Submitted by j.aderhold (ip 65.5.91.2)

Date Fished: 11/20/2006
Water Temperature: 80
Water Clarity: 4 feet or greater

Well boys, let me just start off with WOW! Just got back from Sinaloa, Mexico fishing at Lake Baccarac. Caught a "grande" that weighed in at 12.1lb, also caught two 9's, three 8's, two 7's, and a large number 6 and smaller.

We left Monday 11/13 and boarded Delta airlines to Los Angeles and then caught AeroMexico flight to Los Mochis. The travel time took a while but I knew it was going to be well worth it. Rene and Tachi Salazar met us at the airport and we traveled two and a half hours through the Sierra Madre mountain range to the secluded Lake Baccarac Lodge. When we drove up we were greeted by three ladies with margaritas in hand. We unloaded the van and put our stuff in the room. We were then summoned to dinner where we ate some great cooking made by Tony and his kitchen staff. After dinner, we ran back to our room that has the bare necessities, two beds, a nightstand, table and a rod rack.

Day one: We had a knock on the door at 5:00AM the first morning of fishing and was greeted with a cup of java to start the day. Breakfast, eggs and bacon and toast, was waiting on the table for us to scarf down which I don't think I tasted because I was so exited. We were greeted by our non-English speaking guide Martin Figeroa, Sixto's brother, and got in the 18' Crestliner powered by an Rude 48hp. Fishing reports sayed to throw topwater Pop-R's and Zara spooks for some excellent action. That didn't pan out very well as we had only one blow up that looked like a 6-7lbr. Still fishless for a couple of hours, we pull into a deep hole where several other boats were catching fish on Storm 5" swim baits and 1oz rattle traps. I caught my fist fish after a few casts and hollered at the guide for which I thought was a hawg that turned out to be a mere 4.5lbr. Nice fist fish to start the trip though. Anyway we caught a few more fish in the hole and it was time to vamanos as the guide put it. We went through the day and caught about 40-45 fish in a few different holes on the swim bait, a Bomber Fat Free Shad crankbait, and a spinnerbait. At 12:00 we headed in for lunch where we once again were meeted by the girls with margaritas in hand. Ate a great lunch and headed back out at 1:30. Fish several places without much luck for the bigger fish but were able to catch as many small 1-2lbrs as we wanted. Around 4:30 we started hitting shaded banks with the Pop-R, I was getting pretty bored throwing it all of a sudden a bowling ball fell from the sky and landed on my Pop-R, it about scared me half to death. My fishing partner screamed "oh my gosh, what was that?" and I responed I didn't know but hopefully we would soon find out. I knew the fish has some weight because I couldn't do a whole lot with it. Soon it was in the net and it weighed 7.7 on the X-Tools scales. When it came up to the boat, I would have swore it weighed 9 or more and was under the impression my scales were wrong. Anyway, we catch a few more fish on the topwater and my buddy catches a 6.6 on the Pop-R and several other small fish. No "grandes" the first day but I see it was going to be awesome. We go back to the lodge and once again are greeted by the ladies with margaritas in hand. I chose to drink Tecate beer for the night. Once again, Tony fixes a great dinner and with our bellies full, we go to bed and asleep at 9:00PM.

Day two: Starts just the same and since I painted the picture from the first day, I won't repeat the exact same processes. We meet Martin at the shore again and once again try topwater to no avail. We manage to catch several fish from the holes again but nothing over 5lbs. We go in for lunch and back out at 1:30. At our first stop, we fish this bank from one point to the other and on the opposite point of where we start, I throw a big 1oz. spinnerbait across the and feel a distintive thump. I set the hook and realized it had some weight. I tell Martin I got a good one and in broken English he asks me if I need the net, as soon as he did the fish came up by the boat and looked like a submarine, I don't panic and soon it is in the net. A solid keeper at 8.8. We release her and keep on going down the bank where I procede to catch a 5lbr and 6lbr. Three cast after I catch the 6lbr, I throw next to a tree and clump of grass, Thump, set the hook and see a monster come up. I got the grande in the net, or what I was calling a grande anyway. She weighed in at 9.2. This all happened in about 45 minutes of going back out after lunch. We catch a few more in the 3-4lb range and countless 1-2lbs. No Pop-R fish to speak of at dark and we go in to eat dinner. Dead asleep by 9:00PM once again.

Day three: Same deal. We get a new guide named Claudio and get in his boat. We try once again to catch topwater fish to no avail again. We are getting disappointed by the lack of topwater bite because according the reports, it was hotter than hot. We try to force feed them everything in the box. I finally catch a 6lbr for my big fish of the day. We talk to some other fishermen at dinner and they said they had a tremendous afternoon catching one that weighs in at 12lb even on a spinnerbait. The catch several others fron 4-6lbs on spinnerbaits and swim baits.

Day four: We talk Rene Salazar into taking us out in the morning. Rene owns a part of the lodge at Baccarac and Huites so he is a busy guy but goes with us anyway. First stop produces a 8.3 for me on my trusty 1oz spinnerbait a few more cast later a 9.2 eats my spinnerbait. We fish nothing but big fish haunts trying to catch a true trophy. We go from spot to spot running and gunning which is my style of fishing. We bust tons of smaller fish in the holes again. He tried to keep us confident telling us that the big fish are in these holes along with small fish. We go back in at lunch and one of the guys staying there catches a 10 and 11 on a crankbait. After lunch we are back with Claudio and we tell him not to go any holes and that we're here for a "grande". We hit several spots to no avail and then we pull up to this bank that looks like nothing else anyhwere els on the lake. It is a long bank that has trees that start on the bank and you could se them getting deeper and deeper and finally are completely submerged. My buddy and I are throwing crankbaits and it is getting boring as we have went about hundred yards and have not had a sngle sniff. We realize the trees are well deeper than we can really get to with cranking the bait a steady crank and start burning it as fast as we can reel so the bait will reach its maximum depth and then slow down. I get hung in a tree top and stop cranking as soon I started reeling I feel the distinctive thump and set the hook. It starts heading to the boat and I can feel her shaking her head down there. I tell my buddy that I think it is decent but the net is not needed. Well all of a sudden the fish decides to jump and we get a glimps of the biggest fish I have ever laid eyes on. With a few surges and couple of wallows she is in the net. This fish is surely over the 10lb mark. We start jumping up and down with excitement and cellebration and Claudio gets her untangled out of the net and unhooked. We put her on the X-Tools and she tips the scales at 12.1, my first official "grande". We snap a few photos and let her go. My heart is racing and we keep on going down the bank. I catch another, which I thought was a grande when she hit but when I got her to the boat she looked like a minnow, a 5lbr, but still a minnow compared to the 12.1. No topwater at the end of the day once again. We go to dinner and I have my chest poked out thinking I caught the biggest fish of our stay up until that point in our trip. I was quickly deflated by the fellow that caught the big fish in the morning when he told us he caught another and 10 and 12.6. My big fish of the week was short lived.

Day five: We start off throwing the spinnerbait in the same pocket where I caught the 8 and 9 the day before and we are about to leave and I pick up the crankbait and start cranking next to a few trees. Wham, another good fish on the crankbait that weighed 8.3. We are slow through the morning and we go to a hole to see if the big ones are biting. I catch a 7lbr which is the biggest fish that we are aware of that is caught in one of these holes all week. We go in for lunch and no one is catching the big ones like yesterday. I have the biggest so far and we go out at 1:30 to try our last few hours to cathc one more. We hit the same stretch that I caught the 12.1 to no avail. We rock along and catch a few on wind blown points in the trees and my lucky spinnerbait breaks in half on a 5lbr. No more confidence on the spinnerbait as it was my last one. We go throw the Pop-R pretty early and we catch about 25 with the biggest at 6lbs. Our trip is at an end and we go in for dinner.

Overall the trip was one of a lifetime, even though I plan to go back every year now. It was simply awesome, from the service of the staff to the fish in the lake. The scenery of the Sierra Madre mountain range in the background is beautiful and the lodge is top notch to get away. There is not a TV,no cell phone service, just a land line at $5/min If you have even considered going to Mexico, go ahead and book the trip. It will be something you will never forget.

www.lakebaccaraclodge.com www.raderfishandgame.com

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