Just got back from four days at Ron Speed's camp on Pichachos. Fishing was about average for Pichachos..

If your boat only caught a hundred in a day, you were slacking.. Lots of the group caught a hundred and fifty a day, and a couple of days produced over two freaking hundred fish for the hard core guys..

That wadn't me.. I bet those guys beers got hot..


We caught fish on every soft bait known to man. Senkos were great.. Crankbaits were great. Swimbaits were great. Flukes were good, but not as good as the senko.. 6" W/M Red.. Dip the tail.. Or a Mag trick worm in same or Sungill.. Lizards in W/M red or Kudzu were also good..

Topwater was so-so.. Did not throw it after the first day.

Of course the Plum Ol Monster whacked the [censored] out of em..

If you are headed down there, just fish your favorite..

We caught them from the dirt to fifty feet.. But most good fish were in fifteen to thirty feet of water.. Long points or humps could be stacked with quality fish in the three to five pound range.. Caught eighty fish without moving the boat up against the dam two evenings in a row.. A lot of three to four pounders..


Fish are fat and mean. The camp and food were great.. As usual at Speeds....


Take plenty of Advil..

This is probably the dumbest question...but, I am looking into doing something like this with my 11 year old son... is there any concern for safety?

my buddy and I caught 905 bass in 7 days at Picachos last week...biggest was 6.15lbs..very few small fish....probably 70% were in the 3-5 lb range...we stayed at rton speeds also..food and accomodations were great...regarding the question about safety...this is my second trip to picachos and have also been to el salto and comedero and I've never had a problem or felt threatened......

Muchas gracias for that excellent report! I'm going down to Picachos and El Salto May 5-11 and need all the information I can get.

**** First --- Jame's; thanks for the excellent report / what do I need to take OUT of MY BAG --- it is too dang full
**** Second --- does RSJA have any Bailey's for my coffee ?

Safety --- take your kid, the camps are very safe and the van trips are mostly on major roads. The bad guys really aren't going to mess with the fishing camp vans.



I am going AFTER you --- so I will need a current report when you get back.

Not at all! About an hour ride from Mazatlan on very good roads. Last road takes you through a small ,nice town and on to the lodge. Lodge sits right on the water and boats are right next to the dining area. Won't see much on the lake beyond netters and boats from Anglers Inn.

I wouldnt hesitate to take the kid, prepare for the sun, and getcha some. We fished it last and fishing Chapalla and agua milpas this year. Picachos felt very safe, did see a water pump or two up the bank aways but the guides in the area know exactly what is going on where, go fish.

Like the others guys said, i took way to o much gear, if I fished picachos again I would limit it to soft tackle, a few tops and deep cranks, maybe add some large plastics to carolina rig under schooling fish as I am sure there is a big fish or two laying underneath those schools.

And you will get one, sir!

if I was on a smooth point or bank,I threw a zoom magnum watermelon/red flake trick worm with 5/16 ounce shaky head...if I was on steep rocky bank with lot of wood cover,I threw a senko with 5/16th weight...color absolutely didn't matter....I had several assorted packs of different colors and sizes (5-7 inch) that had never worked well in USA and fish ate them up down there....
suggest you carry at least 50 5/16 oz sinkers (or whatever weight you prefer) and 5/0 hooks because you are going to be breaking off a lot from being hung up..... you gonna get a lot of bites from small fish that pull the plastic down and because you coming through wood cover,you end up setting hook into underwater limbs and stumps etc...

I had a flipping stick rigged up with 65lb braid,5/16 weight and ole monster mag lizard in watermelon/red flake...if I passed a tree or bush in 20 ft or less water,I'd drop that lizard down in middle and I'm guessing at least 50% of the time I'd get a bite.....and I think I won about 50% of the battles... my biggest fish was 5.80 lbs but I lost a few battles to fish I'm pretty sure were bigger...

Would you consider it safe to take your son to Mazatlan, Cozumel, Cabo etc? Apply that same answer to Pichachos.

BTW - On my last trip to Pichachos my goal was to catch 100 bass myself in 1 day. I almost did it by noon on the first day. No problem at all to catch 100 in a day if you stay after them.

Your son will remember the trip for a lifetime ---- and for all the right reasons.
Take him to Pichachos ��.
Right now Ron Speed Jr Adventures is doing a 2 for One special for family members --- in May & June

I think I am going to do it... thank you for the info gents... sorry for hijacking the post!

**** James / or anyone going/been to Pichacos with the RSJA group ****

What time did you leave the camp to go back to Mazatl�n the last day ?
How was the El Cid Hotel ?
What restaurant(s) are GOOD that are near the El Cid ?

Just got back from Pichachous and ElSalto, Pichachos has got to be the best lake anywhere for numbers, however, we caught very few over 4 1/2 pounds, lots of 3-4 pounders though and was a great trip.
ElSalto was a disappointment for us simply because of the tens of thousands (no exaggeration) of nets. We fished 4/1 and 4/2., Little did we know that the first day for tilapia nets was 4/1. It hampered the guides from getting to spots as well casting into nets frequently. Some of us caught quite a few fish but all small, 1 to 2 pounds. One group did catch and a couple of 5 pounders late in the day I heard. Facilities and staff at El Salto where great. Will not got back without checking the tilapia net schedule.

Newly Retired � which outfitter do you go with ?