Airfare to Los Mochis is surprisngly not too bad right now. Not in the cards for me in 2024, but man I gotta get back there. I have a lot of places in the world I want to fish, but as long as Baccarac exists I have a hard time believing I'll go anywhere but there. The 9-13 on the scale of my biggest bass is etched into my memory. I need a 10lb!

I’m looking at going with Bucca. Just nervous about going alone into Mexico but it looks like it’s on fire. 
 

Guy I know just went and they caught just shy of 1200 in 6 days. He caught a 10 and an 11.2 himself. Several over 9 and he said a pile 7-8s

The fishing is good right now.  It is as safe as anywhere.  Drug gangs don't care about bass fisherman.  They hang out at strip clubs in big cities.    Do the local gangs in any large city in the US shoot each other at the launch ramp on your home lake?  A bass fisherman has zero value to a drug cartel.  Even A-J's tackle box is of no interest to a gang member.

 

The local people working at the fishing lodge have families with kids, that go about their daily lives in peace.  If you drive through a small town in Mexico, you will see people going about their daily lives no different than anywhere else.  Little old lady's and children walking to the local market after dark, without a care in the world.  People buying tacos from venders on the streets, and no sounds of gun fire.

 

It takes me 4 hours to drive to my favorite lake.  I go through a half dozen towns, and miles of country side.  I leave at 3:00 AM and have never had any trouble.  I camp at the lake, on the weekends Ranchers and local people from the town gather at the lake to barbecue and swim.  The children swim and play with very little supervision, while the adults eat and drink.  They always ask me to have food and drinks with them, and even though I speak very little Spanish they treat me like an honored guest.

 

I'm sure they all can tell stories of Cartel violence, many probably either have some connection to the cartels, do some business with them, or have family members involved with them, but they do not look like they are worried in the least.  I'm sure some of the farmers, and ranchers are raising more than sugarcane and cattle, but they do not bother me.  Some times I have to drive 15 min. away to get cell service and contact my wife.  I leave my kayak and all of my gear pulled up on the shore, and when I get back every thing is as I left it.

 

Some times young people from the local town pull in to where I camp in the middle of the night drinking and playing their music at full volume, but is just kids out on a Saturday night.  One of the only places they have to gather and flirt, is the local lake, and besides leaving garbage they do no harm.

 

If you look for trouble it is easy to find, and if some one tells you to avoid and area, or leave a certain person alone, you would be wise to take their advice.  I'm sure I walk by a cartel member every day In Puerto Vallarta, an do not realize who they are.  I mind my own business I am friendly and respectful to every one and have nothing but admiration for the people I have met.

 

If for some unknown reason it would be dangerous for a client to go to a lodge, the lodge would advise you not to come.  The last thing they want is to have a client have any kind of trouble while fishing there.  If you are worried about accidently getting in the middle of a turf war battle, I repeat, the gangs don't shoot each other at bass fishing lakes.  Their battles are fought at locations far from the exceptional bass fishing.

 

If you want to catch a giant bass in Mexico, have the time and money to go to a lodge, than do it now.  Fishing for DD bass is very good at both Baccarac, and El Salto.  Just don't ask me the name of the lake I fish.

On 5/25/2025 at 11:00 AM, king fisher said:

Do the local gangs in any large city in the US shoot each other at the launch ramp on your home lake? .

Yes, unfortunately they do. And it’s not just large cities, happens in small towns as well