The Lake & Weather
 

Aguamilpa is a 55,000 acre reservoir nestled high in
the beautiful Sierra Madras mountains of rural Nayarit.  
It is fed by the Rio Santiago, Mexico’s largest river as
well as the Rio Chico.   The dam forming the lake is
located a little less than 40 miles northeast of the city
of Tepic at an elevation of 2400’.   It was completed in
1994, creating what has become one of the most
scenic and productive Bass fisheries in all of Mexico.  

Upon the dams completion Bill Chapman Sr. of
(Balderrama Resorts), stocked a small body of water at
the base of the dam with 300,000 Florida Black Bass
fingerlings.  He returned in 1996 to find that the Bass
had not only taken hold but had been growing at a rate
that only seems to happen in Mexico.  It didn’t take
long to find out that they had saturated every part of
this 65 mile +  wishbone-shaped impoundment.   It also
didn’t take Mr. Chapman long to build Aguamilpa’s first
fishing lodge.

As Aguamilpa winds through towering Sierra Madras
she reveals her abundant trees, bluffs, and brush
cluttered shorelines.   Several waterfalls adorn her
banks and the tropical vegetation and wildlife may at
time distract you from your bass catching mission.   
While there is little grass in this deep reservoir, (over
400’at it’s deepest), you will find there is no shortage of
bass holding structure and cover.  Since the dam was
built for hydroelectric purposes and not irrigation, the
lake has not suffered from sudden draw downs or
drastic fluctuations that hinder many other Mexican
Bass Fisheries, just a gradual annual draw that is
quickly replenished with the summer rains..

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Because of the higher
altitude, the weather at Aguamilpa is more comfortable
than at any other Mexican
bass fishery that we know
of.  During the fishing season you will find that the days are generally sunny and warm, but the higher altitude brings a refreshing drop in temperatures at
night.   A light jacket for the
early morning hours will
most likely be in order, then a light color T-shirt or polo
shirt with shorts will be most
comfortable.   Lightweight
breathable pants with zip off
legs are a very good choice
as well.  There is almost always an east wind the first part of the day that 
changes to a westerly
breeze in the afternoon.