“New” Lake Mateos is topwater heaven for bass angling
By BILL RICE
WON Staff Writer
CULIACAN, Mexico — If there’s a bass fishing heaven for surface plug bass fishing, we’ve found it at the “new” Lake Mateos. You may think the following is too good to be true, but it’s not!
Located about 25 miles east of Culiacan, Lake Mateos is actually not a “new” lake, but it is a reborn fishery that was all but dead in the 1980s and early 1990s when drought conditions and heavy agricultural water use decimated the lake and the bass fishing.
The past three years this coastal Mexico area has seen the best rains in over 50 years and the lake is again nearly at capacity. And the fishing is booming!
Just last month outfitter Billy Chapman Jr. treated anglers with a
grand opening of a sparkling new Anglers Inn Resort located just below
the Humaya Dam, which backs up the lake. Built on the hillside above
the banks of the river, the lodge is only a few minutes away from his
lake fishing fleet. It’s the only resort facility at the lake and
Billy’s workers put together this fabulous facility in just 4 months of
intensive labor! And there’s more to come.
Anglers Inn Mateos is still a work in progress with additional cabins
to be added for angler comfort. Presently the lodge has six deluxe
rooms, with Chapman planning to expand with four more in the future.
But all the other amenities are in place now.
“We’ve been pre-fishing the lake for the past year with a select group
of our longtime customers,” said Chapman. “We found spectacular surface
plug fishing all year long. I think Mateos will break every record
we’ve known for this action. It’s common for anglers to fish the
surface all day long and catch upwards of 100 bass per day. And we only
allow catch-and-release bass fishing.
“Our operation at El Salto is world renown for lunker bass over 10
pounds, but Mateos is no slouch either and it’s going to get better and
better. A 14 pounder was caught here in 2006, and I doubt that angler
caught the only big bass in Mateos,” noted Chapman.
During the 10 years of drought and low water, vegetation slowly
increased all along the shoreline of this 55,000-surface-acre lake. You
will find hyacinth-lined coves all over the lake and many long brushy
points, rock bluffs and just about any type of bass cover imaginable.
The lake is approximately 50 miles in length and is fed by the Humaya
and Tamazula Rivers.
Upon our arrival, we met with a husband and wife who told us they had
caught 507 bass in 3 days of fishing . . . and all they fished were
surface lures. We thought it might be an exaggeration, but they
probably lost count and caught even more!
After the first day of fishing, I have to agree with Chapman and the
couple about the fishing. It may sound unbelievable to WON readers, but
Mateos undoubtedly has the finest surface fishing action I’ve ever
seen.
We had the opportunity to be among the first guests at Anglers Inn with
a half-dozen Western Outdoor News readers in early December. What
Chapman said is true, and it may be even better than that.
I fished for 3 days with Marc Mills, marketing director at Okuma
Fishing Tackle Corp., and we had the most spectacular surface fishing
action I’ve seen in 43 years of bass fishing. We fished plastic worms,
swim baits spinnerbaits and crank plugs, too, but the surface plugging
was awesome all day long.
One evening “bite” was the most spectacular of all. In a half-hour
period just before sunset, he two of us made cast after cast with zara
Spook surface plugs off one long, shallow, brushy point and scored bass
on every cast — all from 4 to 8 pounds! We kept guide Felipe busy with
the net. It just doesn’t get any better than that!
“Like the other popular lakes in Mexico, Mateos was stocked with
Florida-strain bass from the United States. Lake Baccarac was first
planted in 1975, then El Salto in 1985 and Mateos in 1985,” said
Chapman. “Mateos today really has two strains of largemouth bass, the
northerns and the Floridas. You can see the differences when you catch
them. The Floridas are more green with black markings, while the
northerns are more golden colored.”
During the day we found fish in all types of cover, along steep walls,
underwater ledges 10 to 20 feet deep, brushy points and hyacinth- and
boulder-lined coves. Every type of structure imaginable is available,
and there are dozens of islands of varying sizes with long points,
coves and steep rock walls.
Anglers will find most fish ranging from 3 to 5 pound class with an
occasional 6 to 8 pounder. I’m sure at the right time of year there
will be numerous fish ranging above 8 pounds and as evidenced by the
lake record, a 10 pounder is not out of reach.
The new Anglers Inn is about as good as you’ll ever see, too. A massive
dining room will easily handle all of the lodge guests. The large
outside patio area can handle a dozen or more plus there are sofas and
chairs for relaxation.
Each of the six cabins features a private bathroom and a single and two
double beds. They’re really built for 2 anglers, but 3 can be
accommodated. Each room features an air conditioner but there’s an
additional A/C unit installed as a back-up. There is a TV set and DVD
player in each room, with DVD movie selection available at the Anglers
Inn tackle shop. Free wireless Internet service is offered with laptops
available upon request. Daily laundry service is included for all
guests.
For fishing, Anglers Inn has a fleet of 20-ft. panga-type boats with
swivel bucket seats for two anglers per boat, 75 hp. Yamaha outboards,
55 lb. Thrust Minn-Kota trolling motors and Humminbird depth finders.
The guides are all local residents, who formerly were commercial
tilapia fishermen on the lake. Chapman’s staff put them through 8 weeks
of intensive training to become bass fishing guides. They know the best
spots on the lake for red-hot action.
The lake is absolutely huge, with vast expanses of open water, but
hundreds of secluded coves where you can get out of any possible wind.
Most days you will see calm, flat waters all over the lake. There are
dozens of islands throughout the lake, ranging from small rockpiles to
more than a quarter-mile long. Each possesses a wide variety of
structure. Bass fishermen will be put to the test in deciding which
lure to throw. They all will work!
Anyone who has been to Chapman’s Anglers Inn at El Salto knows he
specializes in superb staff service and great meals. It’s no different
here at the new resort. Expect to be served big breakfasts, lunches and
dinners, and a fully stocked bar. At all meals you have a choice of
main dishes, plus soup and desserts for dinner. The margaritas are
superb! You will gain weight during your days of dining at Anglers Inn.
After a grueling day of hauling in dozens of bass, you might need a
muscle-relaxing massage and that’s available at the lodge, too.
In addition to stays at the lodge and fishing on Lake Mateos, Chapman
also offers fishing, swimming and river cruises on the Humaya River
just below the lodge.
All services, meals, lodging, boats, guides, etc. are included in the
trip packages offered by Anglers Inn. For information and/or
reservations, contact Steve Babbidge at Hook Adventure Travel, (800)
583-8133 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Internet info is also
available at www.hookadventuretravel.com.
The lodge fishing season will be September 15 to July 31. The rainy
season here is August 1 to September 15. Daytime temperatures are
generally 75 to 85 in November/December, and cooling to around 62 to 72
at night. January to April temperatures will range 76 to 86 during days
and 50 to 60 at nights. May to July weather will generally be 85 to 95
during the days and 72 to 82 at night.
Lake Mateos is located about 55 minutes drive from the Culiacan Airport
and Anglers Inn will pick you up there for transportation to the lodge.
The airport is serviced from several U.S. cities by Delta, Mexicana and
Aeromexico airlines. The only non-stop route is Delta out of Los
Angeles.
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