Deacon Sebela’s Lake Picachos Experience
I’ve never actually met Logan Sebela face-to-face, but we’ve corresponded about our respective bass fishing trips to Mexico for at least a decade. That’s one of the great things about the online community – we share information that’ll help each other maximize success and fully enjoy the Anglers Inn experience. Indeed, many of the tips and tricks we’ve shared on this site were developed collaboratively with other travelers.
So I’ve seen Mexico through Logan’s eyes – electronically, at least – but when I heard that he was taking his 13 year-old son Deacon, a 7th grader, to Lake Picachos, at first I thought, “Damn, what a lucky kid.” Then I realized that while we’d seen some teens and preteens down there I’d never taken the opportunity to see it through their eyes. This seemed like a perfect opportunity and both Logan and Deacon were eager to help. Here’s the tale of the trip from this fortunate young man in his own words.
HPFC: Do you fish a lot at home?
DEACON: Only during the summer and only for trout?
HPFC: Had you ever fished outside of California before this trip?
DEACON: Yes. Idaho, Texas and I’ve gone saltwater fishing in Mexico before.
HPFC: I know that your father had been to Anglers Inn a number of times before you went with him. What did he tell you about the experience?
DEACON: He always told me how great it was. I thought it sounded pretty awesome.
HPFC: So what was the reason behind this trip?
DEACON: I asked him to go. For our 13th birthday we get to choose a trip and that’s what I wanted to do.
HPFC: Even though you hadn’t done much bass fishing, you knew that’s what you wanted to do.
DEACON: Well, in San Diego we had done quite a bit of bass fishing.
HPFC: Did you get to choose between Picachos and El Salto or did your dad make the decision?
DEACON: I could have done El Salto but I decided that Picachos would be better because they were having better numbers right now, and that’s what I wanted.
HPFC: Was the travel hard from California?
DEACON: No. We were already down in San Diego for spring break so we flew out of Tijuana to Mazatlán and it was a 45 minute drive. It really wasn’t that bad.
HPFC: What did you think when you first stepped off the van?
DEACON: It was pretty awesome. They came with nachos and drinks and we got to see our rooms and they were really nice.
HPFC: How long did it take you to catch your first bass?
DEACON: As soon as we got there and got set up I walked down to the bank and on my second cast I caught one from the shore – so a minute.
HPFC: How many did you catch from shore that afternoon?
DEACON: Me and my dad caught 15 in 45 minutes.
HPFC: Who was your guide?
DEACON: Modesto.
HPFC: Did he speak any English or do you speak any Spanish?
DEACON: I don’t speak any Spanish but he spoke really good English.
HPFC: You’d already caught 15 fish from the bank. Once you got onto the boat did the numbers live up to what you expected?
DEACON: It exceeded my expectations.
HPFC: What was the most you caught in a day?
DEACON: The first day we caught 190, me and my dad together.
HPFC: Were they picky? Would they eat any lure you threw at them?
DEACON: We did really well on Senkos. The color didn’t really matter. Watermelon with red flake is what we used the most, Texas rigged. In fact it was so good that I was chewing bubble gum and I put a piece of bubble gum on top of the Senko and I caught a fish.
HPFC: Do they prefer one flavor of bubble gum over the others?
DEACON: Just Bubble Tape.
HPFC: What was the biggest bass that you caught?
DEACON: I caught a 6-02.
HPFC: What did you catch that one on?
DEACON: On a larger Senko that we started using toward the end of the trip to try to catch some bigger fish. The Z-Man Senkos, they last forever.
HPFC: Were there any lures that you wish you had brought or tried while you were there?
DEACON: No, I like throwing Senkos a lot.
HPFC: What was your favorite meal?
DEACON: The ribs we had on the first night. They were really good.
HPFC: Were the service and the accommodations good?
DEACON: It was awesome. They were waiting on you 24/7. They’d constantly try to make you something.
HPFC: How many days did you fish? Was it enough?
DEACON: Three and a half days, and it was plenty enough. I was exhausted by the last day.
HPFC: Is there anything different you’d do if you went back?
DEACON: I might try to focus on bigger fish. It was awesome catching more but I really like catching big fish.
HPFC: What advice would you give to other teenagers or even youngers kids who are headed to Picachos about how to get the most out of the experience?
DEACON: Enjoy it and listen to your guide, most of all. That was really helpful, listening to the guide.
Here’s a video the Logan made of their trip:
If you’re half as good a dad as Logan – and you’d like your child to get the full Anglers Inn experience – email us today and let’s get you on the calendar. Picachos in particular is really an incredible opportunity, whether they’re on the path to being a pro angler or you just want to spend some quality time together. Be sure to ask Hanna if there are any special adult/child deals available for the dates that you want to go.
