There has never been greater interest in bass fishing in the highland lakes of Old Mexico and it is for good reason. An average angler’s best chances anywhere on earth for catching a ten pounds plus largemouth bass on artificial lures are never higher than when casting at one of a half dozen or so lakes located on the historic Sierra Madre Mountains of this Spanish speaking country. Additionally, most experts predict that when the next world record largemouth bass is caught, it will come from one these Mexican impoundments. When you consider what a world record bass catch is worth, the odds are better than playing power ball lotto. When you consider how little time most drivers have to pursue serious, close to home bass fishing, making a 4-to-5 day trip is a pretty inviting deal.
My first largemouth bass fishing trip to Mexico occurred eight years ago when I was hosted there by David Fields, owner of Bassin’ Mexico. It was a week before Thanksgiving Day and from all I had heard this was a great time to trek south for great largemouth bass fishing action. He is one of the pioneers when it comes to exploring these waters with crank baits and plastic worms as well as one of the first Americans to set up a lodge where US anglers can come to sample this unique angling treat.
Our destination was Lake Huites located after a two hours car ride from the city of Los Mochis. I flew to this town of 100,000 from Mexico City where David Fields greeted me at the airport. Blessed with the gift of gab, and preferring to talk about fishing above all else in the world, David talked non-stop about fishing at Lake Huites as we ascended from the lush green valley into the desert like Sierra Madre Mountains. After two hours on pavement we digressed to a dirt road that wound up the mountains like a corkscrew. I could look out the window and see what looked like a mile deep valley off the steep edges and still David talked on and on about fishing. When we arrived at the lakeside lodge, I was almost as excited about fishing and being alive to fish that afternoon as was David.
According David who has been fishing here for many years, Lake Huites was once called the "Mystery Lake". Tucked into the rolling foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, Lake Huites is one of the most scenic lakes in Mexico. This 30,000 surface acres man made lake is created by the impoundment of the Rio Chinipa and Fuerte rivers. It located in a sparsely populated region at approximately 4500 feet above sea level. The is 18-miles long along one river arm and is 15 miles long the other river arm that combine to created hundreds of miles of shoreline that varies from large submerged flats covered with floating vegetation to narrow stark rocky walled canyon sluices. Bass anglers from the US often are surprised to discover that this body of water has a little bit of every conceivable structure a bass could ever occupy
A large growing native strain of largemouth bass naturally occurred in the rivers before their damming. However, in an effort to create a world class largemouth bass trophy class bass fishery, as early in the 1970s Lake Huites has been stocked with Florida strain largemouth bass imported here from the El Fuerte River system. Stockings of Florida strain largemouth bass has created a trophy bass fishery that many experts say is the world’s best. Each month of the years literally hundreds of largemouth bass over 10 pounds are caught and released at this lake.
It more than genetics that makes the largemouth bass fishing at Mexico’s Lake Huites a world class trophy fishery. The bass in body of water annually grow at a rate of 2 pounds per year. Lake Huites is full of fast growing bass for four reasons. One is outstanding genetic, and the other is balanced year round growth. Additionally this rich body of water boasts a huge forage base consisting threadfin shad, crayfish and the protein packed native pinfish that has become well-known on US eatery menus call the “tilapia.” The lake is well balanced in terms of cover that exists along its diverse banks and flats, which along with great water quality give an A+ grade in terms of habitat. The remote location of Lake Huites makes it a difficult location bring your own boat which keeps fishing pressure low. Ninety-nine percent of the bass anglers here stay at lodges where catch-and-release rules are firmly enforced to ensure the fishery does not diminish under sometimes heavy trophy fishing pressure.
