Our most recent trip to Lake El Salto spanned May and June 2023, and the lake was on fire, with ridiculous numbers of 4- to 6-pound fish. Despite all of that, our lure choices were very simple. You couldn’t throw any lure in any color and expect to get bit. There was a narrow selection that seemed to work consistently.

I know the “must haves” and while every veteran traveler has their secrets, and every newcomer has lures they want to try, I’ve put together a list that’ll get you bit every day of the year down there.

We’re headed back to El Salto shortly, for our close-to-annual May/June offshore slugfest. My understanding is that the water is at unusually low levels, even for a time of year when it’s normally at its lowest. I’m hoping that bodes well for us. Despite my pledge to keep it basic, I can’t go South of the Border without at least trying a few new tackle items. Here are three of the ones I’m most excited about.

In order to “listen” to your guide effectively, sometimes you need to know what questions to ask. They’ll often recommend specific lures in particular colors. Having the right lure is of course key, but if you don’t put it in the right places you’re just wasting your time. That’s why before making my first cast, I always ask, “Which way?”

We’ve left tackle at Anglers Inn for several years and it has consistently been safe, well-kept and available upon arrival. Here are some strategies to ensure that’ll continue to be true – and also to be certain that it’s ready to fish when we get there. With a little bit of extra planning and effort, we save myself a lot of heartache and wasted time.

There are times at Lake El Salto when the fish are so thick and so hungry on a given spot that you can take your time casting to them and you can experience success with any casting angle. It’s not always that easy. Many times you have to hunt and peck to get things done.

One of Lake El Salto’s best features is also often one of its most maddening: the sheer variety of ways that you can catch big bass down there. On our most recent trip, we caught fish that were ankle deep, and others that were 30 feet deep, and in every case both slow-moving and fast-moving lures came into play. For an ADD-afflicted tackle junkie like me, that presents a hellish temptation.

When we first returned from our November trip to El Salto, I was incredibly jacked up about the flutter spoon bite we’d just experienced. I’d gone there on a mission and accomplished it. A couple of months later I keep reliving those bites over and over.

If you elect to bring rods to Mexico, bring a dedicated crankbait combo, not talking about something specifically tailored to squarebills or lipless baits, but rather a rod and reel setup aimed at big deep divers. Up until a decade or so ago, you could get away with something more generalized for throwing what were then the deepest-diving plugs – like the Fat Free Shad – but with the addition of behemoths like the Strike King 10XD you’re going to need something that makes the job easier and more efficient. The wrong gear will wear you out. 

As an addicted angler I’m always looking for a “better mousetrap” and I tend to get high on retail therapy. That means I spend a lot on speculative acquisitions, most of which end up resigned to the dustbin of angling history. Enter the flutter spoon.

If your luggage space is limited on your next fishing trip South of the Border I suggest that you adhere closely to my past lure recommendations. However, keeping an open mind is critical because while the bass at El Salto and Picachos are typically not hyper-picky, there are times when specific options – even slight deviations – will increase your catch rate.

When it’s “on,” the topwater bite at Mexico’s Lake El Salto is just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. No, it’s not quite as violent as Brazilian peacock bass blasting big prop baits, or South Pacific Giant Trevally plucking birds off the surface, but in terms of largemouths I’ve yet to see anything that compares. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

When picking line for Mexican bass fishing, as far as I’m concerned you should go with what you’re comfortable with, and err on the side of keeping it heavier rather than lighter. On the latter point, I don’t use anything under 17-pound test.

So you’ve booked your trip to El Salto, Picachos or some other Mexican lake, you’ve analyzed the basic tackle you need to bring, and perhaps added a few extra things you want to try. Now you need to get it organized, so you can access what you need when you need it. Time flies. Every minute wasted is one minute that you won’t be catching your new personal best.

So you’ve packed up your clothing, tackle and other essentials for the trip of a lifetime to El Salto or Picachos and you still have room in your luggage. What do you do? Certainly don’t add another shirt – Anglers Inn does your laundry every day. Instead, now it’s time to start supplementing the basic list of tackle we’ve previously provided.

For generations we’ve been told that “big baits equal big bass,” and that’s often true, even on Mexican waters, where you may be within casting distance of more giants than on any other public waters in the world. With that in mind, what I’m about to tell you defies the textbook and may seem counterintuitive: Sometimes small is better.

In the retelling of your Mexican bass fishing trip, topwaters may get the love, crankbaits may get the glory, and soft plastics may catch the numbers – but if you forget about spinnerbaits you’re ignoring a highly-productive tool. Sure, spinnerbaits have lost some of their market share in recent years due to vibrating jigs, swim jigs and swimbaits, but they never stopped working. Be sure to have some in your El Salto or Picachos tackle selection.

In all likelihood, the bass at Mexico’s Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos are generally dumber and more aggressive than at any other public body of water you’ve fished. The long growing season means that a one-year-old fish can weigh 2 pounds, which in turn means that they have to constantly outcompete their brothers and sisters for food.

Over the last six years Hanna and I have been like clockwork with respect to our Mexican bass trips – heading there each January and then again in May and June. There have been a few outliers, like trips to Picachos last February and November, but generally those have been in addition to, rather than in lieu of, our regularly-scheduled visits.