bacolmm

19 days out and I get a bit of a curveball. The trip has been moved from El Salto to Lake Baccarac. I'm told El Salto is typically closed for monsoon season and generally reopens in November. For some reason that has been pushed to Jan 1st. Pro Bass Adventures has lodges on both lakes, so they are able to accommodate the guest that were scheduled for El Salto at Lake Baccarac. Fine with me, Baccarac would have been my first choice anyway. Only downside is a longer shuttle ride from Mazatlan.

Thank you! I do have those packed as well. Super Spooks, Chug'n Spook, Rio Rico's, Choppos. I need to add some buzzbaits.

Thanks, I'll go with the pens.

The 6” Cull Shad is my go-to swimbait. They’re already packed, along with an 8”. I much prefer a treble hook if I can get away it. I have seen a lot of big bass being caught on the single hook swimbaits. I am bringing a couple Burrito’s, a Herculez (maybe more than one if I can find another one or two), and some unrigged DieZel Minnows and Fat Impacts. I’m also bringing a Chad Shad, 7” Nessie, and an S-Waver. Packing is a challenge! Right now, I believe Swimbaits, Jigs, Spinnerbaits are going to be the deal. I’m bringing what I believe to be enough to fish these baits all day for the 5 days. I’m also bringing a bunch of stickbaits (mostly ElaZtech Giant TRD’s). That’s kind of my “Plan B” if the bite is tough, I should have enough of those for the 5 days. I’m not expecting other things like big ribbon tail worms, lizards, flukes, and maybe even crankbaits and jerkbaits, to be the main baits that I’m throwing most of every day. I’m bringing them, but not in big numbers. If they turn out to be the main deal, things could get interesting, especially with the soft plastics…

25 Days To Go! I ordered Giant TRD's, and I'm working on an order today that will include more Giant TRD's, along with other baits. I also ordered their ElaZtech swimbaits - DieZel Minnows. I'd like to bring a bottle of Spike It Dip and Glow. What's the best way to do that, carry it on the plane with me?

I would not be mad about a jig bite! Giant TRD added to the list. I already had 6" soft swimbaits on the list (I'm a fan!). I'll add some 8" baits to the list. Did you need to do anything with a Mexico fishing license?

54 Days out. I've made a few tackle orders, and I'm starting to get my gear together. I'm still fishing, so that's a challenge, as I'm using some tackle and other items that I'll take with me, so I've got things in multiple different places. It's been warm here, so I'm hoping to fish deep into November, maybe into December. I got a list of tackle to bring that I'm working through. My understanding is that it will be pre-spawn with maybe some starting to spawn as well. 8-20 feet of water. In my head I'm thinking swimbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, squarebills, medium diving crankbaits, topwater. Any go-to baits down there that I might not be thinking of? My understanding is that the water has a decent amount of color to it, so will likely not be sight fishing (which I am 100% OK with). Also something I'm not planning on doing a lot of is flipping (correct me if I'm wrong). Do I need to get a fishing license for Mexico, and if so, how does that work?

I'm definitely looking forward to it! My first time, so lots of unknowns for me! I'm trying to temper my expectations a bit. I plan to bring 6 reels and pair them all with 7'6" heavy rods. I was contemplating throwing a bunch of 50 lb / 60 lb braid; however, based on your pic, I'm sure there's a reason you're throwing primarily flouro. I'm under the impression that the water in El Salto (and Baccarac, for that matter) typically has a decent amount of color, and I thought I might be able to get away with braid for most applications, but your pic has me thinking differently. Line in checked luggage to avoid any potential issues carrying it on the plane?

Thanks, A-Jay, I’m following your lead and have booked my flights with overnight layovers in Dallas. I’m 94 days out and starting to think about getting gear/tackle together. The lodge I’m going to provides rods, so I only need to travel with reels. What’s the right number of reels to bring? Any issue with traveling to Mexico with line on the reels? I’m going to get a medium tackle bag that holds 8 X 3700 boxes. I plan to use the tackle bag as my carry-on and to put the 3700 boxes (with everything that has hooks) into my checked bag. I’ll have my reels, line, and all my plastics in my carry-on.

I have a Tatula on its way, so I'll see how it stacks up.

Shimano SLX DC, Abu Garcia Revo 5, Lew's Superduty LFS, and Johnny Morris Platinum.

My reels seem to lose their “smoothness” very quickly. For example, I purchased a Curado in early March, and it’s already crunchy/noisy. I’ve sent them out to be torn down, cleaned, lubed with mixed results. I lube the easy-to-reach stuff, and it doesn’t seem to make any difference. What do I need to do to keep my reels feeling like new for longer?

This will be my first time flying internationally. I will fly from Pittsburgh to Dallas on the 8th. Dallas to Mazatlan on the 9th. I'm assuming I'll go through customs in Mazatlan. On my way home, I'll fly from Mazatlan to Dallas, and I'm assuming I'll need to go through customs in Dallas before catching my flight to Pittsburgh. My choice it to either have a 80 minute layover in Dallas or a 13 hour + layover in Dallas. I don't want to spend another night in Dallas if I don't have to, however is 80 minutes enough time to get through customs?

I have to imagine your luggage getting lost is a nightmare! For flights, my choices are either a 40 minute layover in Dallas or an 18 hour layover. I think the 18 hour layover is likely the wise choice. I agree that carrying on bare minimum clothing and maximum tackle is a good strategy. I wonder if it’s worth removing hooks from crankbaits etc so they can be carried on? I’m thinking it might be easier to scare up hooks if needed than entire baits? Any go-to luggage for traveling with tackle?

How far ahead of time do you typically need to reserve a spot? I'm ready to put a deposit down, but I'm struggling a bit to get my fishing buddies to start thinking about December. I'm planning on going with Bass Pro Adventures if that makes a differrence.

I'm quickly getting more serious about making a trip happen. What are your thoughts on El Salto vs Baccarac? Figure $100/day for tips? Check or carry on luggage with baits? Are hooks a problem? Do you even bother bringing rain gear (I'd like to go November - January)? Thoughts on trip length - 3 full days of fishing not enough? I listened to a podcast where a guy was there for 3 days and wore his ass out (the bite was unusually good while he was there). I guess my question is that if I can do the whole week (I can) do you highly recommend that I do?

So if you look at the barometric pressure graph on www.weatherunderground.com the cold front would begin around the time the pressure stops falling, bottoms out, and begins rising? The downward slope is pre-frontal, the bottom is the front passing, the upward slope is post-frontal?

My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in September. A friend of mine whose dad is about the same age as my dad (80) was diagnosed in February. Never heard of it before September and now it seems to be everywhere. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! My dad is in the middle of it right now, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster.

Trying to plan a trip down south to do some bass fishing in Jan or Feb. Me and 2 friends, so the guide would need to be able to accommodate 3 anglers. Would much prefer to throw artificial baits rather than shiners. Would probably be at least 2 days and the location is obviously flexible. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

I picked up a Smoke S3 on this post’s recommendation. I’ve only fished with it once, but I’m impressed!

State record Largemouth and Smallmouth from the same lake just a few years apart!

Resurrecting an old thread. I am a fellow AEP Rec Lands angler and I'm interested in checking out Cayuga. I'm guessing when you went in May is about the best time you can go. Anyone have any feedback on how the lake fishes in the Summer and/or Fall?

I’m going to be in Arkansas in early June and I’m looking for a small lake to fish a couple days where I’ll have a chance at a big largemouth. I have a small 10 foot plastic Pelican boat with a trolling motor, so I’m looking for a small lake that I can fish somewhat effectively in my little boat. I don’t know much at all about the area/lakes, however Bussey Brake, Caney Lake and Cedar Lake are all within reasonable driving distance. Any recommendations? One of these 3 or somewhere else? I see a lot of big bass being caught at Bussey Brake, but it also seems like it’s getting a ton of pressure. Cedar Lake in OK is the lake I’m hearing the least about, but maybe that’s a good thing? Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

I threw the tackle box at em and got skunked. I saw plenty of fish on my electronics but couldn’t get em to bite. I talked to a couple other anglers on the water and they were saying the same. If you catch em this weekend I’d be curious to know the details (although it appears the weather will be significantly different)