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Mexico lake offers big bass, tropical scene
Bob Hirsch, Special for The Arizona Republic
Oct. 31, 2002
Bob Hirsch/Special for The Republic
Ann Hirsch Norzagaray shows off a prize catch at Lake El Salto in Mexico. Anglers say El Salto is the best lake in Mexico for bass fishing.
LAKE EL SALTO, Mexico - El Salto is the place where bass dreams come true.
Here, an hour northeast of Mazatlan, lush tropical growth softens the outline of rugged mountains and crowds the shoreline of the lake experts agree is the best place in Mexico to tangle with a big bass.
How big? Double-digit Florida strain largemouth bass are common, and fish more than 5 pounds clobber a surface lure or inhale a spinnerbait at least every hour a boat is on the water.
My daughter, Ann Hirsch Norzagaray, and I spent two days on El Salto in mid-October.
We fished out of Fred Ward's El Salto Pro Bass Adventures lodge.
Ward, who lives in Phoenix and is an Arizona native, is the first American to open a fishing lodge in Mexico. He's a good enough angler to have qualified for the BassMasters Classic.
About those El Salto dreams: truth be known, most weekend anglers in Arizona are still trying to crack the 5-pound mark for bass and a "good" fish is anything more than two pounds.
When we pulled away from the dock at dawn the first day, Ann's personal best was a 4-pound, 8-ounce lunker caught a year or two ago from Alamo.
She passed her personal best to 5-8 the first day, then to 6-7 and finally to 7-2 the last hour we were on the water.
The two of us also managed to catch and release 45 to 50 fish, with most in the 3- to 5-pound class.
Anglers tend to get a little spoiled.
When a fish grabs the plastic worm or explodes on a Pop-R surface lure and the rod bends and the drag buzzes, they yell, "Get the net, it's a big one."
Then the fish comes to the surface and he or she casually says, "Oh, it's only a 4-pounder."
Despite all of this, sometimes it's hard to keep the attention on the fishing.
There are thousands of tropical birds on the lake, with ibis and herons and other water and shore birds everywhere.
Raptors dive for fish, and colorful parrotlike birds flit among the thick foliage on shore. I'll take binoculars and a bird book next time.
Ward's El Salto season is Oct. 1-May 30.
For information and a brochure call (623) 879-8200.
Bob Hirsch, Special for The Arizona Republic
Oct. 31, 2002
Bob Hirsch/Special for The Republic
Ann Hirsch Norzagaray shows off a prize catch at Lake El Salto in Mexico. Anglers say El Salto is the best lake in Mexico for bass fishing.
LAKE EL SALTO, Mexico - El Salto is the place where bass dreams come true.
Here, an hour northeast of Mazatlan, lush tropical growth softens the outline of rugged mountains and crowds the shoreline of the lake experts agree is the best place in Mexico to tangle with a big bass.
How big? Double-digit Florida strain largemouth bass are common, and fish more than 5 pounds clobber a surface lure or inhale a spinnerbait at least every hour a boat is on the water.
My daughter, Ann Hirsch Norzagaray, and I spent two days on El Salto in mid-October.
We fished out of Fred Ward's El Salto Pro Bass Adventures lodge.
Ward, who lives in Phoenix and is an Arizona native, is the first American to open a fishing lodge in Mexico. He's a good enough angler to have qualified for the BassMasters Classic.
About those El Salto dreams: truth be known, most weekend anglers in Arizona are still trying to crack the 5-pound mark for bass and a "good" fish is anything more than two pounds.
When we pulled away from the dock at dawn the first day, Ann's personal best was a 4-pound, 8-ounce lunker caught a year or two ago from Alamo.
She passed her personal best to 5-8 the first day, then to 6-7 and finally to 7-2 the last hour we were on the water.
The two of us also managed to catch and release 45 to 50 fish, with most in the 3- to 5-pound class.
Anglers tend to get a little spoiled.
When a fish grabs the plastic worm or explodes on a Pop-R surface lure and the rod bends and the drag buzzes, they yell, "Get the net, it's a big one."
Then the fish comes to the surface and he or she casually says, "Oh, it's only a 4-pounder."
Despite all of this, sometimes it's hard to keep the attention on the fishing.
There are thousands of tropical birds on the lake, with ibis and herons and other water and shore birds everywhere.
Raptors dive for fish, and colorful parrotlike birds flit among the thick foliage on shore. I'll take binoculars and a bird book next time.
Ward's El Salto season is Oct. 1-May 30.
For information and a brochure call (623) 879-8200.
