Part of the reason that Mexico’s Lake El Salto remains so incredibly fertile and productive is because of its extreme water fluctuations. The rise-and-fall revitalizes the available cover. This year the full range of levels got completely condensed – it was at record lows when we were there in June, but thanks to subsequent heavy rain the lake is now over full pool.

There have been lots of articles over the years about how to fish for highly-pressured bass. It’s a useful topic because most of us fish crowded waters with excessive boat traffic and we’re hardly surprised to arrive at a key spot to find someone else on it . On the flip side, I’ve never seen an article on how to fish for UNPRESSURED bass. If you find yourself in that scenario, there’s a right way and a wrong way to get the job done

I’ve now been to South America four times but I’ve never left the friendly confines of Brazil. I went to Rio de Janeiro as a teenager (no fishing), and over the past decade I’ve been to the Rio Negro region twice, along with an exceptional trip to Rio Juruena. That needs to change. Here are five more that are currently at the top of my list.

It’s been an up-and-down week in the world of fishing travel, with all sorts of flight changes. The good news is there are lots of opportunities to fish Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos with Anglers Inn International.

Lake El Salto is full – newly full of water and of course, as always, full of big, mean, Florida-strain largemouth bass. You may recall that when we were there in mid-June, the lake was at a record low, which bunched the fish up really nicely. The shoreline cover that grew up while the lake was down is now inundated with water, creating a highly fertile ecosystem.

Planning a fishing trip to Asia is a daunting task, not only because there seems to be less information available about Asian fisheries, but also because of the time, distance and expense in getting to them. We’re simply more aware of the bucket list options closer to home and more able to take advantage of them. Here are four that I want to try when I retire.

When I compiled my recent list of “Ten North American Dream Fishing Trips,” I knew that is wasn’t a comprehensive survey, nor was it meant to be. Here are five more special destinations that are on my mind right now. The fishing comes first, of course, but each one offers something a little bit special on top of that – be it history, the way you get to the fish, the food or the scenery.

The professional bass anglers’ wives are so full of knowledge and tips and tricks about the RV lifestyle that I couldn’t confine their wisdom to just last week’s Part One. Here’s a second installment that should help us as we prepare for our retirement plan, and I hope will prove to be valuable to anyone who wants to hit the road, with or without a bass boat in tow.

You’ve saved for your bucket list vacation, acquired all of the necessary gear and the luggage to get it there. The forecast is perfect, the flight gets off without a hitch, but when you arrive at the baggage claim it’s the nightmare scenario. Either your rod tube doesn’t arrive or its contents are destroyed. Here’s how to avoid that nightmare scenario.

Have you ever traveled someplace, had a fabulous time, and no matter how long you stayed when it came time to go home it was just too short? As we prepared to leave Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, I felt a pit in my stomach. We loaded up the dinghy with our luggage what felt like moments after we’d arrived. I remember thinking, “I don't want to go home. When are we going to come back?”

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.

As a longtime member of the fishing media as well as a consultant to several leading fishing lodges, I think that I’m uniquely situated to tell you why you need to bring your pro staff together at a fishing lodge – with or without media. Executed properly, one of these gatherings can jumpstart your media campaigns and build brand knowledge and loyalty that a paycheck alone does not provide.

Every time we go to Mexico I learn or relearn certain things, or get an opportunity to test out new products and theories. This may seem like a bunch of disconnected mumbo-jumbo, but I’m hoping that some of you can benefit from my experiences. Here are eleven notes from our June 2021 trip, in no particular order.

It’s critical to stay hydrated when you’re fishing. That’s especially true in the Amazonian heat, or when we fished in a drier 114 degrees in Zambia. If you’ve been drinking for hours and haven’t had to pee, you’re already behind the eight ball. The best way to prevent it is to drink early and drink often.

A corporate fishing trip is our kind of work outing. Even if not all of the members of the group have prior fishing experience, by going to a fishery when the angling is expected to be off-the-charts, you’re likely ensuring that their first experience will be a good one – which means they’ll want to go again and again.

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.

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.

While Hanna and I have embarked on this project to make fishing travel our raison d’etre, we recognize that not everyone can or will travel long distances to chase fish. Perhaps it’s your budget, or family obligations or work, or maybe you just don’t want to get on a plane. That’s ok, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t derive great satisfaction with a rod and reel.

Heading back to Casa Vieja this year we weren’t sure we’d get the same kind of air show we experienced in 2020, but true to form each one of our 44 sailfish jumped multiple times. It’s something you have see to believe — and then you need to see it again and again.

Pete and I, along with six of our friends, leave for Panama next Tuesday. We’re finally headed to the legendary Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge. Of course, Pete is a planner and I like to wing it, so until a few days ago I had done no thorough research on this destination. I knew that we’d be chasing yellowfin tuna, but I didn’t know if that was the only game in town.