Located about 70 miles northeast of Mazatlan, Mexico, Lake El Salto
covers just 24,000 acres at pool stage, but looms large in the bass
fishing world. This lake could produce the next world record bass.
Anglers commonly catch bass exceeding 10 pounds, with 6- to 9-pounders
barely causing a stir. On one trip, Tony Encinas, head guide for Anglers
Inn El Salto, caught two 11-pounders, a 10- and a 9-pounder from the
same spot with the same swim bait in 20 minutes.
APPROACHING 20 POUNDS
“In May 2001, an angler landed and released an 18.5-pounder,” said
Billy Chapman, Jr., owner and founder of Anglers Inn International and a 2009
inductee into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. “We’ve had
a few 16-pounders and a load of 14- and 15-pounders. One day, we found a dead
16-pounder with a tilapia stuck in its mouth. We can’t even keep track
of the number of 5- to 9-pound bass we catch.”
In 1985, Chapman stocked pure Florida-strain largemouths and protein-rich
tilapia into the new lake. With deep holes, abundant forage, consistent
water coming down from the 8,000-foot Sierra Madre Mountains ringing
the lake and a long growing season, fish grow rapidly. Now, Lake El
Salto ranks as one of the foremost trophy bass lakes in the world with
Anglers Inn as the premier lodge on the lake.
Opened in 1989, Anglers Inn El Salto can accommodate guests in air-conditioned
hotel-style rooms complete with private baths. Chefs prepare three
full meals a day and offer refreshments all day. The Anglers Inn team
even provides laundry service with items picked up and delivered to
guest rooms.
BEST SERVICE ANYWHERE
I’ve stayed in many outstanding resorts and lodges during my
travels over the years, but I’ve never seen better service than
at Anglers Inn. Upon arrival, inn staff interview people about their
tastes and preferences. For one thing, they ask how each guest likes
his or her coffee. When they woke me up to go fishing each morning,
a staffer handed me a steaming cup of coffee just the way I liked it.
I didn’t even need to get out of bed to enjoy my first sip.
Besides running Anglers Inn at Lake El Salto, Chapman runs another
bass lodge at Lake Mateo, a lake that can produce 150 bass a day on
topwater baits, bluewater and light tackle saltwater operations out
of Mazatlan, a wing shooting operation and arranges expeditions to
the Amazon for peacock bass and other species. Offering many combination
packages, Chapman can also arrange vacations at the renowned Pueblo
Bonito Resorts, a Five-Star chain with seven resorts in western Mexico.
For booking trips, call 800-GOTA-FISH, (468-2347). On the Internet,
see www.anglersinn.com.
John
N. Felsher is a professional freelance writer and photographer with
more than 1,400 articles in more than 100 magazines to his credit.
He’s also the National Fishing Writer for Examiner.com
(www.examiner.com/x-16491-Fishing-Examiner)
and arranges trophy bass fishing to Lake El Salto, Lake Mateos in Mexico,
saltwater fishing and bird hunting out of Mazatlan, Mexico. Contact
him through his website at www.JohnNFelsher.com.
