Anglers Inn Sportsman's Club Family Vacation Specialist and a Travel Specialist to assist you in every aspect of your vacation. Give us one shot at your family vacation. You will not be disappointed!

For more info or for booking your next Anglers Inn International adventure at either Lake El Salto, Lake Mateos or a saltwater fishing trip call 1-800-GOTA-FISH, (468-2347) or send an e-mail to info@anglersinn.com