Ok here is the pep talk and I only give it once. Let's start with what to bring and not to bring.

Passport.
If you are a women you need a copy of your marriage license too.
A picture ID like a drivers license too.

Check out NEW Home land security laws.. I cannot keep up with them on this page. If you bring your own boat you do need the original title, plus it must have a registration and proof of insurance... This goes for your truck too.. I got stuck last year with no current proof of registration from AZ and they turned me back.. so ask a licensee insurance agent before even going.. 

PS: The gangs and cartel are hi-jacking cars at gun point in broad daylight at street corners.. So if you go, go at GREAT risk. You will be tested. Cosmic>

     Money for tips. Tips are one dollar and you can bring about 20 or 30 of them. Then you should plan on tipping the boat guide a total of $20-$100 per day, if he doesn't do a good job don't tip him. After that you don't need money for licenses, drinks, food, lodging or anything else. These people in the camp will work like crazy with or without a tip. We like to give them tips. We also bring down our old T shirts, hat, jeans etc in any size after we have our bag packed. (For children, women, boys men) Then we give them the extra cloths, clean out your closet, these people will appreciate it.

    You only have to bring like 2-3 pairs of jeans, use one clean pair for the airplane to and back. One clean shirt for the airplane to and back. Then you ware your dirty, stinky cloths fishing and we all smell the same. Don't over pack. You will need a light jacket for the boat rides in the AM and PM. You will need a hat or two, maybe one long sleeve, light shirt material if you find yourself sunburned. Bring suntan lotion. There is nothing to buy at the camp. It is at the end of a very, very, very long dirt road. If you don't bring a toothbrush you can't buy one.

Ok let's talk about a day in the life.

Sunrise you are woken up, you take a shower etc and come into a full sit-down breakfast. Then your gear that you have left outside your door, is carried to a truck and the guides take the truck and your gear to the boats. When you get done eating you go to the nice truck and ride down to the lake. 2 people and one guide get in a boat and if you are smart you smile at the guide and shut up. Don’t try and tell him where to go like I always do. He will have a full ice chest of what ever you have told them to pack. If you drink beer at 6 am it will have beer, if it is coke, or bottled water, no problem. You fish to noon. The guides unhook all your fish, they will fix your worm and net the fish etc. You come back at lunch and you get a full sit down lunch. You lounge around and swap stories or take a quick nap and off you go again. The fish do NOT bite between noon and 2 PM, don’t ask me why.

So off you go again with a full tank of gas, more ice chest stuff and more fishing until sunset. Then you come in, have a full sit down meal. Free margaritas, beer, steak, or whatever the cooks are cooking. After you get done eating it is already 8pm and you need to get up at about 5:30 so it is time for bed. Then off you go again in the morning.

Ok, what kind of gear?

I’m going to tell you and you had better listen. Rod and line. Rods should be 6 to 7 foot, Medium to medium heavy. Line should be 17 to 25 # test. If you show up with a spinning outfit with 12 # test and think you are going to catch fish you are mentally sick. These fish are very strong, very big and very aggressive. They live in the worst parts of the Ironwood, Mesquite, Buck brush, Cactus and any other thing that has been flooded by the upcoming water. Remember they pull the lake down to irrigate. The trees grow fast, then the water rises and the fish move into the jungle. You are not getting them out with 12 or 14 # test. You will lose your lure, you will look stupid and you will not have any fun. This goes for women and children. My wife will be fishing two MH 6 ½ spinning rods with 17# test. She will loose fish she cannot turn. But she will have a fair chance with the ones under 5-6 pounds. I will be using 20 # test mono on a 6 ½ MH stick. Nothing fancy no real overkill. I will have one rod with 17 # test in case I want to play around a little. Bring your rods in a tube case for the airport.

Tackle box. All this stuff about 14 inch worms is bunk. They love 7 inch worms. They like tequila shad, (red shad) they like blue with any color tail and they love watermelon with a chartreuse tail. I will have 7 inch worms, 9 inch and a bunch of 11 inch. They do like the 7 inch worm, but you can throw a 9 inch and they will eat it just as quick. So I bring nothing but big stuff, I can always bite the head off. All my worms start at 9 inch and go to 11 inches. They love a floating worm or a fluke with a 5/0 hook thrown on 17# spinning gear reeled as fast as you can. They will come up in packs of 4 or 5 and slam the worm or the fluke. I would bring 50 of the worms in the brightest colors and I would bring 75 fluke in 5 inch in silver shad. These fish love color.

Lures. Everything, but they like chuggers, Zara spooks, some buzz baits, etc. They love topwater in the AM, then you go to spinnerbaits, white, chartreuse . Then you go to worms, then lunch, then worms, then sunset back to the spinnerbaits and topwater. Some guys throw a lot of fat free shads etc.

Hook size should be 4/0 to 5/0 forget that little 1/0 stuff, you are not fishing for dinks. No hook should be less then a 3/0, no worm less then 7 inches. And that about does it. Bring an extra spool of line with you (No Stores!!!!). Pack your pocket knife in your check in luggage, nail clippers, sunglasses etc. The boats are roomy and dry. But still take care of your camera etc.

The guide’s don’t speak English, neither do I, so I pack a little toilet paper with me and wave it at him if nature calls me. Some times I call back.