SPORTFISHING IN MAZATLÁN - SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
By Earl Durham

Mazatlán has been dubbed “The Bill Fishing Capitol of the World” for a very long time. Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, and Steve McQueen are just a few of the regulars who found it so. The huge Blue Marlin, commonly weighing in at 250-600 pounds (record – 1,805 lbs) is just one of several robust local game species. Mazatlán is also home to giant Black Marlin, the wily Striped Marlin, Swordfish, and, of course, a prodigious population of graceful Pez Vela Sailfish, weighing in at 85-125 pounds. Large Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna of the 100lb+ size, are usually found 50 to 60 miles offshore. All others — schools of Yellowfin and Skipjack, all billfish, schools of Dorado (Mahi Mahi, numerous and feisty at 8-60 pounds), Jack Crevalle, Sierra, Bonito, occasionally Wahoo, and a few sharks — range between 6-30 miles offshore. Fishing aboard the panga “El Camichin” with Captain Chalio Ortega and crewman “Caballo” one day, I boated three Pez Vela. Minutes after boating the third fish, a Blue Marlin grabbed the rigged Mullet from an outrigger cliip, line whistling out, and put on an aerobatic show of superenergetic tailwalking prowess, all 11 feet of him, before the brawny silver blue fish performed a dazzling pirouette and snapped the 80 pound test monofilament line with what sounded like a pistol shot. Fisherman/Chef Javier Enciso filleted and then barbecued our catch beneath the shaded enramada at Marina Mazatlán later that afternoon, while we drank our cerveza and recounted fishing adventures. With some trepidation, and at risk of generating hate mail from certain quarters, I’m going to reveal some facts about Mexico’s best kept sportfishing “secret.” For background, you may know that the freshwater Largemouth Bass is the most sought after gamefish on the North American continent. The world record Largemouth weighed in at 22 lbs. 4 ozs. and was caught on June 2, 1932 at Montgomery Lake, Georgia, by George Washington Perry. Since then, pursuit of the next world record Largemouth Bass has attracted millions of avid followers. Not incidently, Bass fishing has also generated a multi-billion dollar industry of everything from $10 billed caps sporting a Bass logo, specially forged hooks, line, a cornucopia of plugs and lures, billions of brilliantly colored (and flavored) plastic worms, to the sleek 16 - 20 foot bass bargain priced in the same range as a Cadillac Sedan. Enthusiastic support for Pro-Bass tournaments in the U.S. rivals those tournaments of the professional golf circuit. Fifty miles, just 90 minutes north of Mazatlán,

over a good paved road, is the grand 25,000 acre El Salto reservoir in all her majestic beauty, cradled by the rugged Sierra Madre. Formed in 1986 by damming the Elota River, the reservoir was stocked with non-native Tilapia, primarily for weed control. A US army officer is credited with initiating the introduction of some fingerling Florida strain Largemouth Bass to the reservoir. Opened for fishing in 1990, it was discovered that the Bass had thrived extremely well, primarily due to the prodigious Tilapia that serve as an ever abundant supply of food. Initially, outdoors sports writers in the US wrote about the large numbers of aggressive Bass in El Salto, many anglers catching 80-100 in a single day. Then, in the mid-1990s, they raved about the huge number of trophy size bass El Salto produced. Ten pounders became common to the catch-and-release anglers. A Bass over 10 lbs. is roughly equivalent to a golfer’s hole-in-one. Ten pound-plus fish numbered into the thousands, as the double digit heavyweight numbers rose, 12 lbs., 14lbs., 16 lbs. On June 2, 2000, an El Salto lake record fish weighing 18 lbs. 8 ozs. was caught. More than a handful of professional anglers and sports writers gleefully reported catching their personal lifetime record fish at El Salto. Excitement among anglers increased to fever pitch when biologists discovered El Salto Bass were growing at the phenomenal rate of two pounds per year! Largemouth Bass have a lifespan of about 16 years, a fact that renders “catch-and-release” as divine writ for Bass anglers. Simple arithmetic and you just might conclude the next world record Largemouth Bass resides in El Salto reservoir, a body of water much larger than other top contenders for that honor. Outfitters charge between $250-$500US daily, including state of the art boats & equipment (2 persons per boat), experienced guides, meals, snacks, drinks, and ground transportation. 2003 was the best year yet for El Salto. Comparatively, 2004 isn’t measuring up. In fact it’s in decline, even though El Salto gets neglible fishing pressure from anglers compared to other lakes. The reason is simple and disheartening. Heavy fishing pressure is being exerted on El Salto by the commercial Tilapia fishermen, with their ubiguitous trammel set nets, effectively creating a maze of plastic bottle buoys in some areas. The trammel nets, of course, catch and kill everything, Tilapia and Bass, big and small, breeding stock included, a sad commentary on how to wastefully abuse what would otherwise be one of Mexico’s national treasures, and a mecca for tourism.

 

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