Eight Hard Baits for Mexico – Situational and Suspected

With the conclusion of our June 2022 trip to Anglers Inn Lake El Salto, now comes the long winter of our discontent – the extended period of no Mexico trips until 2023. That gives me time to restock myself with proven winners from our past 20 or so journeys South of the Border and also to speculate about lures that I need to pack in my tackle bag for their first trip down.

While it’s occasionally a costly tendency, it’s not necessarily unhealthy. Out of my experimentation we’ve happened onto several really good sessions, including some big fish that we might not otherwise have caught. It keeps me excited about our upcoming trips (as if I needed a reason). Even if the lures don’t end up producing in Mexico, that doesn’t mean they won’t prove to have value elsewhere. Accordingly, below is a list of eight baits that have been on my mind in the short time since we returned from Sinaloa.

First, here are four hard baits that I’ve used successfully in Mexico, but which don’t get adequate time in the rotation:

Fat Free Shad Guppy and Fingerling – The size 7 and 8 Fat Free Shads are first ballot Hall of Famers in Mexico – there’s no telling how many fish they’ve produced – but these smaller, lesser-known versions have moments in the sun. One year up at the “tilapia farm” at El Salto we wrecked numbers on them when bass would barely touch anything else. Just be sure to add a dab of super glue to the hook hangers, a weakness I learned the hard way.

Rapala DT20 – When my friend Terry Baksay joined me at Picachos in 2019, he brought a box of DT20s and on the big offshore schools they clearly outfished standards like the 6XD and the Fat Free Shad. I don’t know if it was their silence or the balsa construction or some other factor, but it made a difference. Also nice: they invariably run true right out of the package.

Berkley Dredger – This is one lure that teeters between my “proven winners” and “need more time” categories, but I was reminded of how quickly it gets down and how productive it can be on our last trip to El Salto. On a big school the last day it outfished a 6XD by perhaps 50%. It sometimes needs to be the first choice over that lure or the Fat Free Shad.

Deps Buzzjet – This is my all-time favorite wake bait, one that has produced quality bass for me coast to coast, and I’ve had great sessions on it at both Lake Mateos and Lake Picachos, but for some reason I rarely fish it at El Salto. In fact, I don’t think I’ve packed one the last few trips. That needs to change. I usually rely on the Jr. version, although there’s no reason that the larger one won’t work.

And here are three more that I’ve used successfully in the United States, but have never put in my travel bag to Anglers Inn:

Rapala Shad Rap – I’m not sure why I’ve never tried the greatest winter crankbait of all time in Mexico – perhaps because it doesn’t get cold there – but when those Florida strains get finicky after a front it might be a good substitute for a small jerkbait or Super Fluke, particularly when they won’t come up to eat. The main downsides are that they’re tough to cast and don’t come through wood very well.

Bagley Bang-O-Lure – Back in the day this was money for post-spawn fry guarders and bass patrolling bluegill beds, but it’s fallen out of favor. I’ve never seen a bass bed at El Salto or Picachos, but I have seen fish guarding fry and I wish I’d had a Bang-O-Lure to throw at them.

Lucky Craft Pointer 78 – A hard jerkbait has increasingly become a first-stringer for us in Mexico throughout the year. The Pointer 78 was the first JDM model I ever purchased, and it’s produced tons of fish for me. Despite being small it casts well, and I figure it would excel when the bite is a little off. Hanna loves the Slender Pointer, so this should fit right in.

And one that I’ve never had the guts to buy, but which I suspect that I should

OSP Blitz Crankbait – For a while, this small-bodied deep diver was the secret lure of the pros in smallmouth country. Everything I’ve used from OSP has been great, but I’m just afraid to spend over $20 on a lure that might get sacrificed to a tree on its first cast.