Largemouth bass at Mexico's El Salto worth boasting about
For some in the outdoors press, the best perks are free trips to exotic destinations.
Shawn Arnold, who edits and publishes Fish Taco Chronicles out of his home office in Huntington Beach, recently returned from Mazatlan, where he and his brother Steve spent three days as guests at beachfront Cardon Resort.
Two days were spent plying El Salto Reservoir, one of the most prolific largemouth bass fisheries on the planet, nestled in the famous Sierra Madre range.
Of course Arnold could not wait to boast about his exploits, which included (after a missed flight) catching and releasing an 8-pound, 4-ounce bass (see photo). Steve Arnold, a bass angler from Alabama, caught a 10-3 bass.
Overall, the two averaged about 10 bass apiece each day, while catching nothing smaller than 2 pounds. They also missed a lot of hookups and lost a few fish in the weedy structure.
"And we saw them all over the place, chasing shad," Arnold said.
Look for his story in the winter issue of Fish Taco Chronicles, which will be published the first week of December.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo: Shawn Arnold of Huntington Beach displays 8-pound, 4-ounce largemouth bass caught on a plastic worm at El Salto Reservoir in Mexico. Credit: Steve Arnold
