I'm not referring to lakes off the Rio Grande. I'm wanting to hear some stories about guys fishing with legitimate outfitters like Ron Speed or Billy Chapman down in Mexico. I want know about life threatening incidents to American fishermen while traveling or fishing while booked through a guide service. No Borderland Beat stories, and no hypotheticals. Just true fisherman stories, if that's possible.

check this thread out-it's further down the page..

https://texasfishingforum.com/forum...questions-on-mexico-bass-trip-educate-me

myself and several of my friends have been going to picachos,el salto and comedero with ron speed for past 6-7 years with no problems.....keep in mind if there had been a single incident of harm toward a fisherman,ron speed and anglers Inn would no longer be in business in mexico....I'm told that the drug cartel is well aware that any incident toward fishermen would result in probably a hundred or more guides,cooks,waiters,maids and support staff losing their job.....

This is fact. I’m sure there outfitters have an arrangement with the cartels.
I’ve been going for over 20 years and have had no issues.
Back to Baccarac next April😀

Been going to Anglers inn since 2002 no issues hoping to go in June 2024

I have been driving down and pulling boats to Lake Oviachic and other lakes for 35 years. We made two or three trips every year; so we were on the roads more than anyone. I have also stayed at the lodges in Mexico. I have never been treated so good. When we break down on the side of the road, help is always on the way and fixed on site. You can't get that here; just a tow truck to a dealership. We have never felt threatened in any way. Stay at your camp, mind your own business, be patient when litte things happen, never complain, show respect and compassion and pay them well when you need something.

I had a friend trailer a boat to Baccarac years ago.

They had done it several times. A group would go with 5 boats and 10 guys.

They had a tradition of taking toys and whatever and giving them to kids along the way.

Well, they were in line at the border coming home and there was kids out begging for anything. They gave what they had away, and apparently there wasn’t enough to go around.

One of the kids got pissed he didn’t get anything, completely unhooked a boat from the trailer without them knowing,
They got to the us side, hit a bump and off came their Ranger.

It was really good for them until then, nothing some insurance couldn’t take care of

I go every year, takes about 26 hours to drive one way from DFW. Fish for 6 days, food is great, they are very hospitable. Border crossing, paper work to take our own boats, and the visas, are a pain in the [censored]. Every year we go there is a huge group of fisherman out of Phoenix and they beg us not to tell, cause they don’t want to deal with over crowding. It takes 9 hours to drive down from Phoenix. Some even pull their own boats as far down as El Salto. 3 years ago I ran into two old men from Phoenix as they were coming in and we were leaving. They pulled over while we were at a gas station to ask us where we were coming back from to get a fishing report. They were in their 80s and said they had been coming for at least 30 years. The guys from Phoenix we keep in contact with as they go 3 and 4 times a year. Met a guy two years ago from San Antonio and he goes 4 or 5 times a year and he’s 82. All I can tell you is people get killed every day in the US and people get killed every day in Mexico. I’m 59 and I hope I can stay healthy enough to go til I’m in my eighties, and one day I will try El Salto, but for $1,200 I can’t pass on Oviachic. We do have an opening for one guy this year and you won’t need to pull a boat or truck as we are one guy short this year. You will be fishing out of a 2018 Bass Cat with the owner of bumper stumper lures. I’ve been in years where we caught an average of 80 to 90 bass a day, and last year we averaged 40 to 60 bass a day, average size is 4 lbs, largest I’ve caught is 9.3. Most I’ve boated in a day is 112. The Phoenix group holds a tourney every year we are there, they had one over 10 last year. Oviachic has lots of Mexican bass in it, they have some yellowish/orange tint to them because of their crawfish diet, they have sharp teeth like a smallmouth and will destroy a pair of fishing gloves in 6 days. Mexican bass are mean as hell, but I’ve never caught one over 7lbs, Take a flippin stick and a brush hog and go flip bushes. It’s not complicated.

YOLO! When I go out, hopefully it’s after a day of catching the [censored] out of em!

Never felt threatened, never had an incident. I did have to pay a Federali an extra $100 bucks to bring in an extra 2 cases of beer, at the border check point. I did not know the rules your only allowed 1 case per person.

One issue I did have was at the MZT airport they checked my bags and I had 6 reels had to pay a tax on 2 of them they said I was only allowed 4 per person. That only happens once out of all our trips

Ron Speed the guy who used to guide behind Lake Texoma in airboats is now in Mexico?

You are thinking of Harold Speed

Okay, I'll admit, I do have first hand knowledge of an isolated incident on Salto, but retribution was fast, and no one got hurt.
The first time I went with Billy Chapman back in the early nineties I asked the question about safety. I was told, our banditos are not like the banditos in the United States. You give them what they ask for, and they won't kill you.
I think this thread answers the question. All you scaredy-cats, stay home.

With all the bs mexico is allowing, illegals traversing the country, I can't understand why people go there much less support their economy.

I would rather fish u.s. lakes I have not fished yet. Jmo

Been many times and not a single issue. Fished mainly Salto and Comedero. Now we did have armed escorts at Comedero but never any incidents.