Submitted by Brett Graham (ip 208.67.100.153)

Date Fished: 11/8/2007
Water Clarity: 0

TROPHY BASS LODGE Lake Huites fishing report, November 1st-3rd

(For this report with photos, go to http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1725123/page/2#Post1725123

When George, my lodge manager, called and told me about the fishing at Lake Huites, I immediately got on the phone and starting calling anyone I could think of that might want to head down. When the dust settled, there were five of us. Myself, Al Goetz from Pittsburg, Texas, Dale Loggins from Paris, Texas, Skip Johnson from Plano, Texas, and Frank Johnson from Michigan. As we approached Los Mochis in the plane, after several hours of traveling, I remember thinking to myself that I wish it were easier to get down there. Traveling in this day and age has certainly become more difficult, more tedious. But then I thought about something I learned long ago, that anything worth doing is never easy. There are many little things that make a trip to Lake Huites so special, and you must make the journey to be able to reap the rewards. The incredible stars at night, the stunning beauty of the surroundings, incredible sunrises and sunsets, and being able to share them with friends. And, of course, the incredible fishing. To me, it is all worthwhile.

We arrived to Lake Huites and Trophy Bass Lodge with high hopes. We had been getting some phenomenal fishing reports, and you never want to hear "you should have been here yesterday". Huites did not let us down. As we prepared to head out for our first morning of fishing, I asked Louis, our chief guide, what baits we should focus on. His answer was this: use any bait you want, they will eat them all! So off we went. I decided to head up the canyons to some clearer water to get started. It quickly became apparent that Louis was right, as we caught fish on every bait we used. Over the course of the next 2 and ˝ days, we fished clear water, stained water, deep water, shallow water, it really made no difference. We caught fish on YUM Dingers, Senkos, trick worms, small, medium and large crankbaits, big lizards and worms, buzzbaits, Zara Spooks, Chugbugs, flukes in pearl and bubblegum, Heavy Cover Tilapia spinner baits, and swim baits. I am sure I left something out but you get the picture.

By the second day we had begun to close in on a big fish pattern. Al and I had noticed that when we fished flukes in the tops of trees in deep water, the average size of the fish went up substantially. It was critical, however, that the tree top be in the shade. We were catching 3, 4 and 5 pounders out of most of the trees we fished. However when we fished some tree tops the 2nd morning, we caught several 6’s and a 7 pounder. So as we headed off to fish the afternoon of the second day, we had a plan. Fish tree tops, and more tree tops.

By 4 pm that afternoon, the sun had set enough for us to start the pattern. We immediately began catching fish in the 4 to 6 pound range. There was one bank, however, that we had missed what we thought were some big fish that morning. And the bank seemed to have less small fish on it as well. Not 5 minutes after we started down that bank, I had a big bass come up and hit my fluke just on under the surface. I set the hook, and since I had watched the fish come up I knew it was big. Now I really don’t know what makes these Mexico bass so dang strong, but they just seem to pull so much harder than our bass at home. This fish grabbed my fluke, and down in that tree he went. There was simply nothing I could do. As you can imagine, Al immediately started razzing me about losing a big’un. But his turn was coming.

After several more 5 and 6 pounders in short order, Al had a giant blow up on his bait but missed it. It looked like a bomb went off in the water. We both knew it was huge. Since Al is 6’5” and about 300 pounds, and was pretty rattled over missing his first really big Mexican bass, I decided I had better not give him too much of a bad time. Then just a few casts later, Al threw his fluke in the top of a tree in about 25 feet of water. Repeat my story. This fish exploded on the bait, Al set the hook, and down goes the fish and “dink”. Fish gone. I could not pass up the chance this time and preceded to give him a good scolding, although I knew there was nothing he could do. At this point I had picked up my big swim bait rod with 20 pound mono and tied my fluke on in an attempt to prevent a repeat. Unfortunately it did not seem to matter. In the next 15 minutes Al and I both had two more giants come up out of those trees and hit our fluke, and there seemed to be absolutely nothing we could do to get them out. I have fished, successfully, for big bass all over Mexico, and Al grew up fishing East Texas in the 70’s and 80’s when there was an abundance of big fish. My point is neither of us are amateurs in how to man handle big bass, and we were just amazed that we could not get even one of this pigs out of those trees. The only thing we could have done different was go to braid, and in hindsight I suppose we should have. As the sun set, we headed back to lodge dejected, with our tails between our legs.

It was apparent that the bigger fish, for whatever reason, really turned on that afternoon. In addition to having our shots, Frank Walker boated a 10.57 as well as an 8 and a 7. Dale and Skip, while not boating anything over 7 pounds had a bunch of quality fish as well. That seems to be the way those big bass operate at Huites. We tried to go back and get those big dogs the next morning, but with only a ˝ day of fishing it just did not happen. We had plenty of quality fish but the window on the big boys just did not open for us. Overall, however, it was an incredible fish. I have fished most of the lakes in Mexico, and don’t ever recall catching as many fish over 4 pounds as we did on this trip. Over the course of those 2 and ˝ days, here is our estimate of the results from 5 anglers:

Total Bass (5 fishermen, 2 and ˝ days): 1445 4 pounds: 111 5 pounds: 58 6 pounds: 47 7 pounds: 7 8 pounds: 2 9 pounds: 0 10 pounds: 1

OFF SHORE FISHING – LOS MOCHIS STYLE! On the afternoon of the third day, with the exception of Frank Walker who is going to be at Huites fishing for 11 days, the rest of us headed back to Los Mochis. Ever since I became a partner in Trophy Bass Lodge, I have been interested in checking out the offshore fishing near Los Mochis, which is just across the Sea of Cortez from Cabo San Lucas. Having finally secured a boat to take us out, we spent the fourth day fishing near a rock island known as Isle de Farion ten miles out of the bay. My guys have been telling me about this fishery, and the incredible wildlife that exists there. We were not let down. While attempting to catch some Bonita to use as live bait for blue marlin, we caught several mackerel. While that is not overly exciting, what is exciting is when a 500 seal swims off the island and eats the mackerel you are reeling in! The first seal ate the mackerel, and the lure. If you have never seen a fisherman hooked up to a 500 seal on a Calcutta 400 with 25 pound test, it is highly entertaining! The second seal managed to get the mackerel just behind its head, and we managed to get our lure back. I captured the second encounter on film, which shows the seal come to the surface slinging the mackerel around. You can see the mackerel head (and lure) go flying off! Now that is something you don’t see every day!

Unsuccessful in catching live bait, we elected to get on out to marlin water and pull lures. We saw one boat pull a 200 pounder in the boat, and we saw another boat tangle with a brute blue marlin for well over an hour only to have the fish get off close to the boat. As far as I could tell, every boat (all six of us) that was out that day either boated or hooked up a marlin! After trolling around four hours, we had our chance, hooking up to a solid blue in the 250 to 300 pound range. Dale Loggins battled this bruiser for 45 minutes, and had the fish within 30 yards of the boat. When the fish turned and peeled off a couple hundred yards of line, he cried uncle. At that point Skip jumped in, and worked on the fish for 15 or 20 minutes. Then big Al took his turn, and after another 35 minutes, we had the fish beside the boat. Next thing I knew, the fish was in the boat. I intended to release this fish however the guide quickly changed the plans. Next time I will make sure the fish is released to fight another day. Nonetheless we boated this big rascal and it was high fives all the way around. What a way to finish off the trip! I felt like this area of the Cortez coast should be an awesome fishery, and while one trip is only a sample I am excited about the future opportunities this could provide.

This entire trip was captured on video, and I will post it on my YouTube page as soon as I have it edited. You can check my YouTube page at www.youtube.com/user/bretthgraham or my website at www.texmexadventures.com. I should have the video finished in the next few days.

OPEN DATES STILL AVAILABLE AT TROPHY BASS LODGE FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER! If you would like to get in on the incredible action going on at Lake Huites, give me a call and I will get you set up. We have our fall special going through the end of 2007, so you can get in on some great action at a great price! In addition to the fall special, we have added a special price for corporate bookings and retreats. So if you are looking for a destination to hold your meetings or create teamwork among your employees, we can help you set that up. And remember, book now for your shot at that fish of a lifetime, maybe you will have more luck wrestling him out of that tree than we did!

WORLD CLASS DOVE HUNTING AVAILABLE – NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY! Just outside of Los Mochis and on the way to the lodge is El Fuerte. Dove hunting in the El Fuerte valley is world famous for the extreme quantity of White Wing dove and Mourning Dove. The natural habitat provides excellent nesting suites, with fertile fields of small grains growing year round. Some of the best in the west.

The annual Dove Hunting season for Sinaloa is 120 days, starting late October and Running to the End of February. Hunting the El Fuerte River Valley in peanut, milo and corn fields depending on the time of year will definitely sharpen your pass shooting skills. Each hunter has his own personal "Bird Hustler" to retrieve, pickup and clean the birds. Call today for more info!

Brett Graham Trophy Team Trophy Bass Lodge, Lake Huites WWW.TEXMEXADVENTURES.COM CELL 903-815-6764

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