New Gear Testing at El Salto – June 2023
We only live 30 minutes from the ramp at Leesylvania State Park where we fish on the Potomac River. It’s sad to say that we don’t fish as much as we would like and when we do, we typically fish in no more than three feet of water and use the same baits the majority of the time.
The best part about going to Anglers Inn’s lodges on Lake Picachos or Lake El Salto is that the conditions are constantly changing. The water levels fluctuate. There is structure, sometimes hyacinth (which I would consider our grass for fishing purposes), bluffs, etc. – it’s a different lake every time we go. I get excited to bring down lures that we either don’t get to throw, ever, such as ultra-deep-diving crankbaits, large swimbaits and sometimes new products that we know won’t get bit at home. If we get bites, not only have we learned something new, but we’ve added to our bag of tricks
The lake is filled with so many small, medium and grande bass that are incredibly hungry. It’s fun to show them something they’ve never seen before, and may make them more prone to bite. Introducing a new lure into their environment might trigger a reaction that will result in a catch of a lifetime.
Part of the reason we stay for a week at the lake is so we have time to test, play around and “waste time” with new baits. We will then have time to practice with the bait and fine-tune it or even change up our strategy, (retrieve speeds, depths, Spike-IT or no Spike-IT, sun or shade).
Here’s what I grabbed and tested on our most recent trip. Some are baits that I haven’t ever thrown before and one is something brand new that none of us had thrown:
Yamamoto 3.5” Yamatanuki Stick Bait (Mimizu and Green Pumpkin Black Flake
This trip the topwater bite just wasn’t on but we still started shallow so I needed something else to throw. We fished in coves, against bluffs and along historically-productive banks so while Pete tied on a Texas rigged Senko with a weight, I decided to open up the brand new, and I mean NEW, Yamamoto Yamatanuki stick bait.
The bait weighs in at 5/8 oz so you can fish it weightless. I rigged it Texas style and dipped the nub, I mean the tail, in chartreuse Spike-IT.
I got bit on just about every cast, but the bait kept coming back “nubless.” Those darn tilapia, they just couldn’t resist. The Spike-IT was so tempting -- how can you resist Grandma’s spaghetti – so on my next cast I sent it out “undipped” and quickly set the hook on a bass. I used green pumpkin black flake and Mimizu (which means “earthworm” in Japanese), and they both worked equally well. I rigged it on a Gamakatsu 5/0 EWG hook.
Because of its weight you will be able to cast the Yamatunuki out a mil, even without a weight. As it falls and the tail shakes, if the fish doesn’t hit it on the way down, lift it back up and it’ll dart back and forth like a variety of baitfish species. You can also twitch it on the bottom to mimic a crawfish (perhaps not in Mexico, but on your home lake where bass eat crawfish). It’s also great for skipping because it is heavy and has a big surface. You can skip it under and into brush and trees. There are no docks or garage doors on El Salto but tons on my home waters.
After doing a little research I found out some anglers us it as a trailer on a jig and even on the back of a Chatterbait, in order to get the Chatterbait to sink a little deeper when they aren’t eating shallow. I’ll have to try that on the Potomac.
Bacca Burrito Swimbait 5” & 6” (Threadfin Shad & Tactical Shad)
Back in January I purchased my first load of swimbaits at the Richmond Fishing Expo. Although I didn’t need to build another garage to hold my new baits, I did have to wait almost six months to use them.
I packed MY baits separately in MY luggage as if I thought that Pete might steal them from me. We room together and fish in the same boat and share tackle. That’s the issue – in a marriage what’s mine is mine and what’s his is mine, too.
When we were fishing deep and a little bit slower, using a Carolina rig, I thought maybe this was the chance to use these. I took the 5” Burrito out and showed it to our guide and he looked at it with a WOW look in his eyes stated, “I’ve never seen this before -- Booorrito, yes, it’s good, try.”
I was nervous, I didn’t want to lose it this lure that’s higher priced than the typical Storm Wildeyes. It would be painful, but no pain no gain. I handed him the rod that had braid and he added a fluorocarbon double leader, I had never seen that before.
I cast it out, let it sink to the bottom and slow rolled back to the boat. I was told as soon as I feel something, SET THE F%&#ING HOOK, don’t wait. Excellent instructions. I felt a tick and I set the hook immediately and came back with a 5+ pound fish.
We always say to listen to your guide. If I hadn’t, I most likely would have let the fish hold on to the bait for a second or two and that would have resulted in enough time for the fish to spit it. After catching a number of fish on my first Burrito
I did make a huge mistake, I wasn’t throwing it on the right rod. I was using one of my Skeet Reese bait casting rods that was good for jig fishing. The rod wasn’t limber enough and after several casts and several fish I must have snapped the rod forward when casting (instead of launching the burrito) and there it went – and kept going and going and splash, to the bottom of the lake. Of course, I did learn from the above, but the lesson didn’t fully sink in. On our final day I lost my 6” Burrito on the water when the same thing happened: Snap! And bye bye burrito.
It stung but I picked up another rod and continued to fish. It wasn’t the first bait I ever lost, and it won’t be the last Next time I’ll be more careful and take the time to put it on the right setup. With the right equipment you get better performance. I still might not have lost the baits anyway but next time I will use a heavier rod with the right action for a swimbait.
Yumbrella Flash Mob Umbrella Rig
Last year on our February trip, all Dave Mansell, my friend from Wisconsin, could talk about is how many fish he was catching on the A-Rig.
Dave had gotten to the lake a few hours ahead of me and had figured it out already. I didn’t get a chance to get on the water, so I just took a rod down to the bank to get the first cast jitters out before going out the following morning.
I am not sure that Dave didn’t jump out of the boat to come greet me before the boat was fully stopped. He had his A-rig in hand and said, “You have to throw this! This is the ticket.”
Here is exactly what he told me: “You need to make a long cast, count it down to halfway into the water column and then swim it back at a slow speed. Imagine that you’re keeping it at the right depth cause if you reel too fast or too slow and it sinks or it’s rising, they just won’t hit it. It needs to be going horizontal through the water column. So, this and the structure we were fishing when there was no bushes for them to hide in because of the flooded water made them eat it. They have to eat it cause they can’t stand it.”
He was so sure this was the bait that he cut it off and handed it to me. Now that’s a good fishing buddy.
I didn’t have much luck that trip with the A-Rig but I was determined to throw it this trip and get a picture or two to make Dave proud.
I had it rigged with five Keitech 3.3” Tennessee Shad trailers.
The conditions were different. It was summer rather than winter and low water rather than high. The cast was the same -- as far as you can throw it and then count it down for 10 seconds. Then I reeled it medium speed (these instructions were per my guide – always listen to your guide). My heart went crazy when a bass knocked the crap out of it. So exciting!! Although as soon as you feel that knock you are supposed to set the hook immediately. Once I got the hang of it, I got bit again and I set the hook and reeled to see what came back. Only one fish attacked it but when you catch one over 6 pounds how can you complain?
I never did catch more than one fish on the A-Rig at a time on this trip but now that I have the hang of it, I plan to use it more and more -- mostly to see if I can catch 5 at one time.
Finally, I used something else new on this this trip that made me more effective and comfortable on the water. It wasn’t a bait, line, reel or rod, it was the Costa Del Mar Mainsail matte black with green mirror polarized polycarbonate sunglasses.
I am not sponsored by any sunglass manufacturer and I own an embarrassing number of different brands, but I really feel that these glasses were made just for me. They fit my large cranium and high cheekbones. They covered my entire face, so no light came in on the sides. The nose bridge is the same material as the glasses so when you put them on your head your hair doesn’t get snagged and twisted. The best part was that the glasses didn’t sit on my cheekbones. Even when I was sweating excessively in the heat nothing pooled up on the bottom of the lenses. The temples are thin, so you get less of a tan mark and the green lens was good for the cloudy days we had on the water. They are definitely going into the regular rotation. I’m sure you’ll see them in a lot of pictures.
If you want to try any of these new products down in Mexico, let me know. It’s the perfect testing ground for all sorts of gear, at least that’s the excuse I use. Shoot me an email at fishmore@halfpastfirstcast.com and I can help you get booked.
