The added
water storage capacity has more than doubled the area of land downstream in the
lush "Rio Fuerte Valley" that can be cultivated and irrigated, along with the
addition of another state of the art hydro-electric-generating-power-facility. The Huites
dam on the Rio Furete has also virtually assured the complete
control of any major flooding downstream that has occasionally
occurred in the past from excessive mountain snow melt and the rare hurricane
that skirts the west coast States of Sinaloa, Durango, Sonora and Chihuahua
dumping huge amounts of rain over the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountain Range.
Another interesting fact about Lake Huites is
that more than 50% of the total construction costs were paid by private sector
agricultural interests. This
co-mingling of Private-Federal-State-Government Funding was a first for any major-lake-dam-hydroelectric-
irrigational-construction project in all of Mexico.
On the
negative side, there were 14 small Mexican Communities located in or near the
area that had to be relocated, among those being the small village of Huites,
for which the lake is unofficially named.
Approximately 200 families (1300) citizens were compensated for their
homes and have mostly settled in the Choix area just southwest of the dam. The only area of the lake that was deforested was in the
immediate construction area of the dam and almost all of this timber was reused
for fencing around new homes in the Choix area. Most of the original home sites were left intact and offer
substantial cover when lake levels fluctuate.
There were also approximately 350 small hacienda-ranches along the major rivers and
arroyos that had to be abandoned with most of these concrete structures left in
place also.
The Lake is located approximately 100 miles from
the city of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, which is the closest major city offering full
service airport facilities. It is
about a three-hour drive from the airport up into the lower range of the Sierra
Madre Occidental Mountain Range. For
those private pilots, a fully paved airstrip is located in El Fuerte, which is
only 1-1/2 hours drive to most of the lodges now in operation on Lake Huites.
At
pool elevation, the Lake encompasses some 23,000 acres of the most stunningly
beautiful countryside to be found anywhere in North America with a water depth
of almost 500 feet at the dam. The
Lake was originally heavily stocked with all Florida strain largemouth bass that
have quickly matured in size and numbers. It
is not uncommon for novice and seasoned anglers alike to catch and release
50-100 bass per day with double digit trophy bass (Lobinos) already plentiful!
There is a
three (3) Bass per day limit per Angler for those wishing to bring home a few
fillets. However, catch and release
is the prevailing rule at most lodges, with most all trophy bass photographed
and quickly released so another visiting angler might be fortunate enough for a
photo session with the bass catch of a lifetime!
A Mexican fishing license is also required (supplied as part of all fly
in package trips) along with a boating permit if one pulls their bass boat to
the lake.
Contrary to
much hype and misinformation that Lake Huites has been designated for sport
angling only, there are presently three major commercial fishing operators
licensed to harvest fish for resale. They
employ approximately 150 Pescadores that are legally allowed to place nets for
harvest of all major fish populations. The
percentages of species harvested in year 2000 are approximately as follows:
Carp-40%, Cat Fish-6%, Tilapia-40%, Bass-14%.
With several thousands of TONS of all species harvested.
It still remains to be seen if a practical and prudent harvest ratio of
the various species can be maintained by commercial operators along with
containment of illegal harvest so as to also maintain the best possible bass
population for sport angling with maximum numbers of healthy bass available.
There are
several Lodges operating on
Lake Huites with other outfitters offering services from the nearby small
villages of Mezquite Caido,
Choix and the town of El Fuerte, Sinaloa.
With the proper cooperation between commercial operators, lake officials
and lodge owners, Lake Huites should continue well into the new millennium as
one of the "Premier-Bass-Angling- Destinations" in the entire world.
Call or e-mail us today for more information and your reservations to experience
the best bass angling in the world!
Mexican Lakes
The
World's Best Bass Angling!
TM
800-353-8901
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