02-09-2007, 07:08 PM
[
]For January 16th- 31st, 2007
• Air Temp: 55°-64°F (Early Morning and late evenings) 78°- 82°F (Siesta time)
• Water Temp: 66°-72°F
• Average number of bass per boat per day: 30-40 with some at 50-70
• Largest bass caught: 12-1/2 lb
Popular lures used this week:
1. Eight inch Zoom or Yum Lizards in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, blue flake.
2. Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake and white & chartreuse
3. 10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, and black with blue tail.
4. Chatterbait and BOOYAH Boogie Bait in 3/8 and ½ ounce in pearl white.
5. Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger.
6. Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
7. Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
8. Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
9. Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
10. Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with black top and white.
11. Chartreuse Dye to tip the tails of the lizards and worms.
Lake El Salto bass are currently in the middle of their spawning season. The male bass guard the big females while they are on the beds. This is one of the reasons that for the past two weeks large numbers of bass have been caught but most weren’t trophy size.
That’s not to say all the fish have been small. Some dandy fish have been taken, including Dick Saba’s 12-pounder. “I caught her in 3-feet of water,” Dick says, “while using a 5-inch chartreuse Senko rigged Texas Style. She was full of eggs ready to release them.”
The best advice we can give El Salto visitors right now is to I bring plenty of 8-inch Zoom Lizards in watermelon with red flakes. Other good bets are 5 and 7-inch Senkos or Yum Dingers. Most anglers know how bass act are when they are spawning. The males guard the beds, but those big females are near by. Once you get the male out of the way, concentrate on the female.
We’ve also had a few customers who have recently sampled the super bass fishing action at Lake Mateos. As we’ve previously announced, we’ll be opening an Anglers Inn operation at that big bass lake later on. Mateos is a lake you need to keep in mind once we open our new lodge. We’ll give you our opening dates as soon as they are available.
Here’s what some of our January clients have shared with us following their early 2007 El Salto Lake fishing.
Bassmaster’s Editor James Hall says “Fishing was quite consistent, Others in our group had great luck with big fish. Jim Holcomb, for example, landed a 10.8-pound giant one morning. In the same area he had several others over five pounds. We averaged 25 to 30 fish per half day with 2 ½-pounds being the average size. Our biggest was 5-pounds, 8-ounces. Although the majority of the bass weren’t giants, they were healthy and fought like fish twice their weight! I really had quality time with my brother Gary on this trip.”
“We focused on fishing points and flats adjacent to spawning areas. The bass had not yet moved up to bed, but were close to doing so. Most fish came on Yum Dingers in a watermelon shade, Zellmanders in watermelon & red flake and 10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon & red flake. We rigged all of our plastics Texas Style.”
James and Gary also got a quick look at Lake Mateos. Here’s what they had to say about that: “What an awesome lake! We caught 25 to 30 bass every outing with a 7 ½-pounder being the biggest. We only had a day and a half to fish. Most bass were caught on Texas Rigged lizards. A ½-ounce weight was very important because of the stair-stepping ledge banks of Lake Mateos. The highlight of the trip was a mind-blowing topwater bite the only evening we were there. The bass were exploding on poppers and walking baits. We had no less than 15 blow-ups in the last 30 minutes of fishing --- with the
7 ½-pounder, a 6-pounder and a couple of 5-pounders putting an exclamation point on the day’s success. Several good fish were also caught on spinnerbaits. Spinnerbaits should be a great option when the weather warms. We did our fishing during the tail-end of a cold front. We can't wait to go back for a longer visit!”
Jim Holcomb, of Fort Worth, Texas, was another recent Anglers Inn guest. Jim says: “Here is a photo of my big fish – 10.8 pounds. She was caught at 2:34 p.m. on Jan.24. I caught her on an 8-inch watermelon lizard fished Texas Style. She came off of a point that had trees in about 20-feet of water.”
Bernie Zutter and Tom Guthrie were guests from Wisconsin. Bernie says “In 3 ½-days I had a 7-pounder and one
5 ¾-pound bass. We didn’t have any double digit fish this trip but hopefully next time.”
“This was the best experience I ever had,” Tom says. “This is a must do fishing trip. I caught 7 and 5 pounders on a junebug Culprit worm. My only regret was that I had to leave.”
Gary Besmer is a member of our Anglers Inn A-Team. Gary was a January visitor and boated an estimated 90 bass during his 5-day trip. He had five fish over 5-pounds. The largest tipped the scales at 7-pounds, 2-ounces. “I caught the big one on an 8-inch watermelon lizard with red flakes,” Gary says. “I’ve been coming to Anglers Inn for eight years and have not found a better place for accommodations, service and food. I plan to come back for many years.”
Gary’s fishing partner, Mick Robinson, also landed some nice bass on an 8-inch Zoom Watermelon lizard with red flakes.
Stacy S. Twiggs, of Bassmaster Magazine, used a variety of lures on a recent El Salto visit. Stacy reports “In the morning the fish were suspended in trees or at the base of brush when the winds were calm. We used a slow presentation to take fish up to 8-pounds, 3-ounces.
“In the afternoon fish moved to points and banks when wind started to create mud lines and current. As winds picked up we fished steep points, timber lined creek channels or flats next to deep water and channels. Fish were all relatively deep, only small buck bass were near the bank.
“Our best fish came inside of standing timber while using a slow retrieve using a Carolina or Texas Rig. Late afternoons always produced fish on a ¾-ounce chrome & black or chrome & blue Rat-L-Traps on windy points. I fished on Armando’s boat each day. He typically led us to approximately 50 fish per trip and approximately 100 per day. On only one day did we have less than 30 total fish, which was because of a passing cold front.
Chris Horton, Conservationist for Bassmaster magazine, had the following to say about his recent visit. “As always, fishing on El Salto was great. It was a little slower than usual due to the passing cold front, but our guide managed to put us on fish each day.
“I used topwater lures near any surface activity early and late, usually around secondary points near the backs of coves. My largest fish was a 6-pounder early in the day. I used a Sammy 100 in silver & blue and a Super Pop R in the same color. I also threw a ½-ounce white & chartreuse buzzbait.
“As the sun rose, bass suspended in tree tops from 8 to18-feet. Many trees held more than one fish. Texas Rigged lizards in watermelon red; Carolina Rigged Lake Fork Ring Fry in watermelon red and sour grape; white, deep diving Fat Free Shads and Texas Rigged Yum Dingers in watermelon red and watermelon and smoke worked best.”
Chris also got a look at Lake Mateos. “My first trip to Mateos was spectacular! The scenery, remoteness and lack of pressure were all unexpected pleasures. The first morning was a little slow as we were getting oriented, but by afternoon we had ‘em figured out. Unlike El Salto, Lake Mateos is a rather deep canyon lake, but loaded with fish. We found the bass were in pre spawn and staging at the edge of flats, but often within a step of 50 feet.
“A bone colored Pointer 110 helped me to find a few fish over deep points, but Texas Rigged lizards in pumpkinseed & chartreuse and watermelon red and junebug colors were by far the best.”
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]For January 16th- 31st, 2007 • Air Temp: 55°-64°F (Early Morning and late evenings) 78°- 82°F (Siesta time)
• Water Temp: 66°-72°F
• Average number of bass per boat per day: 30-40 with some at 50-70
• Largest bass caught: 12-1/2 lb
Popular lures used this week:
1. Eight inch Zoom or Yum Lizards in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue tail, blue flake.
2. Yamamoto Senkos, Yum Dingers or Bass Pro Shops 5, 6 & 7-inch Stinkos in watermelon, watermelon red flake, black with blue flake and white & chartreuse
3. 10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon, watermelon red flake, and black with blue tail.
4. Chatterbait and BOOYAH Boogie Bait in 3/8 and ½ ounce in pearl white.
5. Storm WildEye 4 and 5-inch Swim Shads in pearl white, golden mullet, shad and fire tiger.
6. Rapala X-Rap or 4 to 5-inch jerkbaits in white, clown, perch and shad.
7. Rat-L-Traps in ½ & ¾-ounce in silver with blue back and silver with black back.
8. Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbaits in citrus shad, fire tiger and white.
9. Rico Pop R in white, white with sparkles and silver & black.
10. Zara Spook, Sammy and Reaction Innovations Vixen in clear, chrome with black top and white.
11. Chartreuse Dye to tip the tails of the lizards and worms.
Lake El Salto bass are currently in the middle of their spawning season. The male bass guard the big females while they are on the beds. This is one of the reasons that for the past two weeks large numbers of bass have been caught but most weren’t trophy size.
That’s not to say all the fish have been small. Some dandy fish have been taken, including Dick Saba’s 12-pounder. “I caught her in 3-feet of water,” Dick says, “while using a 5-inch chartreuse Senko rigged Texas Style. She was full of eggs ready to release them.”
The best advice we can give El Salto visitors right now is to I bring plenty of 8-inch Zoom Lizards in watermelon with red flakes. Other good bets are 5 and 7-inch Senkos or Yum Dingers. Most anglers know how bass act are when they are spawning. The males guard the beds, but those big females are near by. Once you get the male out of the way, concentrate on the female.
We’ve also had a few customers who have recently sampled the super bass fishing action at Lake Mateos. As we’ve previously announced, we’ll be opening an Anglers Inn operation at that big bass lake later on. Mateos is a lake you need to keep in mind once we open our new lodge. We’ll give you our opening dates as soon as they are available.
Here’s what some of our January clients have shared with us following their early 2007 El Salto Lake fishing.
Bassmaster’s Editor James Hall says “Fishing was quite consistent, Others in our group had great luck with big fish. Jim Holcomb, for example, landed a 10.8-pound giant one morning. In the same area he had several others over five pounds. We averaged 25 to 30 fish per half day with 2 ½-pounds being the average size. Our biggest was 5-pounds, 8-ounces. Although the majority of the bass weren’t giants, they were healthy and fought like fish twice their weight! I really had quality time with my brother Gary on this trip.”
“We focused on fishing points and flats adjacent to spawning areas. The bass had not yet moved up to bed, but were close to doing so. Most fish came on Yum Dingers in a watermelon shade, Zellmanders in watermelon & red flake and 10-inch Berkley Power Worms in watermelon & red flake. We rigged all of our plastics Texas Style.”
James and Gary also got a quick look at Lake Mateos. Here’s what they had to say about that: “What an awesome lake! We caught 25 to 30 bass every outing with a 7 ½-pounder being the biggest. We only had a day and a half to fish. Most bass were caught on Texas Rigged lizards. A ½-ounce weight was very important because of the stair-stepping ledge banks of Lake Mateos. The highlight of the trip was a mind-blowing topwater bite the only evening we were there. The bass were exploding on poppers and walking baits. We had no less than 15 blow-ups in the last 30 minutes of fishing --- with the
7 ½-pounder, a 6-pounder and a couple of 5-pounders putting an exclamation point on the day’s success. Several good fish were also caught on spinnerbaits. Spinnerbaits should be a great option when the weather warms. We did our fishing during the tail-end of a cold front. We can't wait to go back for a longer visit!”
Jim Holcomb, of Fort Worth, Texas, was another recent Anglers Inn guest. Jim says: “Here is a photo of my big fish – 10.8 pounds. She was caught at 2:34 p.m. on Jan.24. I caught her on an 8-inch watermelon lizard fished Texas Style. She came off of a point that had trees in about 20-feet of water.”
Bernie Zutter and Tom Guthrie were guests from Wisconsin. Bernie says “In 3 ½-days I had a 7-pounder and one
5 ¾-pound bass. We didn’t have any double digit fish this trip but hopefully next time.”
“This was the best experience I ever had,” Tom says. “This is a must do fishing trip. I caught 7 and 5 pounders on a junebug Culprit worm. My only regret was that I had to leave.”
Gary Besmer is a member of our Anglers Inn A-Team. Gary was a January visitor and boated an estimated 90 bass during his 5-day trip. He had five fish over 5-pounds. The largest tipped the scales at 7-pounds, 2-ounces. “I caught the big one on an 8-inch watermelon lizard with red flakes,” Gary says. “I’ve been coming to Anglers Inn for eight years and have not found a better place for accommodations, service and food. I plan to come back for many years.”
Gary’s fishing partner, Mick Robinson, also landed some nice bass on an 8-inch Zoom Watermelon lizard with red flakes.
Stacy S. Twiggs, of Bassmaster Magazine, used a variety of lures on a recent El Salto visit. Stacy reports “In the morning the fish were suspended in trees or at the base of brush when the winds were calm. We used a slow presentation to take fish up to 8-pounds, 3-ounces.
“In the afternoon fish moved to points and banks when wind started to create mud lines and current. As winds picked up we fished steep points, timber lined creek channels or flats next to deep water and channels. Fish were all relatively deep, only small buck bass were near the bank.
“Our best fish came inside of standing timber while using a slow retrieve using a Carolina or Texas Rig. Late afternoons always produced fish on a ¾-ounce chrome & black or chrome & blue Rat-L-Traps on windy points. I fished on Armando’s boat each day. He typically led us to approximately 50 fish per trip and approximately 100 per day. On only one day did we have less than 30 total fish, which was because of a passing cold front.
Chris Horton, Conservationist for Bassmaster magazine, had the following to say about his recent visit. “As always, fishing on El Salto was great. It was a little slower than usual due to the passing cold front, but our guide managed to put us on fish each day.
“I used topwater lures near any surface activity early and late, usually around secondary points near the backs of coves. My largest fish was a 6-pounder early in the day. I used a Sammy 100 in silver & blue and a Super Pop R in the same color. I also threw a ½-ounce white & chartreuse buzzbait.
“As the sun rose, bass suspended in tree tops from 8 to18-feet. Many trees held more than one fish. Texas Rigged lizards in watermelon red; Carolina Rigged Lake Fork Ring Fry in watermelon red and sour grape; white, deep diving Fat Free Shads and Texas Rigged Yum Dingers in watermelon red and watermelon and smoke worked best.”
Chris also got a look at Lake Mateos. “My first trip to Mateos was spectacular! The scenery, remoteness and lack of pressure were all unexpected pleasures. The first morning was a little slow as we were getting oriented, but by afternoon we had ‘em figured out. Unlike El Salto, Lake Mateos is a rather deep canyon lake, but loaded with fish. We found the bass were in pre spawn and staging at the edge of flats, but often within a step of 50 feet.
“A bone colored Pointer 110 helped me to find a few fish over deep points, but Texas Rigged lizards in pumpkinseed & chartreuse and watermelon red and junebug colors were by far the best.”
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