Hanna Robbins and Jennifer Combs with a cooler full of crappie from Lake Sam Rayburn

The Outdoor Gear We Recommend

We may have a little bit of a hoarding problem. Good gear need not be expensive, but it has to improve the experience in some way. Whether it’s the right rod, a certain bait, or the world’s best rainsuit, we’ll give unfiltered opinions on what we use and why we use it.


No tackle shop on earth provides more specialized gear for bass than Tackle Warehouse. If you want it, they've got it in stock — whether it's a proven winner or the newest items on the market — and their service is exceptional.

Pete Robbins Pete Robbins

Simple Soft Plastic Lure Organization for Your Trip to Mexico

Based on years of experience, I can tell you that no matter how many hours you spend organizing your tackle prior to your trip to Anglers Inn El Salto or Picachos, by the second day everything is likely to be a mess. Here’s how we minimize on-the-water inefficiency.

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Pete Robbins Pete Robbins

More Tilapia Lures for Mexican Largemouth Bass

If you really want to “match the hatch” on Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos, you might want to find lures that imitate tilapia. Whether it’s a swimbait, crankbait, wire bait or jig, we’ve got you covered.

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Pete Robbins Pete Robbins

Ten Tackle Observations from El Salto

We’ve already provided a list of the lures that did or did not work for us on our June 2021 trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto. It was an exceptional trip, with I believe more 3- to 6-pound class fish than on any prior visit. Of course, being a confirmed tackle junkie, I can’t just leave it as a simple list – each additional trip provides revelations, discoveries and slight differences that I find noteworthy. Here are 10 of them.

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Pete Robbins Pete Robbins

What They Bitin’? — El Salto June 2021

The number one question Hanna and I get before and after every trip to Anglers Inn in Mexico is “what are they biting on?” Everyone wants to know the hot bait or secret bait to squeeze in on that last express-mailed Tackle Warehouse order. Because we have no real sponsors or advertisers, we’re able to tell it like it is.

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Pete Robbins Pete Robbins

Lures Meant to Imitate Tilapia

The concept of “match the hatch” has been drilled into every angler’s head since they first picked up the sport, so when bass fishermen head to Mexico many of them seek out lures that replicate tilapia. It makes sense – even though bass at lakes like El Salto and Picachos feed on other baitfish, it’s the prolific tilapia fisheries that make them grow so big.

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