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It had been two years since my last fishing trip to Lake El Salto and I must admit that the dock talk about the lake was the main reason for my absence. “The big fish are all gone,” said one friend, while another quipped, “well, at least we had a few good years.” Comments like these have been the buzz around the fishing community and with such talk why would any rational person spend money on a Mexican adventure that would probably end in disappointment. Perhaps because I’m a glutton for punishment or for any number of other reasons, my wife Jeri and I spent five days on El Salto in early December with surprising results.

In a brochure from Anglers Inn, the premier outfitter for Lake El Salto, I read about a couple’s package, in which spouses could choose between fishing or remaining on shore and taking advantage of the pampering of a full-service staff. This sounded fun for both of us so we booked the trip.

As long as the fishing passes muster, El Salto makes the perfect Mexican destination for two main reasons: First, it is a short hour-and-a-half drive from the Mazatlan Airport, and second, personal security and safety risks are minimal and the spectacular lodge built next to the water makes for a tropical setting second to none. I’ve visited other Mexican lakes that, by the time you actually arrive at the lake, make you feel like Columbus finally setting foot on dry land after an eternity at sea. After countless miles of dirt roads and potholes the size of bass boats, you want to kiss the ground.

The key to successful Mexican adventures however, always boils down to the fishing, so with much trepidation, based on reports from friends we arrived at the lodge at 3:45 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon. Jose Rincon, the lodge manager, met us at the side of our air-conditioned van with drinks and then immediately showed us to our room. “You’ll want to go fishing now of course?” Jose asked after making certain our bags were stowed.

“I think I’m going to stay and get settled in,” my wife Jeri responded. “But I’m sure Don will want to go out.”

I hurriedly rigged three rods, walked the 100 yards to the dock and within another couple of minutes our guide for the week, Pedro Jimenez and I were racing across totally calm waters headed for some famed El Salto evening reaction bites.

The lake was at full pool so I figured the bass would be spread out. In the U.S. that equates to a slower but consistent bite. As we crossed the lake I began to get more and more anxious as I remembered the great fishing of passed years and silently hoped the stories my friends told were not true.

“How is the topwater bite now?” I asked my newest best friend, Pedro.

“Topwater has been good,” he said, “but sometimes it has been a little slow.” I took out a Zara Spook and began throwing it in the back of a deep cove. Fifteen casts later I had yet to see my first fish, and so I switched to a homemade popper-style bait that has worked to perfection in the past. Another 15 casts didn’t even produce a ripple and I began to wonder if the rumors were true.

One of my mottos has always been, “When the going gets tough the tough throw blades,” so I tied on a bluegill-colored 3/8-ounce spinnerbait and continued to cast to the structure. On the first cast a nine-pound Florida largemouth swallowed the hapless spinnerbait on the third turn of the reel. That was the largest bass I’d taken on a spinnerbait and it hit with such force I wondered if I could turn her head – what a fish!

By 6:00 p.m. we headed back to the lodge, I had released 11 bass over 6 pounds and had weighed an 8.3, 9.1, and a 7.11. Every fish caught came on the spinnerbait. It seemed to me the fish didn’t want to break the surface but were very willing to hit a reaction bait. If the trip ended right then it would have been a fantastic experience. But that was just a taste of what lay in store for the both of us.

By the time we returned to the lodge, Jeri had arranged massages, pedicures, manicures, and had even set up a shopping excursion to Mazatlan during our stay. But when she heard how good the fishing had been she wanted to go out on the boat the following morning.

Note to self: A happy wife on a fishing trip is a very valuable commodity.

The following morning and for the remainder of the trip, Jeri accompanied me at least half of the times we explored the reaches of the lake. She averaged 20 fish a day and learned to dead-stick Kinami Flashes, and Yamamoto Senkos on a spinning outfit. She fished side by side with me, all the while marveling at the sights.

“I’ve never seen so many different kinds of birds,” she cooed. “This place is a paradise.”

I, on the other hand had learned something from that first evening on the lake. I temporarily left my topwater baits in the tackle box and instead threw various spinnerbaits for most of the time. The fishing was spectacular. Each day produced between 60 and 100 fish with scores of fish weighing over six pounds. And each evening upon returning to the dock, I encountered a radiant wife, pampered and rested, comfortably lounging in this tropical paradise while enjoying a good book.

On Friday afternoon, Pedro and I found shad penned up in the back of a cove with huge bass casually feeding on the surface. Though several came up for poppers and spooks, a white spinnerbait ruled the day. I caught more than 40 fish in an hour and a half and in one spurt caught 24 bass between 3 and 6 pounds, on consecutive casts.

The stories of the demise of Lake El Salto have been greatly exaggerated. This trip, my sixth, was the best trip yet. Though I didn’t catch a double-digit bass, I caught more quality fish than before and by including my wife in the adventure, she decided she didn’t mind bass fishing in the least. By the end of the trip, she was telling the guide where she wanted to cast.

“Pedro, move me a little closer to that log,” she said, beaming from ear to ear.

El Salto still has some incredible bass, and those who want to catch their first double-digit bass will have a great opportunity to do just that. Just explain that to the staff and they will try and accommodate. But, for those who want non-stop action of fish between 1 and 8 pounds, and the opportunity at a few fish between 8 and 15 pounds, this lake is still the best I’ve ever experienced. That must be explained to the staff, too. They are there to help you have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

On Saturday afternoon, after Jeri hit the jackpot in the morning catching 16 topwater fish that hit with the explosive power of mortar fire, we were driven from the lake back to Mazatlan and checked into the Holiday Inn where we enjoyed an evening on the town, dancing, dining and shopping.

“Honey,” Jeri whispered in my ear, “You can bring me here any time.”

For information on El Salto and the couples’ package, call 1-800-GOTA-FISH, or on the web at www.anglersinn.com