Latin America is a paradise for bass fishermen, both for the abundance of fish and the beauty of the surroundings. From Mexico and southward into South Latin America bass is plentiful, lively and huge in size.
Beginning in Mexico, there are dozens of lakes, sparkling mountain streams and wide tropical rivers and all are the perfect spot for bass! Knowing they have a good thing, the people of Mexico strive to make bass fishermen welcome and comfortable with any type of accommodation you prefer. You can stay in a simple cabin or enjoy the luxury of top notch hotels with all amenities. Lake Huites in the Sierra Madre Mountains affords you incredible scenery and plenty of fishing. Lake El Salto in the state of Sinaloa has been called the best trophy lake in the world; it has superb hotels, great food and exceptional service. You can find largemouth bass in Lake Duerrero and Lake Baccarac but in most lakes you’ll find peacock bass.
Lake Mateos is popular because it’s not at all unusual to catch up to 100 fish per day per boat. Many of those bass weigh over 10 pounds! Lake Comedero, 100 miles northeast of Mazatlan, has a cool, clear lake with thousands of Mexico black bass that will strike at nearly anything.
Costa Rica is another indescribably pretty place to fish for bass. Rainbow bass here are mean and feisty, capable of destroying lures and flies in seconds. The best fishing is in the northern region in places like Fortuna, Lake Hule and Cano Negro. You’ll also find dozens of rivers and streams housing ponds that are prime bass fishing areas. La Fortuna, near the Arenal Volcano, has rainbow bass, tilapias, Machacas and black bass. Cano Negro lagoon and its river system is also a great place for rainbow and jaguar bass, surrounded by unspoiled wilderness. You can spend the day fishing and the night in the lap of luxury at one of the many top-notch hotels.
For a trip you can truly brag about, how about fishing the Panama Canal? The 8th wonder of the world is teeming with peacock bass and other sport fish. Imagine doing what you love best, surrounded by lush rainforest and unbelievable wildlife!
Peacock bass is one of the most common types of bass in Latin America. This lovely (and tasty) fish has 3 wide vertical stripes on its body and a spot on the tail just like a peacock’s feather. These 15-20 pound beauties are fierce fighters, a real challenge for those tired of easy fish. They are great game for fly fishing and respond well to poppers and large streamers. The adults feed on mature dragonflies while the young eat dragonfly larvae.
If you want to travel further south and get really exotic, Argentina’s Rio Negro has peacock bass to spare and a few other varieties. The water is actually closer to green than black; the river is also known as Rio de los Sauces (river of willows) because of the willow trees bending low over the lower course that empties into the Atlantic.
There’s nothing quite like the peace of fishing interspersed with unexpected lively battles with the noble, tasty bass! Latin America is the ideal place to indulge in this challenging sport.
