[Editor: this article first appeared on www.ronsfishingblog and may only be used by permission of Ron Speed Jr.]
El Salto Heating Up!!!
Back on December 27th, we had a group of eight anglers arrive to fish El Salto for 5 days. This group found the fishing to be just like last season which turned out to be the very best year of fishing on El Salto since the lake opened in 1990. Many of their boats averaged near or over 100 bass per day with outstanding size…both in average size (lots of 3 – 7lbs) and trophy class (over 8lbs)! Then came a major cold front around the 10th of January which drove the bass out of shallow water as well as adversely affecting the bite. This trend carried over for most of January with several back-to-back cold fronts making their way far enough south to slow the fishing on El Salto. It wasn’t until the final week of January that temperatures began to warm up to the normal (for January) near 80’s for daytime highs. J. W. Peterson’s group fishing the last week of January were able to experience the great fishing El Salto normally produces…lots of action with tremendous size! Most of J.W.’s group averaged between 50 – 60 bass per boat, per day but two boats hit over 90 bass two days in a row…one of those boats landed bass of 10.3lbs, 9.9lbs and 9.0lbs in ONE DAY!!! They also landed a good number of bass from 5 – 7lbs!
Moving on to February…first group of the month went in on the 1st for 3 days of fishing. Their first day was all about big fish with bass caught weighing 10.0, 9.15, 9.2, 9.0, 8.8, 8.4, 8.0 and 8.0!!!
The best news is that with the unseasonably cold temperatures that took place in January, there were few bass that spawned during the month. This means the two big spawns will now take place in February and March and maybe some late spawn action in April! Normally the females move in shallow to spawn over or near the full moon. Well it just so happens we have room at the camp the last two weeks of March and over the full moon. That should be an outstanding time for one looking for the best chance at a big ol’ bucketmouth sow bass!!! Also, remember that the fishing co-ops on El Salto agree to remove the nets from the lake every 10 days and leave them out for a total of 5 days each time. That last 5 days of March there should be no nets in the lake. Of course this is going by THEIR word and we do not guarantee there won’t be any nets in the lake during that time but the co-ops have been pretty good about keeping with the schedule of nets in/out of the lake. Personally I don’t see a difference in the fishing, whether the nets are in or out but I do realize that many of our anglers prefer the nets to be out during their stay…mainly to avoid having to fish in and around them.
Last, remember our March Spring Break special we run each year…a Father/Son (or daughter) or Mother/Son (or daughter) special where the fishing package cost is reduced by $300 each from the normal 3-day and 4-day fishing packages.
The next few months should be outstanding on El Salto as the bass should be shallow, spawning and ready to bite your favorite lure! Don’t miss out on the tremendous action that awaits you on the best bass lake in the world!!!
Book a Trip With us to Salto This Year to Earn Discount Next Season!!!
That’s right Anglers…if you book a fishing trip with us to El Salto for this season (to fish with us from now until July), you will earn a $200 discount on a fishing trip back to El Salto next fall (October – December) 2013! The normal cost for the fall fishing with us on El Salto is already $445 lower than Jan – March. Add another $200. discount to it and you get a $645 reduction from Jan – March (high season price). As many of our anglers will testify, the fishing on El Salto during the fall can be outstanding! Pro Angler Denny Brauer has brought us many groups over the years and during the fall…and enjoyed outstanding fishing! So get in on this year’s great fishing and earn a heavily reduced trip back next Fall!!!
Frequent Fisherman Program!!!
My father Ron Speed Sr recently retired. Years ago he started a “Frequent Fisherman” program for his customers’ benefit. I am starting the same program for all of our customers. This will apply to all who buy a fishing trip with us to Brazil and Mexico. If you feel you have an interest in learning more about this great opportunity, please contact our office.
The fishing is definitely heating up on El Salto and you need to be there NOW!!! Don’t miss out on what appears to be a great fishing season with perfect water level. Call us today to book your bass fishing trip of a lifetime!!!
Good fishin’,
Ron Speed Jr
Ron Speed Jr’s Adventures
1-800-722-0006
For the past few years, the water levels in the Rio Negro have been constantly high and generally rising. We don’t mind the high water so much as there’s always a greater chance of water being high in the Negro than low. However, it’s the high AND RISING water that typically causes the fishing to be slow. Well I’m happy to report that through our first three groups in January, the water has been falling. It started off the first week of January on the high side but was stable in the first few days before starting to drop. The second week the water fell a little more and the third week it’s been falling drastically. Of course we all know that this can change at any given time but at least for right now, we’re having near perfect water level conditions! The current group that’s there fishing with the Otter, has already boated over 400 peacock bass in their first 2 ½ days of fishing. This with only 11 anglers as 4 of our group members had to cancel their trip one day prior to arriving. Now who was it that said water levels don’t matter? If you want a chance to get in on the great fishing this season, while the water levels are still good, you need to call us NOW! We have one date/trip available February 16th at a considerable reduced cost due to one group cancelling that had already paid deposit. If you would like further details, you need to call us TODAY!!! DON’T MISS OUT!!!
Last year I mentioned in a newsletter that the locations we fish our customers with the Otter are proving to be the most consistent and best fishing. Why? I’ll repeat again…the water levels in these two tributaries of the Amazon are always on the fall during the two months we fish these locations. Reason for this, they do not have very many tributaries or other water sources that influence the water level. These two rivers may be on the high side when we begin in early September (not always) but wherever the water level is when we start, it almost always falls from week to week…never rising. Another reason for this is due to these two rivers being located in a TRUE dry region…nowhere close to any rainy/monsoon season. This past fall our customers that fished these two rivers enjoyed incredible fishing…both with trophy sized peacocks as well as fantastic action on numbers!!! We started fishing this area in 1993 and have never failed to fish it during Sept/Oct since then. Fact is, the fishing there is better now than it was when we began 20 years ago. The main reason for this is due to the rivers being protected…meaning very little pressure! 
Twenty years ago, the average week would produce approximately 350 peacocks for the week, with maybe 1 or 2 over 20lbs and an average of 10 over 15lbs and 30 over 10lbs. Today, the rivers produce an average of 650 fish per week, 8 – 10 over 20lbs, nearly 30 over 15lbs and 60 over 10lbs!!! That’s just the average, Folks! Naturally there are some weeks better, some not quite as good…but those are exceptional numbers when you consider the average size group on the Otter is 12 – 13 anglers per week!!! We strongly recommend that you consider fishing with us on these two rivers next fall or in the future! Yes, we still fish the Negro and have outstanding trips there. Most of our anglers always want to escape Old Man Winter in January and February which is all Rio Negro. However, if you want to sneak off during the early fall time of year, there’s outstanding fishing that awaits you! While we are the first to tell all of our valuable customers that there are no guarantees in fishing (or hunting), we do believe that this area gives the best chance for experiencing good water levels…which generally translates into GREAT FISHING!!!
Call us today and come experience the tremendous top water explosions, the incredible power and ferocity of the dynamic peacock bass, as well as the mystique of the amazing Amazon Rain Forest! 