Paul Fisler’s El Salto Personal Best Largemouth
Robert Earl Keen said his friend JD wanted to be the Bassmaster of the universe and he wanted to go out and catch the 5-pound bass, which he figured was the minimum for a “wall hanger.”
He talked about it so much it became a metaphor for everything good in life.
Money came in the mail – “That’s a 5-pound bass.”
Hooked the toaster – “That’s a 5-pound bass.”
Even when he caught a 10-pound bass – “That’s a five pound bass.”
True double digit largemouth bass are rare. For a bass to reach 10 pounds it takes the perfect mix of factors including as habitat, food, genetics and time. Giant bass are found mostly in the South where the seasons are longer, so they have more food to eat in order to grow larger. But even there, they’re still rarer than most anglers believe.
I continue to vacation and fish at Lake El Salto in the search for MY 10-pounder. I’ve come close, with seven bass over 9 pounds, one a mere four ounces short of the 10-pound trophy wall mount.
How would I react if I actually caught one? Until last month, I’d never actually seen a true 10-pounder up close. A couple of my friends caught and weighed their 10-pounders in Mexico, and as happy as I was for both of them (it happened on the same day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening), I was jealous and admittedly a little bitter.
I still haven’t found that holy grail, but now I’ve seen what I’m aiming at up close. From the way I acted, you might have thought it was my fish. Check out the video of our good friend Paul Fisler catching his PB from the back of MY boat.
So how does it feel to catch a ten pounder? Let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth. Here’s Paul’s story, in his own words:
It’s been about two weeks now since returning from my third trip to Lake El Salto and I’m still trying to come to terms with what I was able to accomplish. As the saying goes “the third time is the charm”. I actually boated a 10.44 lb bass. This is the ticket to an exclusive club that everyone who chases these fish hopes for their entire fishing life.
The first couple of days started out pretty good. Plenty of 5-7 pound fish to go around. I had always wanted to go out at least one time with Chi Chi as my guide and Pete and Hanna were able to make it a reality. I spent the morning working my Strike King 6XD blue back chartreuse and caught a number of good fish. The way these fish were fighting you really couldn’t tell how big they were until you got them near the surface. The guides kept telling me to keep my rod tip down to keep the fish from breaking the surface to jump and possibly throw the lure. Needless to say it took several tries doing it my way and losing some good fish before I learned my lesson.
Right before heading in to lunch I hooked what turned out to be my first double-digit bass. It jumped one time on the opposite side of the boat and I heard Hanna shout out “holy shit.”I wasn’t really sure how big it was, I was just trying to keep my rod down and hoping the fish didn’t throw the lure. Chi Chi was standing by with the net and was able to get my trophy in the boat without any problems. The time afterwards is still a blur. Plenty of pictures were taken and the lure was cut off and autographed by Chi Chi with the date and weight so it can be added to the replica mount I’ll be having done.
I’ll have to admit it was pretty cool being able to put my name with the weight and lure used at the top of the brag board near the bar when we got back in. All of the congratulations were very much appreciated and that frozen margarita somehow tasted even better. The only thing left now is to keep returning till I’m lucky enough to break 10.44 pounds. I can’t thank Pete and Hanna Robbins enough for putting such a great trip together again and again and again.
Paul’s Tackle
Rod: Kistler Magnesium 6’9” medium-action baitcasting rod
Reel: Lew’s Speed Spool LFS Casting Reel (6.8:1)
Line: Seaguar InvizX 15 pound test
Lure: Strike King 6XD – Chartreuse Powder Blue Back
If you want to catch your PB, or just drink a lot of margaritas and Pacificos, I can get you to the right place. Email me or call (703) 282-2722 and let’s get you to Mexico.
