People often ask about the best swimbaits to bring to Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos. I’m not a true big bait expert, so I can’t give you the most exciting answers, but I CAN tell you the ones that have produced for me, both deep and shallow, throughout the year.

I always thought that painted blades on spinnerbaits were for two extreme situations – either super-clear water or super-dirty water — but through a happy accident I found out that they work extremely well at Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos. Here are some of our proven winners.

The ICAST show always has a deep bench of products that might not win awards but nevertheless demonstrate staying power. Here are four more from the 2021 show in Orlando that I believe will benefit the traveling angler.

One of my favorite parts of heading to Mexico in May and June is the opportunity to load the boat with big, deep-diving crankbaits. When fish gang up on offshore structure at El Salto and Picachos, there’s no better way to fire up the school and keep them biting than a big diving plug. By “ultra-deep,” I mean something that’ll consistently get down past 20 feet.

We’re returning to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge seven months after our inaugural visit. I have some new gear to wear and otherwise test out, and I’m looking to get better at both the inshore and offshore popping bite.

As you get older your feet may start to betray you. Despite the popular notion that fishing is a lazy person’s activity, standing on one leg to run a trolling motor is tough on the body. So is fighting a big tuna in bucking waves. On a wet deck, if you don’t have adequate traction you can end up cracking your head open or in the drink. Don’t forget to consider your “wheels” when you plan a fishing trip.

Rust is the enemy of fishing tackle, and unfortunately if you’re not vigilant about preventing or combatting it you will sacrifice a lot of expensive gear. In this case, an ounce or prevention is truly worth a pound of cure—especially for the traveling angler.

An upper torso corollary to zip-off pants is the idea of sun sleeves, which haven’t seemed to have gained as much traction. I bought a pair of the Simms sleeves several years back and wear them occasionally. They’re high-quality, like just about everything Simms makes, quite comfortable and breathable and I found that they stay up, but I haven’t worn them as much as I should have.

Paired with an appropriately-sized tungsten weight, the lizard might be the most versatile lure in the boat at El Salto and Picachos. You can Texas Rig or Carolina Rig them You can flip them. You can even catch fish swimming one or bouncing it along the bottom on a slow, steady retrieve. Moreover, they’re inexpensive and durable.

I like trinkets but I also like them to be useful, particularly when it comes to travel. Every square inch of packing space matters, and I also want to protect all of my gear. Over time, I’ve learned about some inexpensive items that fit that description and now they go on virtually every trip.

While travel to the Brazilian Amazon may be difficult right now, we still saw some tackle introduced at the 2021 ICAST show that should be perfect for big Rio Negro peacock bass. I've been three times, and as soon as things are consistently opened up again we'll be back.

Whether it’s Mexico, Brazil, Alaska, Panama or anywhere else, nothing in fishing beats the excitement of a brutal surface strike. Sometimes it’s so amazing that I even put down the rod to watch and photograph the action.

I recently wrote about the need to bring spare treble hooks with you on fishing travel, with our trips to Mexico as the focus. Making sure you have ultra-sharp hooks on your lures at all times is one of the best ways to maximize your catch rate. I’ve amassed quite a selection of replacement hooks, but I’m always looking for better solutions. Here are some of the new options that were introduced at the 2021 ICAST show.

While most of us are rigorous about packing high-quality, laser-sharp hooks for our single hook presentations at El Salto and Picachos, it’s easy to slack on replacement trebles. If you’re going for just three days of fishing you may be able to get away without bringing any but any more than that and I’d recommend that you bring a small stash.

There are a variety of great rainsuits available for women from companies including BPS, AFTCO, Simms and Huk. Find the one that’s right for your body and the weather you’re likely to face.

Unfortunately, scales made for fishing have historically been unreliable or imprecise. Many of you remember the old De-Liars that were probably the worst in this respect, but even many later digital models were all over the place. No matter which scale you use, here are a few steps that I recommend that you take to ensure accuracy.

I am a classic overpreparer and also a tad disorganized when I’m in the midst of a hot bite, so my m.o. is to take a belt and suspenders approach. That means that even though I have a huge supply of tackle stored at Anglers Inn there are additional small items that I restock every time without actually knowing whether they need to be supplemented. The good news is that they’re all inexpensive, take up little space and don’t weigh much.

Restaurants may sometimes have a strict “No Substitutions” policy, but here at Half Past First Cast we’re not that rigid. If you need to save a few bucks on your trip to El Salto or Picachos, we have some ways to shave down your tackle-buying bill.

Tuna fishing has now become an obsession and we’re getting fully accessorized to demonstrate our passion. Some of the items are purely functional while others are more fashion-oriented. Check out four recent purchases that we plan to put to use on our next trip to Panama — if not earlier.

Lin Bell of Fishing Pro Tech eats, sleeps and breathes Megabass lures. One of the least-appreciated tools in that box is the PopMax, a unique topwater. Lin carries several colors that are hard to find or discontinued.