Billy Chapman Jr. has operated Anglers Inn International lodges at most if not all of Mexico’s premiere bass fisheries at one time or another, but eventually settled on El Salto as the most reliable place to host anglers. It’s remarkably safe, has appropriate infrastructure, the water levels are seasonably predictable and the fishing remains excellent year after year.

Hanna and I first visited El Salto in 2009, and for five years we were 100% satisfied. The staff is exceptional and the fishing is just about always hot. Then, in May of 2014, Billy asked us to join him for a day and a half at a new lake called Picachos. He had committed to building there, but hadn’t yet started. We stayed in a rental house up the street and went out with a rookie guide.

On our first day there, we caught a fish here and a fish there until our guide tied up to a tree and instructed us to cast out toward the end of a point. For the next few hours, we caught several hundred fish. If you missed a hook set, often another fish would grab it. While we were taking a picture of a 7 pound 11 ounce largemouth I caught, I left my Senko dangling in the water and a 3-pounder snatched it. If our guide hadn’t noticed the rod bobbing in the water, the whole package might have been lost. Hanna topped off the day with a bug-eyed 9-12. The lake had only been impounded five years earlier so either that fish was part of the strong-gene brood stock placed in Picachos or it had grown 2 pounds a year.

Since then, we’ve been back to Picachos several times. We’ve also been to El Salto a number of times. Anglers Inn offers a “combo trip” where you can experience both of them without losing any fishing time.

Potential guests often ask us which lake they should visit, or whether they should go to both. There’s no hard-and-fast rule. People assume that El Salto is the “big fish lake” and Picachos is the “numbers lake” but we’ve seen weeks where that has been reversed. The single best numbers day we’ve ever had was at El Salto, and Hanna’s PB to date is the 9-12 that she caught at Picachos.

What makes this hard is that certain things hold true about both operations – the food and service are equally exceptional. It comes down to the fishing. As you make your choice, here are some factors to consider:

CHOOSE THE COMBO IF….

You want to hedge your bets.

It’s rare that either lake is “off.” Like pizza, even when Picachos and El Salto are “bad,” they’re probably still better than anyplace you fish at home. Nevertheless, the bass can get in a bit of a funk at times, and fishing does not always equal catching. Absent a rare Sinaloan snowstorm, the chances of them both being off a the same time is minimal.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

If you expect that you’ll never have the opportunity to return to Mexico, choose the combo to get the full experience. [Warning: I can just about guarantee that you will find a way to return. It’s that much fun.]

You want variety.

While on most Mexican fishing trips we catch fish from ankle deep to 30 feet of water, oftentimes one or two lures or presentations are the best during a particular week. It might be cranking or topwater or Carolina rigging. If you go to both lakes, there may be two vastly different dominant scenarios. That means you could have a killer spinnerbait bite for three days and the best deep water football jig bit of your life the rest of the time. Then, when your spouse says “Did you use all of that tackle you bought?” you can reply “Of course” without feeling like you’ve lied.

You want to experience both styles of housing.

El Salto offers a traditional lodge-style facility, while Picachos has individual casitas. They both have their advantages. Also El Salto can handle a larger number of guests at a given time, and while it’s not rowdy it may have more of a party atmosphere. Picachos is more intimate.

Your goal is to catch two jumbos from two lakes in one day.

On the same day that Hanna caught the 9-12 at Picachos, she caught a 9-01 at El Salto, along with a handful of seven-plus-pound bass. How many people can say they’ve caught two fish over 9 pounds from two lakes on the same day? Not many. I bet. Overall a pretty amazing accomplishment, and not easy to repeat, but the combo trip makes it possible.

STICK TO ONE LAKE IF….

You are going for a total of less than 6 days.

It takes a little over two hours to drive between the lakes, and a 6 day trip effectively gives you 2 ½ days of fishing on each. Any less than that and the juice is not worth the squeeze.

Moving is a hassle for you.

For me, it takes a day or so to get properly unpacked, get my tackle organized and get comfortable with my surroundings. If you don’t want to have to repack, make sure you have everything, and then unpack again, a combo can be rough.

You want to dial in a pattern over a trip.

Let’s say there’s a cranking bite. By the end of two days of fishing you may have focused in on a particular lure, in a particular color, with a very specific retrieve speed or style. Then you’re ready to wreck ‘em. The only problem is that it’s time to go to the other lake, where they may be chewing on something totally different.

You don’t want to spend time driving.

As noted above, it’s about a two hour drive from one lake to the other. If you’d rather spend the “down time” at the lodge relaxing, getting a massage or taking a siesta, that drive can wear you out.

You’ve been to both lakes and distinctly prefer one over the other.

Clients may prefer one lake’s fishing or scenery, or develop close friendships with the staff. If that’s the case, it’s ok to settle on one place as your personal Disneyland. But don’t let one exceptionally good or relatively tough fishing experience overwhelm the process. They both have some ups and downs, and either can be the “best” lake on a particular day.