A Lake Changed Forever...

WELL, I THINK THIS WEEK I AM GOING TO WRITE A TALE ABOUT A FISHERMAN AND HIS CATCH. IT WAS JAN 21, 2001 2 WEEKS AFTER THE BIG EL SALVADOR QUAKE. I WAS FISHING LAKE ILOPANGO. THE TREMORS WERE STILL SHAKING THE CLIFFS ALONG THE SHORELINES, SO I DECIDED TO FISH AN AREA I CALL “TWIN”. THEY ARE ACTUALLY 2 SMALL LAGOONS THAT REACH INTO THE SHORELINE. I WAS USING A NEW QUANTUM SPINNING REEL AND A SPLIT TAILED WHITE GRUB WITH A JIG HEAD AND SMALL SPINNER. I CAUGHT MY FIRST BIG ONE IN ILOPANGO. NEARLY 2 LBS HE WAS, AND A GREAT FIGHTER. GUAPOTE PROBABLY ON THE STRIKE ARE A LOT LIKE A SMALL MOUTH BASS. THEY HIT HARD AND GO STRAIGHT FOR THE BOTTOM. BUT THEY GIVE UP EASY IF YOUR NOT DRAGGED INTO THE WEEDS.



LATER I FISHED A COUPLE OF SHORELINES AND TROLLING, USING RAPALA; DEEP DIVER CAUGHT ANOTHER REAL NICE FISH. AND COUPLE SMALLER ONES ON A ROOSTER TAIL. ILOPANGO WAS GREAT BECAUSE IT WAS A BIG ENOUGH LAKE YOU COULD FIND PEACE FROM ALL THE JET SKI’S AND WATER SKIERS. THERE WERE 30 LITTLE COVES ALL OVER THE LAKE AND SOME GREAT WEED BEDS AND ROCK STRUCTURE. KEEP IN MIND ALSO, THAT THERE ARE PLACES IN ILOPANGO THAT ARE NEARLY 900 FT DEEP.



AFTER I CAUGHT THAT NICE FISH I WAS IN ANOTHER SMALL COVE AND I CAME ACROSS A FAMILY. THE FATHER WAS SPEAR FISHING AND KIDS WERE SITTING IN THE BOAT. I GAVE THEM THAT NICE FISH. I SWEAR THEY HAD A BOAT OF 50 FISH AND NOT 1 OVER 2 INCHES LONG.







THE LAKE IS ACTUALLY A BIG CRATER SORROUNDED BY CLIFFS AND MOUNTAINS. THE QUAKE OF 2 WEEKS EARLIER HAD CAUSE SO MUCH DAMAGE AROUND AND IN THE LAKE. IN A MINUTE, HUGE TREES, ROCKS, AND SMALL ISLANDS HAD BEEN CHANGED FOREVER AND A DAY. THERE WERE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE PLACE WANTING TO STAY OUTSIDE.

IT WAS A STRANGE DAY, A DIFFERENT DAY, BUT I DID CATCH A BIG FISH, AND THAT IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.

--GONE FISHIN'

A Look Back...and Ahead

THIS BEING MY FIRST STORY, I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST TAKE THE TIME AND TAKE A LOOK AT YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW.



THE LAST 11 YEARS HAVE BEEN QUITE A TRIP. COMING TO SALVADOR FROM COSTA RICA, WHERE I HAD THE GREAT PRIVELEDGE TO LIVE FOR NEARLY 7 YEARS. I DID SOME DEEP-SEA FISHING IN COSTA RICA, A LITTLE INLAND AND BAY FISHING. I HAD SOME GREAT TIMES FISHING FOR SAILFISH AND DORADO. DID A LITTLE TROUT FISHING, BUT NOTHING LIKE THE WAY I GOT INTO FISHING IN EL SALVADOR FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS. I LITERALLY FISHED 48 WEEKENDS A YEAR EITHER IN EL SALVADOR OR MARYLAND WHERE I AM ORIGINALLY FROM AND WENT HOME 3 TIMES A YEAR TO FISH FOR LARGE AND SMALL MOUTH BASS. HOPE FULLY OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, I CAN SHARE SOME OF THOSE FISHING TALES WITH YOU ALL.



IT WAS A DIFFICULT MOVE FROM EL SALVADOR AND LAKE ILOPANGO WHERE I KNEW NEARLY EVERY STONE IN THE LAKE. BUT ONCE I SAW THE SIZE OF THE GUAPOTE IN LAKE NICARAGUA, IT BECAME ELEMENTRY.


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NOW I AM IN NICARAGUA AND BELIEVE ME THERE ARE FEW PLACES IN THIS HEMISPHERE THAT CAN BE COMPARED TO THIS PLACE. IT IS 20 YEARS BEHIND EVERYONE. HERE IN GRANADA, PEOPLE’S MAIN MODE OF TRANSPORTATION IS A BICYCLE, HORSE AND CARRIAGE AND PEOPLE STILL USE HORSE DRAWN CARTS TO CARRY CEMENT, BLOCK, FILL DIRT, LUMBER AND WHAT HAVE YOU. IT IS KIND OF NEAT IN A WAY, A BIT TOO LAYED BACK FOR MY TASTE. HOWEVER, I’M HERE AND GOING TO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF FISHING THIS HUGE LAKE THAT IS ALMOST 2/3RDS THE SIZE OF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY OF EL SALVADOR.



WELL MY FIRST DAY ON THE LAKE WAS BASICALLY UNEVENTFULL. I DID CATCH A MOJARRA. A PAN FISH, WITH BLACK BARS ON IT’S SIDES. IT WAS SMALL, BUT MOST IMPORTANT, I DIDN’T GET SKUNKED. THERE ARE MANY SPIECIES IN THIS LAKE THAT I NEED TO LEARN THE NAMES OF. WE SAW A VERY LARGE FISH AROUND 4 FEET BREAK WATER. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF THE FAMOUS SHARKS (BULL SHARK), A FRESH WATER SHARK THAT WAS TRAPPED IN THE LAKE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, BUT I WAS TOLD IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE. I HAVEN’T LEARNED THE NAME YET.



SUNDAY WAS A WASHOUT. THE ONLY THING THAT GOT MY ATTENTION WAS A COVE I WAS FISHING. IT HAD A FAMILY OF MONKEY’S THAT WERE PLAYING IN THE TREES ABOVE ME. MY WIFE XINIA AND FRIEND PAUL THEN SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THE AFTERNOON, AT A BAR ON ONE OF THE ISLETAS DRINKING COLD BEER. IT WAS A RATHER HALF-HEARTED FISHING DAY TO SAY THE LEAST. GRANADA HAS OVER 300 OF THIS LITTLE ISLETAS THAT ARE INHABITED BY WEEKEND TOURISTS OR FAMILIES JUST TAKING IT EASY. KEEP A WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT STORY THAT WILL BE ACTION PACKED WITH GREAT FISHING.

Gone Fishin