Been going to Lake Oviachic near Obregon Mexico since 2015. We would travel in groups of 2 to 3 trucks pulling boats. Once we get to the lake we fish for 6 full days. Cook breakfast each morning, make sandwiches for the boat and fish our tails off, dinner at the Marina Del Ray Restaurant and a few beers. Taking our own boats was fun as you were your own guide. I started going with Donald Harper till his health got to him. Met some real nice folks down there from all over. I have kept up with a few others that I have met while going back and forth so I can get a read on lake level and fishing quality. Over these past 9 years I've never really felt unsafe. Well, I got one of those calls this past week from a buddy (Jimbo) who has been going down there for 27 years, and he was driving back last month and pulled up on Highway 15 just south of Santa Anna and traffic had come to a stop. As soon as he pulled up, some guys walked up from the traffic jam, pulled guns and car jacked him. Took his phone, wallet, keys, made him walk up to the front of the traffic jam and forced him into the passenger side of an 18-wheeler and then the bandits took off in their vehicles and his new suburban. The driver of the 18-wheeler and everyone else in the holdup were just sitting there and looking down as they did not want to be witnesses. Luckily Jimbo speaks fluent Spanish, and he asked the 18-wheeler driver to take him to the nearest police station as he had nothing, no phone, no money, other than the clothes he was wearing. The Federales stated that in the past 3 months this has happened at least 30 times. A ring is sitting at the toll booths and watching for high end vehicles and easy suspects, then they call ahead and set up a traffic stop and make their heist. Jimbo has a wife in Hermosillo, so he got ahold of her, and she sent someone to pick him up. Took him a week or so to get with the Embassy and got his passport replaced then flew back to San Antonio. Luckily, he wasn't harmed other than his pride. Don Harper has been going down there for 37 years and has never had an issue, but the way Jimbo is telling it, things have gotten worse. I'm going to miss those 100 bass days with bleeding thumbs, sore backs and the thrills. I may still do a fly in and do a Ron Speed trip to one of their places to El Salto or Piceous but for now I think I'm done. And if you would say a Prayer for Don Harper, he's fighting throat cancer right now, I just talked to him the other day to relay the story and his spirits are low.

Glad your friend was not harmed. Thanks for the report.

Prayers for Donald Harper.

Jimbo has a wife in Mexico? Does he have a wife in San Antonio also?





Hopefully Mr. Harper will be OK. My buddy had throat cancer 5-7 years ago and came through it great. Last couple radiation treatments were tough, but you just have to stick it out. Hang in there Mr. Harper, you can do it.

We are living in some very dangerous times. Stay safe out there.


Side Note: Glad everything worked out for your friend. As stated above thanks for the heads up!

I ain't lost nothing in Mexico ( meaning I have no reason to go there). They are not our friends.

LOL, no he does not.

Glad he’s ok… very easily could have disappeared without a trace. I’ve always thought you guys driving your boats down there are insane. Can’t carry a weapon to protect yourself without risking Mexico jail time and your rolling through cartel central with a $150k rig. Seems like a no brainer to the criminal, surprised we don’t hear of it more often.

sorry to hear this......wonder if this would have happened if he had been traveling in a group with several other fishermen and vehicles?

Dang, I was just talking about those trips Donald was doing to my wife yesterday as I was telling her I wanted to go back to El Salto again. I told her that drive was def something I would NEVER do. God Bless you Don. Hope the treatments are succesful, and recovery quick and easy.

Just can’t imagine!
Prayers for Mr.Harper

I follow a lady on You Tube that does cross country motorcycle riding and she has ridden across every continent and even in Mexico. They didn't bother her but she avoided certain areas she was told to and yes she did witness some sketchy stuff and got it on camera but for the most part people were really kind to her. It's probably just a hand full of folks ruining it for everybody.

For sure. It’s a lawless country.

Whatever happened to paragraphs? Did the cartel steal those too?

I have ways tought yall were nuts for doing the trip the way you do. Mexico is a sooner or later kinda place.

LOL
I made D's in English
I made A's in Calculus