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Charlie displaying a jumbo topwater El Salto Bass!
Hi Keith,
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For me this year was almost the antithesis of last year. In 2011 the water was low and we caught incredible numbers of 2 and 3 pound bass with a few 4 pounders and a 5 and 6 pounder thrown in. This year with higher water we caught many fewer, but the fish over all were much bigger. (I don't know it the water level has anything to do with it.) We each caught several over 5 pounds and most on top. Of the 4 1/2 days, only one day left us without a plus five pounder. Though the numbers were not there, the anticipation of big fish kept it very interesting, and even the small fish were bigger.
As usual, the whole experience makes me want to return. The members of the staff make it a most enjoyable time. Juan, our guide, worked very hard to take us to fish and seemed to have a knack of finding the big ones.
I certainly hope to return at the same time next year! ~Charlie
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All smiles for El Salto Bass!
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Keith, I have had a week to collect my thoughts on last weeks trip, but simply put it ranks right up there as one of if not the best fishing experiences I've ever had. To share it with Charlie made it really special. From the time you sent me the blue information packet to the long ride back to Mazatlan airport and everything in between the trip was a huge success from the camp hosts Herby, Steve and his wife Geoff to the incredible staff,... especially Jose, Sammy and Ramon who made sure everything ran smoothly and made us safe and comfortable - they were true professionals in every sense.
Now let's talk fishing, I won't speak for charlie but your choice of guides was spot on! Juan was incredible, from his boat handling skills to his making sure we both were seated before throttling the boat up to get it on plane he projected safety confidence and knowledge and I very much appreciated that. Juan also put the both of us into personal best trophy Bass and as an added bonus the man has a unnatural ability to spot wildlife, he pointed out a huge Mexican black snake, large lizards in the trees and sunning on the rocks charlie and I had no clue they were even there!
Back to the fishing, the morning bite for the both of us was terrible...... charlie for months told me how outrageous the morning bite would be but the afternoon/evening bite more than made up the disappointment of slow morning fishing with the clincher being the first evening as Juan took us to a shallow bay close to camp and ask us to cast against the bank pulling our Dalhberg Diving bugs over bushes and other debris only to watch in amazement the water explode taking turns hooking and landing back to back to back 6+lbs fish to cap off an already great day! Charlie and I hooked fish on a variety of surface and subsurface patterns, with deer hair bass bugs, foam and standard deer dalhberg divers, foam gurglers, foam divers in a variety of styles and colors, my personal favorite colors white, yellow, black purple and blue and green frog representing the floating aspect..........and silver and white clouser minnow, airheads and gummy minnows doing the damage subsurface. Again Keith the fishing, especially the surface bite exceeded any and all expectations that I had and am already looking to next year! Thanks again and tight lines! ~Brad
