A Reel Mexican
Adventure
Flying on a plane has never bothered me. It is the taking off and landing of the plane
that causes me to squirm. That being said, I admit I was a little apprehensive about
taking off and landing a total of 6 times to get from DFW airport to Los Mochis, Mexico
for a fishing trip to Lake Huites. Then again, the thought of getting away from my office
for 5 days on a vacation sounded too good. Especially when Greg Van Steenkiste told me
about the fishing at this great new Mexican lake.
I knew this was going to be a good trip from the moment I got in line at the American
Airlines ticket counter at DFW Airport to check in for my flight to Tucson. There in line
in front of me stood John Biondi, his son Byron and John's brother, Mark. They were each
carrying a suitcase, a huge soft-sided tackle bag and rods cases. So was I. After
introductions, it was apparent that each of us had mutual friends who fished (a good
friend of mine Ken Revell used to work with John at General Motors) and before we ever got
off the ground, we had caught more bass in the airport lounge in an hour than a lot of
anglers do in a day on a real lake
.After arrival in Tucson, we hooked up with Greg Van Steenkiste of Phoenix and his friends
for the connecting flight into Mexico. Greg is CEO of Scientific Bass, makers of Kick'n
BassŪ fish attractant and the Lip Grip'r. Greg had been after me to go on a trip to Lake
Huites for some time. After all, he had been their 4 or 5 times and every time said the
fishing was phenomenal. We all departed Tucson, after a 2 hour Aero California airline
delay, and after a pretty short flight, landed in Hermosillo, Mexico. After a brief
stopover, we departed for another short flight to Los Mochis, Mexico. Upon arrival at 9:00
pm at the Los Mochis Airport, we were greeted by Jose and the drivers from the Lake Huites
Lodge. After making sure we had all of our gear off the plane, we loaded the Suburbans and
vans for the 3 hour drive to the lodge. The first 2 hours were on 2 lane highways and were
normal. The time went by fast as each of us in the Suburban got acquainted. When the
convoy of 4 vehicles arrived at the edge of the Sierra Madre mountains to start the drive
up to the lodge, the final 16 miles took about a hour. From the looks and condition
of the mountain road, it was apparent that we were heading into some rugged mountain
country. Upon arrival at the Lodge that night, I was amazed at how nice it was. This
is roughing it?
A Typical scene on Huites.Manuel prepares to net another bass for Greg.
Greg Van Steenkiste of Kick'n BassŪ with a healthy Lake Huites Largemouth bass.
This place is brand new, I thought. The rooms were clean and large. The staff had a full
dinner, hot and ready for us. We unloaded our gear, stuffed our faces and then retired at
midnight for a 5:00 am wake up. I would share a room with Mark Biondi, an
educator/coach from Kennedale, TX and neither one of us had to be rocked to sleep that
first night. At 5 a.m. came a knock on the door and a waitress greeting us with hot
coffee. Breakfast was ready when we arrived at the dining room and again the food was
fresh and delicious. Sunlight was just starting to break up the night over the Sierra
Madre mountains as we started loading up our stuff to head out for the one minute ride
down the mountain side to the boat launch. With the lake down below, it was an awesome
view.
What a beautiful way to start 3 days of nothing but fishing. Time to fish. Manuel would be
our guide and before I could introduce myself, he was busy loading up our tackle into the
boat. We immediately motored down the lake for about 1/2 mile when Manuel stopped the boat
to start fishing. The water looked great. The scenery was almost too much to take
in. Every single spot looked so fishy. I didn't know where to cast first. Greg and I
would be fishing together and we both started chunking topwater lures. We couldn't get a
bite the first 30 minutes. At least not on a Spook. We would find out later that somewhere
else on the lake that morning, Byron Biondi would be smashing the bass on a small
Pop-R. Time to move. We motored across the lake for about 1/2 mile to a long brushy
point. I picked up my white spinnerbait, with white double willow leaf blades, and
proceeded to chunk. On the 3rd cast, I caught a 5 lb. bass. From the pull of that fish, I
would have sworn it was bigger. Just a few casts later, another 3 lb. bass. Then another.
Then Greg lands another 5 lb.
bass on a fluke. Then he catches another. Then I miss one. Then a good one eats a white
jig and frog. Greg says, "Fish on!" The race is on. After a couple of photos of
the bigger ones, we were too busy catching fish to take the time for photographs. We
spend the rest of the morning fishing several spots and every one of them looked better
than the last one. We're catching fish everywhere we stop. At 11:30, our guide signals
that it is lunchtime, so off we go back to the lodge for lunch. Jeez...these people are
trying to fatten us up for slaughter! The bean & tortilla soup was so good I had two
big bowls of it. Then they bring our main course. I was stuffed. On top of everything
else, there was a bottomless bowl of homemade picante sauce and chips on every table. And
even though I don't drink alcohol, those who do can enjoy a frosty cold brew or margarita,
with an endless tap at their disposal, during their stay. There is also an endless supply
of cold bottled water, soft drinks and iced tea. I promise, you won't want for anything to
eat or drink while you stay at Lake Huites Lodge. After lunch, it was back out again. Greg
and I literally were traveling down the lake when we said, "That brushy shoreline
over there looks good. Let's fish it." The bite was unbelievable. We caught &
released over 100+ bass this size in
our 3 days on the lake. Every 10 feet we caught a fish. This went on for over a mile of
shoreline. Add that up. A better than average bass (2 to 4 lb.) every 10 feet for a mile.
I lost count on how many doubles we had on. And we didn't even try and count all of the
ones that we lost or that jumped off the hook. By suppertime at dusk, I was one tired
puppy from catching bass. And my ribs were bruised from setting the hook so many times. If
you like fishing rocky, sloping points & shorelines, and underwater humps, all which
are covered in brush, then Lake Huites is the place. After we had been fed a huge dinner,
the anglers at the lodge all got together for a little fellowship and to talk about their
first day on the lake. It was evident that every boat caught a lot of fish. And on several
different types of lures and presentations. After an hour or two of this, most of us were
pretty tired from the short night before and we all turned in for the night. Lake Huites
was created when the Rio Fuerte River was dammed. At about 30 miles in length with 30,000
acres, the lake is more of a river than a lake. I can't recall ever fishing a more brushy
or rocky lake. There were long sloping points every place we went with brush piles and
rocks everywhere. Imagine flooding the wilderness and mountains of Mexico and you get a
good idea of what Lake Huites looks like. Up until 1997, no Americans had fished this
lake. This lake is also the very first lake to de designated for sportfishing only by the
Mexican government. This means that the gill nets of the commercial fishermen will have to
stay out of the lake. Day two. Again, coffee wake up call room service and then another
big breakfast. After a day of fishing on Huites, I came to understand why these people
feed you so good. You need the energy for the fishing each day. Out we go again and the
fishing is again phenomenal. This time we start off with spinnerbaits and caught at least
30 in the first 30 minutes of the day. We discovered they wanted the spinnerbait ripped
just below the surface. Days 2 and 3 were carbon copies of the first day. Greg and
I, every boat, caught and released hundreds of bass. Even though we quit counting each day
at about 75 fish, we know we boated over 300 bass, with a 3 to 4 lb. average in the 3 days
we fished. And we probably jumped off another 100 plus fish. The largest bass caught
during our stay was a 12 lber. by an angler staying at the lodge. And what makes this even
more remarkable is the fact that they were dropping the lake 6 inches every day! Imagine
if they hadn't been pulling water. Trying to tell a bass angler who has never been to Lake
Huites about the unbelievable fishing, is like trying to tell someone who has never been a
parent what it is like to have a kid. You really can't know how awesome the fishing is
until you go experience the adventure for yourself. The only thing negative about
the trip is the fact that you eventually have to leave to come home. I am counting the
days until I return this November and I'll take off and land 10 times if I have to. I want
to thank Greg Van Steenkiste for finally convincing me to go to Huites; and Terry Hollan,
Rene, Russell, Kelly and the whole staff at Lake Huites Lodge. Lake Huites Lodge is the #1
place to stay and this is the affordable vacation of a lifetime for any bass angler who
wants to have a Reel Mexican Bass Fishing Adventure. Mochas Grande lobina! Adios!
Upon arrival at Los Mochis, Reel Mexican Adventures furnishes:
All Lodging & Maid service, All Meals at Lodge, All Beverages (alcohol & non),
Boat, gas & fishing guide, Mexican fishing license
Checklist - Lake Huites Things you supply:
Valid Passport or your a notarized copy of your Birth certificate
& Picture ID. If you don't have a passport or a
Notarized copy of your Birth Certificate and a Picture Id, you will not pass customs.
Round trip Airline tickets, Clothes & a warm jacket, Fishing rods & tackle,.
Fishing pliers, Bug repellent / Sunscreen,. Sunglasses / Hat or cap, Camera and film, Rain
suit, Favorite snacks, Anti-diarrhea medicine. Their is no Circle K within 1000 miles.
If you don't bring it, you can't buy it!!!!!!
Lake Huites fishing season is from October through May each year so book Lake Huites
Lodge early and secure your spot. Call today.
For More Info Contact:
Mr. Terry Hollan @ Reel Mexican Adventures
1-888-744-8867
or 806-359-6288
fax 806-374-4093
http://www.mexicanadventures.com
Terry Hollan trips@peacockbassonline.com
This page is supplied by permission of Floyde Yarbourgh editor of Outdoor Times Magazine of Texas
To return to home page click here.
To return to Articles Page click here