The last month of 2023 certainly went out with a big, no, make that a huge, bang as guests at both Mexico lodges were delighted with trophy largemouth and big numbers. As a bonus, the topwater bite exploded.  

Another great thing about Anglers Inn and the holidays, it’s a wonderful time to plan a family retreat to the best place on earth for fishing, lodging, food and service. Take advantage of schools being out and plan your holiday trip with the kids.  

To prepare for the topwater bite be sure to pack Berkley Choppos or Whopper Ploppers and poppers. White seems to be the most popular color. Don’t forget watermelon Senkos, black/blue 10-inch PowerWorms, shad-colored 4- to 6-inch swimbaits, 6- to 8-inch watermelon lizards and deep and shallow cranks. As always, no need to pack rods, we have St. Croix BASS X rods for your use at no charge and pack light. We provide daily laundry service for free.  

From our December Lake El Salto/Lake Picachos combo trip guests’ reports  

Ralph and Jack Schlotman wanted to experience both of Anglers Inn’s outstanding lodges. They landed 100s of fish with the biggest topping the scales at 8.0 pounds. Favorite baits included Senkos in green pumpkin, orange with yellow tail 10-inch PowerWorms, shad-colored spinnerbaits, deep cranks in yellow shad/ crawdad, shad-colored swimbaits and blue/white bucktail top waters. “Unreal trip,” said Ralph. “Everyone associated with the trip was super awesome! Both lakes were top notch. It was just a lifetime trip!”

From our December Lake El Salto guests’ reports  

CEO and founder of Anglers Inn Billy Chapman brought the family down to Lake El Salto for some holiday fishing. With Billy were Magalhi and Dylan, all proficient and avid anglers.  

Billy gets personal fishing reports from guests at the lodge for the holidays.
The lodge, as always, provides luxurious resort-style comfort.

Matt Hoskins, a repeat guest with Anglers Inn, and his group of six struck gold with topwater bites each day. A white popper and watermelon Senko were their go to baits with the biggest hitting the scales at 9.74 pounds. They focused on points, shorelines and flats. Accompanying Matt were Lisa, Meredith and Madison Hoskins along with Nathan Carper and Sharame Goodwin. Matt spoke for the group, “Best trip ever. Fish quantity and quality were unbelievable. Only thing better was the service!”
The Hoskins family knows bass.

Todd Bond was making his first trip to Lake El Salto and found a white pearl swimbait to be most productive for him. His big bass weighed 9.0 pounds.

Repeat guests Scott and Colin Oldfield wasted little time as they found the topwater bite very productive. Bone-colored and shad-colored Spooks enticed the action as Scott scored with a 9.41 lunker and Colin was not far behind with an 8.42 trophy. Both were personal bests. Biggest bass of a lifetime is common for Anglers Inn guests at Lake El Salto. “It’s the greatest place on earth. We both caught our personal bests (PB) and have already booked our next trip. We caught over 200 fish with the majority on top water.”

John and Garret Willey, first time Anglers Inn guests, caught plenty of fish on soft plastics but found a Ghost Minnow Lucky Craft Sammy to be the most fun with a tremendous topwater bite. Their biggest bass weighed 8.5 pounds. “This was our first trip and we will be back,” said John. “Anglers Inn provides unmatched customer service and is very accommodating to families. Had a blast!”

Dan Parker and Brack Harrison wasted no time getting up to speed. In four days the pair landed 684 bass, 210 on one day. “The topwater fishing was the best ever in my many trips to Lake El Salto,” said Dan. “Of course, when one speaks of superb, the staff and facilities can’t be left out. I consider the Anglers Inn team to be personal friends. This trip was extra special.”

Mike McCartney broke the ten-pound mark on his December trip to Lake El Salto and this was the seventh 10-pounder at Anglers Inn. Fishing alone, Mike relied on a watermelon Senko rigged wacky and Texas style and a black Rico topwater. “I’ve already booked two trips for 2024, said Mike. “I tell my friends, Anglers Inn at El Salto is as close to heaven as we can get on this earth.”

Gary Ball was joined by Larry, Ellen and Steve for a return end-of-year outing to Lake El Salto. Big fish was 8.4 pounds and the group enjoyed presenting a wide range of baits for their bites.

Zachary and Carl McGavran caught big bass after big bass.

Take it from Pamela and Win Bunch. The couple that fish together…

From our December Lake Picachos guests’ reports

CEO and founder of Anglers Inn Billy Chapman also brought the family down for some holiday fishing on Lake Picachos.

Billy talks about long-time Anglers Inn host Jose. You can see him demonstrate his signature drink with help from Dylan Chapman.

Billy talks about the custom Anglers Inn Triton boats.

Pat Sleeper hosted her customary large group of fly anglers to Lake Picachos with this trip celebrating 11 years of fishing with Anglers inn. The party fished primarily with fly tackle using poppers and streamers. Pat led the group with an 8.5 pounder, a personal best, that fell to a black and white popper. Pete Wiik boated a hefty 5-pound bass. Return trips are already in the planning

Chuck Cauthone hosted six friends that included Bob Jury, Bobby Collins, Jeff Jonucz, Mike Marrone, Rick Nelson and David Honodle. Reported Mike, “Our best baits were poppers, Senkos and flukes. We had another awesome trip to Lake Picachos.

Eight anglers were included in the Gattis visit. It was a lively group that caught their fair share of Lake Picachos bass, either one at a time or in doubles.

Crystal River with Suite Life on the Water

Fishing in December marked the beginning of some really hot inshore fishing in the Crystal River area and the outlook is hot for January and the spring. Manatees are inside Kings Bay in the hundreds enjoying the warm water. These sea cows swim right by the Anglers Inn Floating Suite docked at Pete’s Pier.

Amazon River Adventures

Our Amazon River peacock bass fishing season is packed for the new year. Call me for more details.

The Anglers Inn Journal

Billy caught reading The Anglers Inn Journal before describing the magazine and our destinations.

You can read The Anglers Inn Journal here.

Anglers Inn University

Anglers Inn University classes are conducted until April. Industry expert George Large will take you through any of the six courses offered at our campus at Pete’s Pier this winter. Go to Anglers Inn University Crystal River Campus to learn how to take your fishing experience to the next level. It’s a great way to introduce fishing to a friend, child or significant other.

Our sponsors

Anglers Inn is proud to be associated with the following manufacturers: Abu Garcia,Berkley, Fishing Tackle Retailer, Huk, Humminbird, MinnKota, Mossy Oak Fishing, Old Town, Penn, Plano and St. Croix Rods.

Friday 5s on anglersinn.com

Don’t forget to check our Stories section of our News tab for our Friday 5s. These short narratives have been a part of our social media program since February and now our readers can go to one location to see the entire inventory as the Friday 5s stories continue to grow in number and popularity. Friday 5s help our guests plan for their trips, guide them on packing needs and answer questions we typically receive.  

Social Media

Make it your routine to check Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updated posts on the happenings at the various Anglers Inn destinations and services. We typically post Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Every other Friday we feature our Friday 5s, top five things you need to know about a wide range of topics.