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:
Absentee Rico – Through 15 or 20 fishing trips to Mexico, the Rio Rico topwater popper has been a staple, just about always tied on during low light conditions. I’m pretty sure that this was the first trip I’ve made without making a single cast with my favorite topwater. The morning that I fished with Aaron Rygas he used a black one successfully, but my limited topwater time was spent with other, larger baits, trying to get a couple of bonus big bites.
Choppo vs. Plopper – Since I first fished it at El Salto in October of 2015, the Whopper Plopper 130 has become another lure that I never leave home without. While I haven’t topped the 8-pound mark with it (yet), I’ve caught ridiculous numbers of 4- to 6-pound bass on it, and they’re some of the best topwater strikes this side of the Amazon. However, several people (including two non-Berkley-sponsored pros and my El Salto guide) told me that they prefer the Berkley Choppo, so I mostly fished that one instead on this trip. Lots of mind-blowing strikes and catches up to just under 7 pounds. Not sure if it made a difference, but it definitely produces a different sound.
Rat Tails – Continuing with the topwater theme, I’ve become addicted to the rat bite, and while I didn’t give the larger PB Rat a fair chance, I had some great success with the SPRO, particularly in the 40 size. However, please note that they give you those spare tails for a reason. In the course of hard fishing, tails on all three of my older rats came off. I replaced them with a section of super-glued trick worm, but it didn’t feel the same. Fortunately, replacement tails can be bought separately, too.
Hollow Bellies – Normally the Storm Wildeye is our main offshore swimbait, with the Keitech Fat Swing Impact (usually in the 4.8” size) a close second, but while those produced some bass on this trip, a hollow belly seemed generally more productive – not just more strikes, but the fish seemed to get them in the back of the throat. We mostly used the Zoom Swimmer, but as we ran out of those we defaulted to the Yum Money Minnow.
Spooning – After November’s trip we were jacked up about a flutter spoon bite and we stocked up, with plans to experiment with stinger hooks. While the standard Strike King Sexy Spoon produced a decent number of fish, none topped 5 pounds. We seemed to get more and bigger bites in those same areas with a swimbait or crankbait. I never got to experiment with the stinger or assist hook options that I’d planned to test out if fish ate the spoons but did not get hooked well.
Giant Flukes – Hanna fished the heavyweight 8” Deps Sakamata fluke-style bait Texas Rigged one morning and we were impressed with its fall rate and action. She used a massive 7/0 Trokar Hook and I’m not sure if that was the right choice – there’s a lot of plastic to penetrate and hookups weren’t solid. That might be a function of the rod and line she used, too.
A Spinnerbait Bombshell – While I have certain confidence spinnerbaits for specific waters around home, I’ve yet to settle on two or three favorites for El Salto. This trip’s best producer was a 1-ounce Nichols Pulsator Depth Finder in the hideous “Bombshell Shad” color. The fish absolutely destroyed it, both on offshore structure and around brush in the 4-10 foot range. While the skirt eventually got mangled, the lure continued to run true through at least 40 fish and numerous hang-ups. Others in our group did well with painted blade spinnerbaits.
Treble Damages – I cannot stress enough the importance of bringing extra treble hooks and changing them out at the first sign of stress. I changed both my Choppo hooks and the trebles on several key crankbaits between sessions after they’d been bent out during hook removal, and ultimately caught some key fish (with poor eyesight) in the chin, in the back or in the top of the head. Don’t be lazy.
Don’t Go Big – I still haven’t managed to unlock the secret of “traditional” glidebaits and swimbaits in Mexico. I fished a Huddleston, an Osprey, the PB Rat, the Imakatsu Bassroid and a couple of others and never got bit. The only true “big” baits that have produced for me are the Bull Shad and the SPRO 50 BBZ Rat. I know that I need to stick with them longer and/or fish with an expert, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful.
Puncher’s Chance – I resolved to fish a punch rig in the deep trees and ultimately found a ¾ ounce Strike King Slither Rig to be a better solution than a comparably-sized jig, especially in the hardwoods that arose in 20 to 30 feet of water. It got through the branches more easily, without hanging up nearly as much, and caught more fish. Most of the fish that we caught that way were suspended in the branches and ate the lure either on the way down or as we brought it back to the surface.
