We were saddened to hear that longtime Anglers Inn Lake El Salto guide Lacho Anaya passed away this week. We’d fished with him on several occasions and he was an integral part of the exceptional guiding crew at the lake.

On the first day of his first trip to Anglers Inn at Lake El Salto in Mexico, Chris Sharas caught….a walleye through the ice. Think you can duplicate that achievement?

Two new female friends from Wisconsin caught their personal best largemouths on our recent trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto. Read how they did it — and why they’re coming back.

I must be getting mellower in my old age – either that or Hanna is increasingly good at picking out travel partners – because I really enjoyed the group we recently hosted at El Salto. Most of them hail from Wisconsin, which further solidifies our plan to spend at least part of the year up that way after we retire.

The staff at Anglers Inn makes every trip special but this time they went over the top for us. They had a cake to celebrate our birthdays and we smashed our face into it at the same time and then laughed hysterically. It was also my best trip to El Salto so far from a fishing perspective and I was thrilled to share it with my sister Janet.

On her fourth trip to Anglers Inn, Kristine Rygas and I finally got the chance to catch up on some tea and fish together. I won't bore you with our girly talk, although you might find it tantalizing, but I will share the details of our amazing morning on the water. I was thrilled to get her out of her angling comfort zone with new lures and strategies.

For many serious anglers, exotic fishing travel is primarily about the fishing itself. Yes, we give lip service to the food, culture, scenery and wildlife, but the rest of those factors can’t completely make up for it if you don’t have biting fish. Of course, it helps to have people along with a positive attitude, particularly the person or people with whom you’ll be sharing a boat.

Paul Fisler seems to pop up everywhere there is something bass-related going on. There are plenty of people who would like to marshal Elite Series events, attend seminars and mingle with the top pros, but Paul is one of the few who’s actually out there getting it done.

Ultimately, if your “10 lb. bass” (or your 20 pound peacock, or your 30 inch rainbow or your 50 inch muskie) would not actually meet that mark on a certified measuring device, that’s on you. You have to live with yourself. I will tell you that at least in the bass world, there are exponentially more eights than there are nines, and exponentially more nines than tens. Even on the world’s best bass fisheries, a true double digit is a rare prize. Don’t let anyone get you down because you caught an 8.22, or an 8.99, or a 9.79.

Fortunately, there are people for whom guiding is a way of life, and Hanna and I have been lucky to fish with a handful who’ve checked off all of the boxes for excellence. We’ve also been spoiled in terms of how much effort they put in.

There are plenty of places we vacation and it’s one-and-done. More and more, though, our travels have not just become about the places we go but the relationships we make. We’ve built a family around the globe.

Not only is Anglers Inn a tremendous bass fishing wonderland but it’s also a place to unite two people’s love for one another. Spectacular sunsets and unforgettable backdrops provide a meaningful and unique place to tie the knot (not just the Palomar).

I am sure you would be offended If someone called you a knucklehead.

Throwing a 10XD all day is a full contact sport. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.