Lake Aguamilpa near Tepic, Mexico
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 2,400 feet. It was completed in 1994, creating what has become one of the most scenic and productive Bass fisheries in all of Mexico.
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Upon the dam's 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 its 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.
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.
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