Five More Questions You May Have About the Anglers Inn Experience

After nearly 20 trips to Anglers Inn’s El Salto and Picachos lodges, Hanna and I tend to take some of the most basic details of the trip for granted. At this point, our “vacation muscle memory” is so strong that we don’t need to think much about the sequence of events or how the trip will go down. All we need to do is go fish and make sure that our friends and guests are having a good time.

Nevertheless, we’ve used this website as a means of answering the most likely queries that you might have before you book, before you travel, once you’re there, and upon your return home. Indeed, we didn’t realize how many strong opinions we have about the “right way” to do things, and over a relatively short period of time we’ve built a library of resources that’ll answer some of the most obvious and most frequent questions. Remember, there’s no such thing as a “dumb question” if it helps you have a better trip, so here are five more questions that you might be afraid to ask, along with our answers.

What Should I Do if My Plane is Delayed?

Unfortunately, plane delays into and out of Mexico are rather common, for reasons that still remain a mystery to us. From our personal perspective, we’d rather have them on the way home, rather than on the way to the lake (which causes us to miss fishing), although we understand that both ways are an inconvenience. Fortunately, Anglers Inn does not compound that inconvenience through their actions. In fact, they are remarkably competent in dealing with late arrivals. When you book your trip, you will fill out a form which includes your flight information. They may ask for it again shortly before you travel, but in either case they will have it on game day, and they will continue to monitor it. If your flight is delayed it never hurts to call, text or email that information to the office, but trust me, they will already know about it. No matter what time you arrive, someone will be there with a welcome sign, the van and a cooler full of drinks for your ride to the lake, at no extra charge. Not all Mexican fishing lodges can say that—some charge you extra if you are delayed past a certain number of hours. On our first trip to El Salto in December of 2009, we were supposed to arrive in Mazatlán at 11am, but instead we arrived after midnight the next day. Still, someone was waiting for us, and staff members were awake at the lodge to get us settled when we arrived there two hours later.

When Should I Tip?

We understand that gratuities are a great source of discomfort for many people—not only who to tip and how much, but also when to tip. First of all, remember that gratuities are discretionary. If you think service was poor, you might be justified in reducing or eliminating them, but in either case I’d suggest talking to management to explain your discontent first. At most fishing lodges I’ve been to, the staff depends on tips for much of their livelihood, so if you’re looking for an excuse to shortchange or stiff them I’d recommend staying home.

From my personal perspective, there are three groups of people you should tip at Anglers Inn, and the times that you tip them are different. First are the van drivers to and from the lake. I suggest that you tip the individual immediately upon completion of the ride. In fact, put the planned amount in your pocket before or during the ride, because otherwise you might forget. You might think it makes sense to wait until you complete the second ride, and then tip a comprehensive amount then, but you may have a different driver, so that might not work. The second group is your guide or guides. If you expect to have the same guide the entire trip, there is nothing wrong with tipping him at the conclusion of the last session, but if you’re switching around among your group, it may make sense to tip at the conclusion of each fishing period. The third group is the broader staff—waiters, bartenders, handymen, the laundry team, etc. Remember, this group includes a lot of hard-working people you may never see or meet. On your last day at the lodge, the manager will give you an envelope for that total amount. Place your cash inside, write the total on the outside, and I assure you it will be distributed according to a well-established formula.

Can I Spend Time in Mazatlán?

Upon the completion of our first trip to El Salto in 2009, our friends went home and Hanna and I spent three days at a beachfront hotel enjoying a little bit of relaxation. We haven’t done it since. Why not? It’s nothing against Mazatlán, which is a nice, inexpensive resort town with great seafood. Rather, it’s that we’d prefer to spend our available vacation time fishing. That said, we know that a lot of you have the extra time and need/deserve some R&R. There are several nice resorts along the beach, including some that are all-inclusive. If you want to tack a few days onto the front or back of your trip to do something besides fish the lake/s, contact Hanna and she can lay out some options. Additionally, if you’re already in Sinaloa as a snowbird or on a family vacation, don’t forget that (availability permitting) there are day trips available to both lakes.

Is There Internet?

The facilities at both Anglers Inn Lake El Salto and Anglers Inn Lake Picachos include internet access. When you get there, just ask a staff member for the current wireless password and add it to your devices as needed. Don’t expect it to be lightning fast—you’re probably not going to be able to send large files or stream a movie—but it’s perfectly adequate for sending emails, monitoring sports scores or checking in on your upcoming flight. A few pieces of advice: First, get as close to the router as you can. Second, try to check or send important messages during “off” times. At meal times, when everyone is drinking a Pacifico or a margarita and trying to taunt their friends at home with pictures of big bass, the bandwidth gets sucked up in a hurry.

What About Saltwater Fishing?

If you stay in Mazatlán, there are several well-appointed marinas right in town (and in some cases at the resorts you’ll want to patronize) with fleets ranging from everything from traditional pangas up to and including luxurious sportfishing boats. One really nice thing is that the prices, while not insubstantial, are typically lower than they are at many other famed sportfishing venues. There are billfish, mahi, tuna and a variety of bottom species available, among others, depending on who you charter. While we haven’t gone ourselves, we’ve been told several things, both good and bad. First the good: Several frequent Anglers Inn guests who’ve gone out with local charters have had great days, including marlin catches. Next the bad: The fishing is admittedly not what it once was, thanks to overseas factory trawlers pillaging the area. Finally, one additional note: Hanna and I favor catch and release for billfishing, and while the charters will allegedly let you release your catch, we’ve also seen an awful lot of pictures of big fish hanging from a chain at the marina, so be aware of that—if you go be sure to discuss such matters with your captain and mate in advance. If you’d like information about recommended charters, again, ask Hanna.