January Mexico Update Part II

[Editor: this article first appeared on www.ronsfishingblog and may only be used by permission of Ron Speed Jr.]

LAKE PICACHOS….RECORD NUMBERS BROKEN AGAIN!!!

As stated in last week’s update, this report will focus more on Lakes Picachos and El Salto. I also mentioned ALL lakes are “sizzling” right now…and THAT’S A FACT, FOLKS!

Let’s get to it…shall we? I returned from Lake Comedero two weeks after 10 days of wrecking big bass after big bass. While there, I had longtime friends and customers fish 6 days at Comedero and 3 days at Picachos. Why did they choose only 3 days of fishing on Picachos? Well, quite simple…they’ve fished Picachos many times in the past and several times each season. They know the lake is absolute “money” when it comes to numbers of bass. They wanted to go get their shots at giant bass at Comedero and then slide down to just enjoy some insane action and numbers at Picachos. Well, we love it when a plan comes together. Most caught at least one 8 lbs bass or larger during their time at Comedero (many caught multiple bass larger than 8 lbs) and 75 bass per boat, per day at Comedero…and that isn’t enough action? Well, that’s a slow day at Picachos and the group knew it.

After 6 great days of trophy bass fishing at Comedero, this group of 8 anglers moved down to Picachos to get their fill of the non-stop action that lake offers. Last week I received calls with reports from several in the group. Ted Wayland and his fishing partner (Mike McGowan) averaged between 100 – 150 bass per day. However, Ted informed me of one particular morning where he and Mike landed 53 bass in one hour….53 BASS IN ONE HOUR!!! Teddy stated, “Ron, we never moved the boat! We literally caught bass on every drop! It was amazing!” …coming from Mr. Teddy, that’s saying something as he makes multiple trips each season to fish Picachos. Teddy and Mike were fishing a creek channel and their guide found the fish right in the “gut” of the channel. Once on the school of bass, it was lights out! Both have booked a return trip to Picachos later in March…for 6 days!

Another report of insane numbers recently came from Rick Pierce of Bass Cat Boats. Rick called me last week upon his return from Picachos and told me he and his group had never experienced anything like that in bass fishing. His group was fishing 3 days and on one day, ALL boats of 14 anglers had at least 100 bass by noon and Rick and his partner ended the day with over 400 bass that day! No, that’s not a typo….that’s straight from Rick’s mouth….over 400 bass by one boat of two anglers in ONE DAY AT PICACHOS!!! Folks, that sets a new record for a Ron Speed Jr’s Adventures’ single boat’s catch with two anglers. The previous record was 357 in one day by longtime customers Roger Sessions and Guy Smith (R.I.P.) in December of 2014.

Folks, these are just a couple of stories from RSJA customers that have just recently returned from Picachos. Fact is, the fishing is similar to these reports “most” of the time. Whether it’s June/July or Jan/Feb or March/April or Oct/Nov…it just doesn’t matter when it comes to catching all of the bass you desire! If you’ve kept up and read my past updates over the years, you should remember that I do believe THE BEST time to catch the larger bass in Picachos is March, April, May and June. March/April sees the big shad spawn going on and when those larger gizzard shad move in to spawn, it draws in the bigger bass in the lake to those mud flats and shallower spawning areas. In May/June, the big bass head out a little deeper (mostly 15′ – 22′ deep) and settle in on their summer pattern (humps, ledges, points, etc)…areas we can isolate those bigger bass…meaning it makes them easier to locate. Currently the average size seems to be running 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 lbs.

Come March, that average size will increase…and from April through mid-June (or prior to monsoon season beginning), that average size increases considerably! Also…by April 1st, no nets in the lake! That’s right…unlike other lakes in western Mexico where the nets are in the lake until the end of April….not so on Picachos. They’re ALL removed by the end of March. Our customers always catch fish even with the nets in the lake but I think most would prefer they not be in there and limiting some fishing areas. So keep that little nugget in mind if you decide to book your next trip to Picachos! Regardless, as I stated in a recent update…if you haven’t fished this amazing lake, you owe it to yourself to do so. These type lakes with this insane numbers of bass don’t come around very often in an angler’s lifetime. Don’t look back and have regrets. The opportunity is there for you NOW! Also, do not forget our Father/Son/Daughter or Mother/Son/Daughter Spring Break Specials in March! We also offer ALL kids 18 years of age and younger a special discount….and not limited to just March. This applies for any month we’re open for fishing.

LAKE EL SALTO….YEAH, IT’S SIZZLING TOO!!!

I told you in my last update that I was expecting big things from all three lakes for January and my next update. Well, it’s happening….at all three lakes including El Salto. El Salto is another one of those lakes that is just “money” most of the time. No, it doesn’t churn out the consistent 100 bass per boat per day (2 anglers) it once did but it DOES churn out the consistent numbers of 50 – 60 bass per boat, per day. The big fish in this lake just keep showing up. Thus far in January we’ve had a lot of customers land a lot of bass in the 6 – 8 lbs class and also we’re averaging multiple 9 – 10 lbs bass weekly…and sometimes daily. Here is an e-mail report from a customer that just returned from El Salto….

“Bill (RSJA Office Manager), I went 20 consecutive years to Lake Guerrero and Lake Espanola on the east side of Mexico and caught a lot of fish but the travel got so bad and fishing got so poor I just quit going and stayed in the US. We just got to where we were catching small fish and the guides kept every fish caught. That ruins a lake in a hurry. Went to Florida and Alabama a few times and caught good fish and had a great time. Phil Pirani talked me into going to Salto and I heard much about it but really thought that it would be the same song and dance as the other lakes in Mexico that I had been to……….I was wrong!

I have never seen a better fishing environment than where I was at this past week with the type of big fish population. It is nuts. Each day my boat caught a minimum of 60 fish and all were good healthy fish above 2 lbs. The first day I caught an 8.5 lb, the second day I caught a 10+ lb, and the third day I caught a 7.5 lb. There were too many 4-6 lb fish caught to mention. I checked my 5 best fish for our second day and it was a total weight of 35 lbs. That is a sack of fish! It was so good and had the absolute best time I have ever had fishing with my friends. Thanks to Bill, Phil, and Richard for making it great and your staff was incredible. I got back home and booked it again for next year.” – Chuck Farr

That is the type of feedback we’re receiving every week when a group returns from our operation at Lake El Salto. The awesome fishing at El Salto just keeps producing each year! In addition to the great fishing, we offer a very nice lodge at water’s edge that’s easily accessible from Mazatlan…the port city you fly to from the U.S. We also offer great service with a staff that’s been working for us many, many years. Some have been with us the entire 26 years since opening the lodge in 1990. We also offer the best bass boats on the lake for this type of fishing. All boats are 18′ Xpress all welded aluminum with 60 HP Yamaha outboard motors and powerful Motorguide trolling motors. (Note: we are converting over to powerful 24 volt Minn Kota trollers in the near future). We’re also adding new Lowrance Sonars to each boat for those anglers that like to watch depth and structure while fishing. Our food menu is second to none…and this is not just our claim but coming from most of our customers who have visited us. We offer thick 1 1/4″ juicy and tender grilled Ribeye steaks as well as fresh jumbo-sized shrimp from Mazatlan along with huge Lobster on Seafood Night. Also a tasty Mexican food night with delicious enchiladas, Chile Relleno, freshly made Tamales and Mexican Rice. Our desserts include a hot serving of Tom Perini’s recipe of Jack Daniels’ bread pudding (from the famous Perini’s Ranch Restaurant in Buffalo Gap, TX) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you desire. Other desserts include various flavors of ice cream along with a traditional Mexican Flan. We also offer an indoor as well as outdoor bar with your favorite beer, wine and hard liquor beverages.

Last, we offer fishing rods so you do not have to bring your own or lug those big heavy rod cases through airports. We are currently converting over to Dobyns Rods at all three lakes/lodges…the best bass rod on the market!!! As many of you know that have visited El Salto or Mazatlan recently, there are constant luggage embargoes being enforced. One airlines in particular states they do not count rod cases against your one checked bag limit. That is stated on their website. However, some of their employees at check-in counters in “some” airports didn’t seem to get that memo from up top…and turned some passengers away with having too many checked bags. Point is, you can save yourself the hassle of these luggage embargoes and simply use our fishing rods at the lodge. We also offer laundry service so there is not a huge need to bring a lot of clothing…thus allowing the angler to bring a few extra packs of Rage Tail Craw Worms or Thumper Worms! 😉 Yes, using our rods allows more room for clothing and tackle…and is offered as a convenience to you, our valuable customer.

As you can assume by now if you’ve read last week’s update on Lake Comedero (big bass explosion going on there) and this week’s update on Lakes Picachos and El Salto, there are fun fun times happening at ALL THREE LAKES! As I stated last week, never in my 30+ years in business nor in my fishing lifetime (over 48 years) have I seen great fishing like this at the same time on multiple lakes located in close proximity. Yes, my father Ron Speed, Sr, a pioneer in this Mexican Bass Fishing industry for 43 years, had multiple lakes/lodges at the same time but never at any given time was the fishing this great at all lakes at the same time. This, my friends, is an absolute unique time we’re experiencing. You can choose between all three lakes that best suits you and your group…or book a combo Trophy/Numbers of two of the three lakes…or do what several of my groups are doing this year and book THE GRAND SLAM and fish all three lakes in the same trip!!! You choose…we will make it happen!!!

LAKE HUITES FISH/HUNT COMBOS AVAILABLE!!!!

Do not forget about the fantastic fishing happening right now at beautiful Lake Huites! As I reported in my previous two updates, I went there to check the fishing last April and was pleasantly surprised at just how great the fishing was there. The lodge has been rebuilt from the one my father and his partner opened in 1997. This is a 5-star resort with a 5-star menu and service! Those that fished the lake with us years ago probably remember a very rough road going into the lake from the town of Choix….well, that no longer exists. The road from Choix has been completely paved all the way to the lake and now the ride from Los Mochis is very smooth and takes less time…much less! There are bass of all sizes in Huites…including a good number of 10 lbs and bigger! I truly believe a boat with two anglers can average 80 – 100 bass per day…and that’s being VERY conservative! When pros Terry Oldham and Steve Parks were with me checking the fishing last April, we averaged 150+ bass per boat, per day but could have easily exceeded 200 per day. However, we were checking all areas of the lake for not only numbers but size as well. So the opportunity to catch numbers AND SIZE exists at Lake Huites.

A few nuggets about Huites…currently there is NO COMMERCIAL FISHING on the lake. In 3 1/2 days of fishing, we never saw another boat on the lake and not one single commercial net. It has zero fishing pressure and probably most (if not all?) bass have never once seen an artificial lure! Also, we are teaming up with our good friend Bobby Balderrama who owns/operates a first class wing resort out of Los Mochis. Bobby has been in the wing shooting business in Mexico for many, many years and has a great reputation for providing a first class hunt and accommodations! Thanks to Bobby, we will be offering duck hunting at his Los Mochis operation as well as providing some fun Fish/Hunt combo packages for those who would like to combine great bass fishing at Huites and duck hunting! Call us today for more details on this exciting new package we’ll be offering!