Our Top Five Strike King Lures for Big Mexican Bass
Welcome to “Top Five” week on Half Past First Cast. As Hanna and I start packing for our annual January trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, I’m going to go through several key manufacturers’ lure lineups and tell you the five that I expect to take on every trip to Mexico for the foreseeable future. That doesn’t mean they’re the only lures I’ll take from that company; or that they’re the best in class; or that I’ll even cast them on every trip. What it does mean is that I have confidence in them because they’ve produced in the past or I have some othr legitimate reasons that I can’t imagine heading South of the Border without them. Your preferences may vary. We’d love to hear them.
Here are the self-imposed rules: I have to pick five lures from a certain company, and pick my preferred single size or single color (alternatively, I can pick a different size and/or color, but that counts as another one of my five, so only in rare cases will I double-dip.
First up is Strike King Lure Company:
10XD Crankbait (Chartreuse Perch)
I caught my biggest El Salto bass on a 10XD. Granted, that one was in the “Barfish” color, but I’ve probably caught more cranking fish in the 6-8 pound class on Chartreuse Perch than any other paint job, likely because the Mexican bass have a complete love/hate relationship with chartreuse. The 10XD will definitely make you work, but I’ve found no ultra-deep-diver that consistently tracks as true or gets bit as much.
(Citrus Shad)
The Fat Free Shad in Citrus Shad is of course the gold standard for El Salto crankbaits, owing at least in part to the time both the lure and the lake came into existence. Nevertheless, in recent years I’ve really grown fond of the 6XD for this depth range, and Citrus Shad is a good all-around color—not too bright, not too subtle.
¾ Ounce Hack Attack Jig
(Black/Blue)
Whether you’re flipping bluffs or deep hardwood trees or shallow brush, you need a black and blue jig at El Salto, and this one is made to take a beating. There’s one made for braid and one made for fluorocarbon, so pick your poison. It’s durable and the hook won’t bend out on the fish of a lifetime.
5.5” Sexy Spoon (Green Gizzard Shad)
I’ve become a total fanboy when it comes to the offshore flutter spoon bite, and this is the one that has produced the best for me. Moreover, it’s affordable, so it’s not the end of the world if you lose one to a deep tree. Like deep cranking, this is a bite that I look forward to because we don’t get to do it at home and the potential for a giant is real on every stroke of the jig.
4.75” Rage Swimmer (KVD Magic)
The clamshells are a pain in the ass to pack, but you need to have some ribbed paddletail swimbaits any time you’re in Mexico, whether you’re swimming them through shallow cover or bouncing them along a hump or point. Frankly, this is not the color I would have chosen off the tackle store shelf, but my guides made a believer out of me.
Stay tuned all week for our favorites from other brands.
*Note: We have no promotional relationship with Strike King other than that we probably put KVD’s kids through college with our purchases.
