"Mexico Fishing at its Best"

Pictures taken in January 1990 at Lake El Salto, Sinolea, Mexico by a freelance sportswriter from California. 

El Salto in the early 1990's gained a reputation for producing big numbers of small fish with an occasional trophy. Anglers witnessed a drastic change in 1999, however, as the lake erupted with a rash of quality and trophy bass up to 14 pounds.

El Salto is located deep in the heart of the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range about 1 1/2 hours north of Mazatlan. The lake was built on the Rio Elota River and covers around 27,000 acres. The lower end of the lake harbors steep, rocky banks with very sharp drops. Maximum depth is around 150 feet and water clarity is excellent.

'Salto is full of excellent open water structure for early summer fishing. During fall, winter and spring, most anglers choose to bang the banks and other shallow areas with topwaters, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Texas-rig soft plastics. There is plenty of cover to throw at, too - lots of laydowns,standing timber, fields of water hyacinth and a prickly aquatic grass that resembles hydrilla.

While El Salto looks promising from one end to the other, the upper half is usually where the best fishing occurs. That's where anglers will find literally hundreds of brush-cluttered points, ridges and humps, not to mention the flooded ruins of two towns, a pair of ancient cemetaries and numerous shallow flats.

 If you're thinking El Salto, Angler's Inn is the only way to fly. Billy Chapman, Jr.'s lakefront lodge comes complete with air conditioned rooms, dining area and a rustic cabana where anglers can relax with a cool drink and swap stories of the day's fishing before treating themselves to a five-star meal. Anglers fish from new 17-foot Tracker boats equipped with 40 horse outboards and trolling motors. Guides and plenty of cold beverages also are provided.