Top-Water Tremendo |
 |
 |
Page 1 of 4
For over 20 years, Mexico has been a popular destination for traveling anglers in search of record-breaking largemouth bass. Though many of the country’s legendary fisheries have diminished due to over-harvesting, Lake Huites on Mexico’s West Coast has emerged as the hottest bass fishing spot in Central America, and some say even the world. Fishing reports from anglers returning from the lake have posted catches of 75 to 100 bass per day, per boat, ranging from 2 to 10 pounds. With record bass numbers like these, Lake Huites clearly transcends the point where fishing becomes catching. uplicating a move I’ve heard figure-skating announcers describe as a Triple Sowcow, a Lake Huites largemouth that seemed too plump for aerial play tossed my popper back toward the boat. I’m not certain whether I was more thrilled by the bass’ performance or dismayed by the result, but there was little time to ponder as the next violent strike – this one resulting in a landed bass – came exactly two casts later. Hard as it tried, my popper couldn’t seem to get from the bank to the boat without being blasted. Each time it would hit a groove, hopping and bopping like a happy little frog, a less than happy bass would rock its world. It was at that moment when I realized I was experiencing one of those “should’ve been here” once in a lifetime trips on Lake Huites’ cliff-shrouded waters. A 30,000-acre man-made impoundment of the Rio Chinipa and Fuertes Rivers, Lake Huites lies hidden in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico’s Sinaloa state. It’s smack-dab in the middle of nowhere and the sort of place you only get to by intention. Of course, there were no questions about my intentions, as I’ve sampled the lake’s bass fishing bounties before, and was now back for another dose. Mountains surround Lake Huites, and the lake’s upper reaches cut through vertical and strikingly stark canyons. It’s easy to get caught gazing at the scenery, soaking in the remoteness of the lake as a rod is nearly snatched from your hands from a monster strike.
Bass were originally stocked into the Fuertes River during the 1970s, prior to impoundment. Shortly after the dam was completed, the lake itself was stocked with pure Florida-largemouths. Extreme remoteness keeps fishing pressure light on Lake Huites, which certainly helps sustain the quality of the fishery. Other benefits include hyper-abundant shad and tilapia, thermal refuge provided by cool rivers and great depth, year-round growing seasons, and endless structure. Netting, a problem on some Mexican lakes, is also seasonal and limited in scope on the lake. Delbert Davis of Indiana clued me in on the top-water bite. A frequenter of faraway places, Davis has enjoyed more than his share of outstanding action. Still, as we sat in rocking chairs trading stories about the first day of our trip, he’d been downright giddy about what he described as one of the best top-water bites he had ever encountered. Davis had thrown nothing other than a very old Rebel Pop-R and a Creek Chub Knuckle-Head Jr. that day and had caught big fish after big fish. “I couldn’t tell you how many I caught that were between four and seven pounds,” Davis told me more than once that evening. I was convinced. Day one had been exceptional for me as well. My boat posted an easy 100-plus-fish day, with more than a few big bass in the mix. We tossed the top-waters only during the traditional early and late hours and had caught most of our fish with soft plastics and other subsurface lures. Heeding Davis’ advice, I kept an XCalibur Zell Pop tied on for the rest of the trip. I seldom threw anything else the entire second day, and when I would briefly pick up another rod, my guide would soon be pointing at the popper rod. I think he was enjoying the surface show as much as I was. Other anglers on the trip did the same, all to varying degrees. Using a topwater Knuckle-Head Jr., avid angler Ryan Gilligan produced an easy 10-pound plus bass, the biggest of the trip.
|
