El Salto and Picachos Fishing Report

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions pete_robbins@hotmail.com

Nice Web Site and post. Thanks for sharing.

3 months and 7 days until im there...

It certainly did not live up to my expectorations...I was there last week and we didn�t break a hundred in three days. Biggest was maybe 4.5lbs. Beat the bank with soft plastics 90% of the time....maybe I had my expectations too high.

How were you fishing it? What kind of plastics? Please share. Im going on March 5th so I need to know what NOT to do

Senkos and lizards. That�s what your guide is going to say anyways...I�m sure it worked for some but it wasn�t in our cards. Just don�t expect a slug fest of 5-6lbers with the occasional 10lber if you know what I mean. Not everyone does what you read lol. Oh and the nets...wow

I was figuring on throwing deeper cranks and 1oz spinners on points and deeper areas.. Work Shallow and then move out deep? I figured the fish were or will be done spawning here soon.

Didnt throw sw imbait at all? Mistake
Didnt deep crank? Mistake
Didnt drag big worm deeper? Mistake...

I would have had a SERIOUS conversation with my guide.

That�s Mexican bass fishing, you just never know...

Were the nets out?

But I thought that you, as the angler should be able to control the trolling motor? If he stopped at the bank and you're making the cast to the banks aren't producing any bites, I would guess that you'd take the trolling motor and go out deeper?? Unless the guide wouldn't let you operate the trolling motor as well?

Unless the nets prohibited you from going out deeper and the guide knew there would be trouble?

I was down there the last week in January and the big fish bite was not great. We had a group of 8 guys go down and the big fish was 7lbs 8oz. Still a good fish but when you think about 8 guys fishing 3.5 days 10 hours a day. That's not great. There was also a 7lbs 6oz and 7lbs even. The big fish did come on a lizard but for the most part the better quality fish came on moving baits. Squarebill caught the 7 and a 5.8" Keitech caught the 7-6. We probably averaged 50-60 fish a day but I would say 90% of them were 12-14".

We talked to another group of guys at the airport that was down there at the exact same time and they hammered the big fish (pictures were shown to prove). 2 fish over 10lbs in their group, 5 over 9lbs, quite a few 7s and 8s as well. Most of their big fish came on a KVD 2.5 squarebill and some came on fully dipped chart fluke.

Sometimes you just have to do your own thing. I did throw a squarebill a bit the first day and then took it off mid day. At one point I opened my tackle box to the guide and pointed at a squarebill and he shook his head no.

The nets out can really change the fishing and its hard to fish deep in many many places... You just can't imagine how many nets are out there its crazy...

I've fished there with nets and no nets. Yes, they certainly limit your mobility and prevent you from fishing certain spots -- it can be frustrating.

At the same time, I don't think it affects the attitude of the fish. In my experience the worst days are usually the day after the nets go in or out, due to all of the added boat traffic.

Wow, I had no idea that the nets could prevent you from fishing so many spots. I figured it limited you in some areas, but I didn't think it would be so many areas. Is that common on every Mexican lake?

Yes we did that...it didn�t produce so the guide moves back to shore so you can catch something I guess.