The Travel Blog
Exotic fishing travel may be our driving passion, but we love a good road trip just the same. It’s all about leaving work behind, seeing new things and expanding our horizons.. Each new trip is a chance to catch new species and meet people who make us more complete.
Seven Reasons to Make Your Next Mexican Bass Fishing Vacation a Week
On our first trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, Hanna and I went for 3.5 days of fishing. Since then, we’ve almost always gone for at least a week. On a handful of occasions when time was limited, we have jetted in for the shorter stay, and once we stayed for a full two weeks, but for most visitors I’d suggest that you fish at least 6 days.
Hasta La Vista – A Guide to Departing Mazatlán (Updated June 2023)
Whether you’ve done this trip a thousand times, or it’s only your second visit to the Mazatlán airport (see our arrival guide here), there are a few things that’ll make your departure go more smoothly. Having done this nearly 20 times, we’ve made all of the mistakes, so you don’t have to.
Why We Go to El Salto in May and June
Friends are often surprised to hear that we go to Mexico during the warmer months. Indeed, there are several prejudices working against making such a trip. You may be giving up a few days of exceptional fishing at home, but in all but a few instances it’s likely to be better South of the Border.
Rookie Mistakes on Our Most Recent Trip to El Salto
f you’ve read our “Ultimate Guide to El Salto and Picachos” it should be pretty obvious that we’ve spent hundreds of hours trying to figure out how to maximize every trip South of the Border, developing systems for everything from what to pack, to how to pack, to what to eat and lures to throw. Despite all of those best-laid plans, however, we still screw up at times. We’ve decided to be transparent about our mistakes, hoping that you don’t end up repeating them.
Low Water Strategies for Lake El Salto
Hanna and I love fishing Mexico’s Lake El Salto in May and June, when the water level is typically at its lowest, The bass get schooled up on offshore structure and both the numbers and average size can be mind-blowing. Low water is no guarantee of superior fishing, but the great trips this time of year clearly outweigh the merely good ones. Of course, you’ll want to “make hay while the sun shines.” Here are strategies I’ve developed that I feel give me a leg up.
Six Goals for our June 2021 Trip to El Salto
I don’t need motivation to want to go to El Salto. Hanna and I refer to the Anglers Inn facility there as our second home, and I’ve been fortunate to go enough times that I’ve lost count. Every time I buy my plane tickets the countdown to the next trip starts — and I always have some sort of goals.
Fishing Your Last Morning at Anglers Inn
Since most of the year you can be on the water before 6am, if your package includes a last-day half-day, that gives you plenty of time to fish – if you take a few steps to make it happen.
The Daily Routine at Anglers Inn International (Mexico)
A day at Anglers Inn is designed to start before sunrise and end after sunset, making every minute count. It’s packed with full glasses, full bellies, lots of stories, plenty of camaraderie and, well of course, FISH….lots of them.
The Agony of Defeat
I will never be as famous as Vinko Bogataj for his wipeout featured on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, but my disappointments and failures leave me just as devastated. Anyone who has ever fished knows that while we like to talk about our success, the chatter at the dock is always about “the one that got away.”
June 2021 in Mexico — Space Available
We’re headed to famous Lake El Salto in June of 2021 for an offshore slugfest — and there are rooms available if you want to join us.
Anglers Inn: Service is Our Focus
Anglers Inn President Billy Chapman Jr. knows he can’t control the fishing, even on the best waters in the world, so he makes an effort to exceed expectations in any way that he does have control over. He doesn’t tolerate employees who don’t buy into that game plan, and it shows. Everyone who stays around is constantly hustling.
Not Home for the Holidays
It took us about two seconds to reach the executive decision to extend our El Salto trip through the holiday (which was about 1.99 seconds longer than it should have taken). As Hanna has written, it’s our home away from home, and the staff have become our second family. Nevertheless, neither of us had ever spent turkey day outside of the U.S. We had no idea what to expect on the “Dia de Gracias.”
Anglers Inn’s “Off Menu” Items
Billy Chapman Jr.’s motto has always been: “Service is our focus.” That extends to eating, too. The staff wants you to be well-fed and satisfied. Accordingly, they’re willing to go the extra mile to make that happen.
Is it Safe to Fish in Mexico During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Despite what some people claimed would happen, the COVID-19 did not abate after election day. In fact, as Hanna and I prepared to leave for Anglers Inn Lake El Salto on the ominous date of Friday the 13th (of November), numbers were surging throughout the United States. Friends and family members expressed concern over our decision to persevere with our planned weeklong vacation, and truth be told we were a bit worried ourselves.
Thanksgiving 2020: A Family Affair
This Thanksgiving Pete and I were supposed to drive to Chicago to cook, eat, relax, eat and eat again on a long overdue visit to see family and friends. We were scheduled to be in Mexico from November 14 to 21, but that wouldn’t give us time to quarantine or get a COVID test, so we made the decision to not make the drive. This will be my fifty-third (!) Thanksgiving and for each and every one I have been thankful to be surrounded by close family and friends.
Mexico or Bust — An All-Female Perspective
I want everyone – and especially women – to be cautious, but I also want them to have a chance to experience the great fishing at Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos. I’ve been visiting Anglers Inn properties since 2009, and while there have been a few women in our groups, historically they were mostly or entirely male, except for me. Back in June of 2017 I decided that listening to all the men jibber jabber about all the fish they caught, how they caught them and how many beers they drank was getting old -- we needed some more lady anglers in the mix.
Fishing at Anglers Inn on Arrival Day
Many of the fishing packages offered by Anglers Inn include a half day on the water, either on the day you arrive or the day you depart. For a variety of reasons, it’s most likely to occur on the front end, if at all. If you’re already in Mazatlán, it may not be a problem to arrive in time for lunch and a full afternoon session, but if your plane arriving and you’re headed straight to the lake, you’ll need to be efficient if you want to make it count.
Your GUIDE to Learning
When learning to fish you need to go where you will get a lot of chances. If you’re only going to get one bite a day, and they’re only hitting one particular lure, it’s hard to refine your technique. If you only catch little fish, you won’t be tested. In Mexico, not only are there numbers of fish, but lots of quality specimens, too, so you’ll have tons of opportunities to catch them just about any way you want.
Fishing in Mexico: The Safety Question
Right on the heels of “Who is the best guide at El Salto?” the top question we receive is whether it’s safe to go. It’s certainly a valid question about any foreign or domestic vacation destination, and especially when you’re discussing Mexico, which has gained a reputation for violent crime in recent years.
Stop Dickin’ Around
Circa summer 2009: I’m planning Pete’s 40th birthday party for February 2010 and I’m at a loss -- What to do? what to do? I think I threw him a surprise party on the actual date. Good golly I’m old. I can’t remember anything anymore. What I do remember is that before the actual birthday I gathered some friends to go to this place that Pete talked about endlessly: Lake El Salto, Mexico.