It was cold as ice

Chris was willing to sacrifice his love

He finally took advice

He decided to pay the price

I’ve never seen it before

It doesn’t happen all the time

Closing the airplane door

You left the walleye behind

Our new friend Chris Sharas left the frozen waters Upper Midwest for the heat of Mexico to drink a few Pacificos and catch some bass at Lake El Salto. In the process, he did something that few ever will ever duplicate. Speaking as someone who’s caught two 9-pounders on two different lakes in the same day, I’m especially interested in those kinds of achievements. Read on and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

HPFC: Where are you from and what are the conditions there like in January?

Chris Sharas: I am from Willington, Illinois and the conditions here, I would say, range between single digits and low double digits that time of year, every year. There's usually snow cover and it’s awfully chilly.

HPFC: What lake or river system are you near?

Chris Sharas: I live on the Kankakee River, about two miles from where it intersects and turns into the Illinois River.

HPFC: What made you decide to go to Anglers Inn El Salto?

Chris Sharas: It's cold here and I wanted to do something different and it was a bucket list trip for me. I also had a couple of friends who said, “Hey, we are going to this lake,” and I'm like, “I have wanted to go that lake since I was a kid.” So as soon as I heard somebody I knew was also going, I wanted to go and I went.

HPFC: What did you think of the experience?

Chris Sharas: I had very high expectations and it exceeded everything. I wanted a bigger fish than I caught but I'm not mad (that I didn’t get a PB). All that just means I have to go back.

Chris Sharas with a big largemouth bass from Anglers Inn Lake El Salto

HPFC: What was the highlight of your trip?

Chris Sharas: I am scared to death off airplanes and flying. When I got off the airplane into the airport and everybody started talking fishing, I felt way more comfortable and then it was real. I had made it and I was gonna get there and then when I saw the lake that was my “aha” moment. So, seeing the lake for the first time, my travel fears were over and I was in fishing mode.

HPFC: I understand that you accomplished something pretty distinctive, ice fishing in the morning and Mexican bass fishing in the afternoon. What made you cram all that in together?

Chris Sharas: I've been known to do such things. Usually, we go somewhere in the Caribbean in January, so I'll usually play on my snowmobile in the morning and then when I get back to the house I get on an airplane and go to somewhere warm. I thought, wake up early and do some ice fishing, basically in my backyard, so I can catch a fish in the morning and then land in Mexico and try to catch a fish in the afternoon. It worked! I had fished the night before, so I knew where they were, what they were biting and what to use. I caught my morning fish about 4:30 am and I caught my afternoon fish at around 4:30 pm that afternoon.

HPFC: What kind of fish did you catch in the morning and how big was it? How did it compare to what you caught in the afternoon?

Chris Sharas: The size doesn’t count (laughed). It was about an 8-inch walleye. It was a baby but it was fun. My first fish caught in the afternoon was about a 2-pound bass, probably about 14 inches but fought like a 6-pounder.

HPFC: How did you catch the walleye in the morning versus the bass in the afternoon?

Chris Sharas: To catch the walleye I used a crappie minnow, using a tip up, which is a set up with a flag that tips up when the fish bites. The bass was on a wacky rig Senko, it was about four or five casts in and I got my first fish. Just amazing. We only had about two hours to fish because we got there a little late and even more amazing my partner and I actually doubled up a few times on that first day.

HPFC: Which fish was more enjoyable?

Chris Sharas: Definitely the Mexican bass. I am a bass fisherman and walleyes don't put up any fight. So, I'll credit that but it was also because in the morning it was just 10 degrees versus 80 degrees. But truthfully the fight was the real clincher.

HPFC: How many layers of clothing did you have to shed from one extreme to the other?

Chris Sharas: Three layers: a coat, a vest and a long sleeve shirt.

HPFC: In ten degrees that’s all you wore?

Chris Sharas: I had pants on!

HPFC: What’s next on your bucket list?

Chris Sharas: I really want to go to Alaska in the summer. I want to go all kinds of places but something that's been at the top of my list is going to Alaska. It doesn't matter what I fish for, I just want to get into Alaska. That is part A, but if I get to fish in Alaska that would make it and seal the deal for me.

I also need to go back to Anglers Inn, I'm real curious how El Salto fishes different at different times of the year. When we went it seemed like a lot of the fish were spawning, so I'd be interested in what it is like in spring, compared to the summer, and into the fall. I wonder if there is a difference in bites like it is where we are because of the massive temperature swings. So, I'm curious about that as I really have to say I really don’t think there is much that they can improve hospitality wise as they are doing a really good job there. The service, WOW, everything they did, I just couldn't believe it. I’ve been to bigger, fancier, newer places but the staff at Anglers Inn, even for what it was, a fishing trip, I couldn't believe it. You will definitely see me again. I’m gonna have to come back!