5 ICAST 2026 Products We're Taking to Lake El Salto
While walking the aisles at ICAST 2026 in Orlando, my mind kept drifting to a place 1,500 miles away: Lake El Salto.
With Lake El Salto recently reopened after months of virtually no fishing pressure, we're eager to see how its legendary largemouth respond.
Catching numbers of Mexican bass can be relatively easy when the conditions line up. Landing one of the true giants is another story. They bury themselves in flooded timber, use their incredible power to reach cover, and expose every weakness in your tackle.
Fortunately, there are plenty of new products that seemed tailor-made for the challenge. These are the five ICAST 2026 products we'll be adding to our Mexico tackle boxes before the next trip south of the border.
We’ve had some success with pre-rigged swimbaits like the Magdraft at El Salto, but one problem is getting them deeper than a few feet while still running true. The Screw Diver weighting system should solve that issue and get the lure in front of fish that haven’t seen many swimbaits presented this way
This looks like the long-discontinued Luhr-Jensen Timber Tiger, a diving plug with sharp trebles made to get into and through thick cover. It’s no secret that a deep diving crankbait is gold at El Salto, but even with good lure retrievers you’re probably going to lose a few. If it performs as advertised, you'll spend more time fishing and less time retrieving snagged crankbaits.
One of Hanna’s best topwater days in 20 trips to El Salto utilized a now-discontinued Megabass crawler. I don’t know what the fish thought the lure reprsented, but they hit it so angrily that eventually the wings bent. This is made to be more durable and also to run properly at any speed, a huge advantage over most other one-speed-only crawlers.
We’ve had some epic days of flutter spooning for offshore bass at El Salto, especially in May and June, but also on a couple of great November and January trips. I like the addition of extra blades on this one from War Eagle, and perhaps even more significantly the swivel which will reduce line twist and minimize the chance of break-offs.
I’ve been wearing these shorts since April and they may be the best I’ve ever tried – even better than the AFTCO Tactical Shorts that previously made the HPFC Hall of Fame. Perfect fit, comfortable, loads of valuable features. They'll certainly make the trip to Mexico, but you'll also see them in photos from tropical destinations around the globe.
Yes, you still need the proven staples we've outlined previously for a successful Mexican bass trip, but we're always looking for an edge. Sometimes a new lure, a better hook, or a small design improvement is all it takes to turn a good day into one you'll remember for a lifetime.
If you'd like to experience Lake El Salto or Lake Picachos for yourself, email us about booking a trip and don't forget to check out our ultimate guide to Mexican bass fishing before you go.
