This story is coming from Kim Babbidge, wife of Booking Agent and longtime Anglers Inn Supporter, Steve Babbidge.

I just recently returned from a Mazatlan vacation full of fishing and fun.

Prior to my first day of bass fishing, Steve took me to the park and we practiced casting various weights and lines. From there we went to a swimming pool so I could see how the various baits work. This was invaluable practice and when I hit water at Anglers Inn/Lake El Salto, I was good to go. My first two fish were seven and seven ½ pounds, and both taking on Rico Bleeding Shad Topwater Bait. What a thrill! Later that morning I picked up an eight pounder on a Rat-L- Trap and Steve got an 11 pounder on a Black & Blue Hybrid Lizard with “Hot Sauce”.

The next day we went up river and I got into an unbelievable Spinner Bait bite. I had 14 fish in concession from 4 pounds to 11 pounds. Our guide Javier and Steve were relegated to net man and photographer. By the time, things had settled down, Steve had one fish and I had the rest. Go Girl! What a fabulous experience. You have to be here to see it for yourself.

In three days of fishing, we had 55 fish between 4-11 pounds. Four over seven, three were eight, one at nine and two were eleven. Not bad for my first trip!

THE ACCOMODATIONS

Nothing short of fantastic could describe the squeaky clean, air-conditioned suites with private bathrooms. Let me tell you some things that really mean a lot to women.

The food was delicious and there was lots of it. We had Dorado, Tilapia, Filet Mignon, Hamburgers, Chicken and meals with a Mexican flare for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was the awesome and included; omelet’s, pancakes, bacon, sausage, potatoes, biscuits, fruit and cereal. As for Steve, he had the chef prepare him egg, bacon and cheese breakfast burritos for later in the morning out on the lake. Needless to say, I helped him out with the burritos.

SERVICE AND HOSPITALITY

There are no words to describe the service and kindness displayed by all the Anglers Inn Staff from the waiters to the guides and from the housekeepers to the chef. Five stars do not seem to cover it. I would have to say six stars or a new star! They took care of my every need!

MAZATLAN: THE CITY

Both Old and New Mazatlan are fantastic clean and safe. They have an eleven-mile long boardwalk that runs along the coast for walking, riding a bike, shopping and eating. The locals were very pleasant and helpful. There is plenty to do and see and 5 days is not enough for this woman! Let me explain to you just how it was.

Day 1

It started with visiting Billy Chapman’s outrageous three bedrooms and 2-bath Condo, over looking the beach. We also visited the Anglers Inn office to find out what Billy and Chappy had in store for us. That afternoon, we laid out at the pool at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort basking in sunshine and margaritas. They have the coolest pool, you can swim right up to the poolside bar and order your drink and the pool appears to be lapping into the ocean. Later on that evening I had a romantic dinner with Steve at a wonderful restaurant called ‘The Sheik’ at Valentino’s. We sat outside over looking the crashing surf, watching the sunset on the Mexican Riviera.

Day 2

We started out before the Sun came up. One of Angler’s Inn Panga fleet took us out for a little Rooster fishing. The most important thing to Rooster fishing is “setting the hook!’ We caught three Roosterfish and one Black Snapper, and we were back at the Hotel by 11:30. Late afternoon Herbie took us on a personal tour of the Old City of Mazatlan followed by an Angler’s Inn special massage. Check this out folks a deep tissue massage for an hour an a half for only $22.50. It was heavenly. That evening we had dinner at Cowboys, a fabulous Restaurant known for their Rib-eyed steaks and then we danced the night away at the Hotel Playa, Mazatlan. The music was great and the lead singer was so good I wanted to sign her up to a personal contract.

Day 3

We were off and running by 10:30 AM. Had our coffee, packed our ice chest and headed out in a Steel Thunder Jeep to the old mountain silver mining town of Copala. We had a beautiful 2-hour ride through flower-ridden mountains to the cobblestone streets of a 300-year-old quaint Mexican town. We visited a Church that has been there as long as the town and enjoyed a little local shopping and lunch at Chalba’s. The food was excellent, clean kitchen and bathrooms, and the people were very nice. We ended it by stopping at Daniels for the view, along with great Margarita’s and Pina Colada’s before leaving Copala. This will be one of the pit stops for the Steel Thunder Harley trip. Right before the sun set we were back on the Mexican Riviera enjoying another sunset on a white sandy beach at Estrella Del Mar Golf Resort where I made notes for this article as two cruise ships departed the Mazatlan Harbor. Steve and I topped the day off having dinner with Billy, Chappy and Herbie at Mango’s on the Beach.

Day 4

Steve washed the Steel Thunder Jeep and brought me breakfast in bed from Panama’s. He is so sweet and the food is so good. I was not in too much of a hurry to get out of bed. Slowly but surely we rolled out about noon to take in the city, including tremendous views, the Mazatlan Cliff Divers, the Lighthouse and plenty of shopping. The negotiating of the price is such a hoot, that Ladies; you cannot help but get a great deal. By 2:30, we were back at Angler’s Inn headquarters to film an interview on our Bass Fishing at Lake El Salto. I was not at a loss for words! After the interview we headed to the massage parlor for another one of those special massages because it just seemed like the right thing to do. I am telling you the massages are excellent! After the massage, we headed back to Mango’s for more food and libations.

Day 5

As the adventure continued, we took the jeep out to Rancho Los Mores, an old Tequila factory that has been converted into a fabulous Hacienda with an incredible pool, peacocks, horses and a hillside chapel that was so lovely it just astounded you. Billy arranged for us to have cocktails at the new Pueblo Bonita Hotel at Emerald Bay, located 7 minutes north of town. Pueblo Bonita is one of the most successful ownership/timeshare operations in Mexico and Billy just happens to own the adjacent four plus acres along this pristine beach. Within the next two years, Billy is building an Angler’s Inn Beach & Sporting Club and Steve and I want in. I really do believe we could live 6 months in Mazatlan and the other six in the states. The city is clean, safe and inexpensive and the local people are very friendly and helpful. Build on Billy, we are ready! Later that afternoon we had lunch at Pancho’s on the Beach for the third time. We ate, drank, shopped and went Para Sailing. This was my first Para Sailing experience and I loved it so much, I went up three times. That evening Herbie, Chappy, Nora and I took Steve out to celebrate his birthday. We went to Mazatlan’s old town and had dinner at a lovely restaurant facing a festive square. It was Friday night and the atmosphere was jumping. Music was coming from everywhere. After dinner, we walked over to Pedro & Lola’s in the square for a drink or two and listened to some jazz guitarists for an hour or so. It was just another remarkable evening on the Mexican Riviera.

In conclusion:

Gentlemen: Bring your wives or girlfriends for a World-Class Bass and Beach experience.

Ladies: Insist on going on this next trip to Anglers Inn at Lake El Salto and spend a couple of days in Mazatlan.

You can trust me on this one. Please feel free to call me at 800-583-8133 for more details or E-mail me.