Happy New Year to all!!!!

Booked a trip with my two older boys to fish Lake Baccarac Mexico over the winter break and headed out a few days after Christmas.

The "bad omens" started the day after Christmas when I came down with the flu and the hits just kept on coming. We get to the airport and after 60 minutes in the check in line, son #1 tells me, "dad, I feel really sick and think I'm gonna throw up".

He goes and sits in the corner and I get to the check in counter. Lady behind the AeroMexico counter says, "Sorry sir, we cannot allow you to check on your rod case". Well we "Escalate" the discussion to the manager and the Chief Load Planner and the answer is still no. After 1 hour plus of discussion I have no options to check in the rods...

I am like WTF do I do now??? Call the wife and she "Agrees :x " drive to LAX to pick up the rod case... At this point the Omens are telling me to just go back home.

Anyways, we make it to Los Mochis and as expected, I get the Red Light going thru Customs.

Wake up Saturday morning Ryan is too sick to fish, I feel like total cr@p from the flu, son #2 just wants to sleep and it's 40 degress outside due to the cold front that is pushing thru. It doesn't get any better than this, does it?

We eat, load up the boat run about 30 minutes in the dark, freezing cold, pull up to a nice little point and Eddie, our guide, tells me throw a fluke along the point. I'm thinking a 4" fluke, come on, I'm here to throw huge baits for big bass.

Well, it pays to listen to your guide! About 6 casts later and fish on 3 of the 6 casts, I heard a big crash (still too dark to see) and the rod just about gets ripped out of my hands. Omens be gone as this nice beasty comes over the rail





We proceeded to catch about 75-100 fish per day the first two days of the trip, 50% of these fish were from 4-6lbs with a few 7lbrs and the others 1-4lbs. Only three fish were caught at the lodge those days over 10lbs. The big fish just weren't cooperating with the cold weather.

The boys did score some nice fish of their own



and I even managed a few nicer grade models too




I did hook and lose the biggest bass of my life after it blew up on a surface popper next to the boat. Just that visual memory of a 12lb+ bass exploding and ripping off drag will get me back down there again

All our better fish came on flukes, senkos and Mission Fish swimbaits, tried everything else in the box but these were our top 3 lures




We did see something many times over the entire trip, big bass choking on huge talapia. Here's and example of where super sizing your meal goes fatally wrong




The last evening we were treated to a WFO topwater bite and a nice little sunset, the omens had finally left us...



As expected, the lodge, staff, guides, meals and service were all fantastic. The kids are always given rock star treatment, something about being a blonde kid in Mexico gets the girls down there all worked up!

...thinking about a return trip in April....sin hijos...


All the Best to Everyone in 2008!

Ed