Dave and Barbara Sanders

Check out Mexico's #1 Bass Factory - Lake Aguamilpa!

Here you will find the very best Mexican trophy bass fishing available with Fishin Mission Adventures! Get ready for a Bass fishing adventure of a lifetime!

When it comes to great numbers of quality fish Aguamilpa is Mexico's undisputed Champ! If you are looking for days filled with non-stop fishing action and also would like to know that your fishing dollars are going to make a real difference in the lives of some very special kids then you have come to the Right Place, Fishin Mission Adventures on Mexico's Lake Aguamilpa!

About Us

We are Dave and Barbara Sanders, founders of Fishin Mission Adventures.

Originally from Philomath, a rural town between Salem and Eugene, OR, we sold our home, put Dave's custom home design business on hold, closed Barbara's real estate business, and moved to Tepic Nayarit Mexico in November 2006. We came with a dream to establish a business that would bring in a steady income to help a Christian, donation supported orphanage called Casa de Ninos in Tepic.

The Casa takes in orphaned, abused and abandoned children from Tepic and the surrounding area and gives them a loving, safe place to live, grow, and heal. But the Casa has been limited in the number of children they can take in and the wonderful staff work for a pittance of a salary.

With Dave's love for, and skill in, bass fishing and Lake Aguamilpa being only an hour away, we began Fishin Mission Adventures. From the beginning the vision for Fishin Mission Adventures has been two-part. First to establish a business for financial support and secondly a place of retreat the children and staff can also come to for healing and growth. We donate 25% of each package cost to the Casa de Ninos.

We invite you to take the opportunity soon to come visit this beautiful area of Mexico to fish, play with the Casa kids, and be a part of what God is doing here.

Our Goals

Our future goals include the construction of 5 two bedroom cabins and one caretaker house on our lake front property. In addition to accommodating anglers during the fishing season the cabins will be used for ministry events such as men's, women's, and couple's retreats during the off season and on available weekends. They will also allow us to provide the Casa kids with the needed opportunities to experience life away from the city on occasions.

We are concerned with being able to provide some of the older kids opportunities to learn basic job skills. We would like to provide an environment where Godly work ethics can be imparted and also to be able to provide partial college scholarships for those who express a genuine desire to further their education.

It is our intention that Fishin Mission Adventures would be donated in it's entirety to the Casa de Ninos in the future. This will provide the Casa with additional financial resources to care for more of Tepic's orphaned, abandoned, and abused children.

Fishin Mission Adventures Photo Gallery

All of us at Fishin Mission Adventures are committed to providing you with the very best in service, great food and comfortable accommodations. We desire that your Fishin Mission Adventure would truly be a trip of a lifetime and we genuinely appreciate the opportunity to help make that happen.

Lake Aguamilpa

Now that's a keeper!

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 promising 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 600' 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.

The Fishing on Lake Aguamilpa

That wasn't so tough!

With all the hype about the great fishing in these Mexican lakes - Baccarac, El Salto, Huites, and Mateos - you would probably appreciate a little straight talk... Well here it is.

While double digit Bass are certainly available with the Lake record well over 12lbs, Aguamilpa is best known for it's exceptional numbers of quality Bass, generally in the 2 to 6 pound range. While you have several options for great Mexican bass fisheries, if you are looking for a lake that can provide hours of non-stop quality Bass Catching Action, then I believe Aguamilpa is where you want to be.

Not every day is a record breaker, but 150 Bass per boat days are at times the norm, and during the post spawn months of April through June, 300 Bass per boat days have been recorded on a number of occasions. I can't promise you a 300 fish day, but I can promise you that this lake is well established with quality bass, and it is without a doubt the most consistent fishery I have ever experienced.

If you are familiar with Mexican Bass fishing you are probably familiar with the late "Wild Bill Skinner." Many consider Bill to be Mexico's most legendary bass fishing pioneer, sportsman and booking agent. I am told that he claimed to have caught more 10lb+ Mexican Bass than anyone alive. Bill once wrote that the large area running about 30 miles north of Aguamilpa's dam is "one of the best post-spawn bass fishing areas on earth."

Though I haven't fished them all, I have had the opportunity to fish some very fine bass waters from California's Clear Lake to the Amazon. All things considered I believe that Aguamilpa is the finest all around bass fishery that I have ever experienced. I must admit that I am partial to this lake. I love this part of the country, the weather and especially the people, and I believe that you will too.

If you would like to read more about what "can happen" at Milpa, then you may find the following article by Chester Moore Jr. entitled "Bassin 'til your arms hurt" interesting.

The Seasons

Listed below are some suggested lures that have proven most effective during the different seasons. Though it is available to catch Quality Milpa Bass in a variety of ways throughout the year, the following lures have worked particularly well during the seasons indicated. Contact us shortly before your adventure to get recent updates on what has been working best.

October & early November:

Although soft plastics are effective throughout the year they will likely be your go to baits in the fall. Large worms, especially larger Senco type baits will top the list but 10" power worms and large lizard baits are very effective as well. Watermelon, Pumpkin, Black & Blue, Red Shad, Tequila Sunrise and at time Chartreuse are all very good colors for this lake. Texas rigging with 3/0 to 4/0 hooks and 1/4 to 1/2 oz. bullet weights will be most effective. Quality Milpa bass have been taken on just about every soft plastic critter imaginable so if you have a confidence bait that we do not mention don't be afraid to bring it. I have even taken a fair number of bass on jigs and tubes though crayfish are not present in the lake.

Mid - November through January:

Spinner and crank baits excel during this time. White, chartreuse, shad, and combinations of the three are the spinner bait colors of choice. 1/2 & 3/4 oz. will serve you well with Indiana or a combination of willow and Colorado blades. We would suggest that you bring plenty of them though as you will likely be fishing a good deal of submerged wood. The Rapala DT series crankbaits in DT6 and DT10 are becoming a lake favorite this time of year. Shad, Fire Tiger, and Baby Bass are effective colors, but at times baits with some orange on their bellies are a must. The top water bite begins to heat up during this season as well.

February through April:

Now if you really love top water fishing this may be the best season to schedule your adventure. There is little cloud cover this time of year so as you would expect early mornings are the prime time for the top water bite. You can bring a few 3/8 & 1/2 oz white or white and chartreuse buzz baits, but Poppers and Chuggers with white, silver, and gold bellies will work best on the calm mornings. The Zara Spook and Torpedo style baits are very effective as well.

Rods & Line

Medium-heavy to heavy action bait cast rods spooled with 12 to 20 pound test will serve you well. Though I'm sure you'll want to bring them all two to four rods will serve you well during most any season on Aguamilpa.

The Boats

We did a lot of research in order to determine the most spacious, comfortable, and best all around boat to spend three days on Aguamilpa in.

We are confident that you will appreciate the smooth ride, comfortable seats, and large casting decks on our Carolina Skiffs.

All of our boats are powered by quiet 75 HP 4 - stroke engines, and are equipped with Motorguide remote control bow-mount trolling motors and Eagle GPS Fish Finders.

Fishin Mission Adventures Testimonials

Best fishin' of my life!

Fishin' Mission is the greatest! You must have had a divine revelation. The peace and tranquility of the lodge beat any five star hotel all to pieces... awesome... and the fishing - does every lake let an amateur like me catch a fish almost every cast? How do you keep all those fish in one spot, so they are easy to catch? And the most important thing - los ninos - all of the beauty of the lodge and lake, and the fantastic fishing, AND the ninos get to eat today, go to school, and have a safe, warm bed tonight. You and Barbara keep up your fantastic work.
-Len Schell, Puerto Vallarta

Once again thanks for a great trip. That's a quality operation you have going and I wish you luck in continuing to build it up.

A note to let you know that my Dad and I had a GREAT time at Aqua Milpa with you and your superb staff, both Bill and Ramone! Fishing, Food and Fellowship was delightful.
-Steve Ussery

Hi Dave, Just wanted to let you know that we both had a great time and really appreciated your hospitality. Pat and I both enjoyed the warm sunshine and great fishing... and great food and fellowship. The service that you are providing at Lake Aguamilpa is a real fishing opportunity, and I know as soon as everyone catches on to it, you will have your hands full.
-Corey Thomas

Lake Aguamilpa, a trophy bass lake, is a new one still under the radar. You average 100-plus fish a day there. The fishing is absolutely amazing and you can catch them any way you want to. Thanks for this amazing week at Aguamilpa!
-Fred Roumbanis (Bassmaster Elite Series pro)

Everyone loved you guys, your place on the lake, your boats and staying right at the lake with Mario and his staff! You all took such good care of us... everyone agreed!
-James Hoffmon (True Bass producer)

I had the pleasure of spending four days at the Fishin' Mission Adventures camp on Lake Aguamilpa. I can honestly say the camp was more like a hotel. The food was great. But nothing matched the big bass; either the size or the numbers. The chances of me returning are somewhere between 100% and 110%. Thank you for a great time!

Phil Goodenough - Bend, OR