Texas Tournament Zone members Eric Austin and Andy Nuyen partnered up with Charles Whited of Barefoot Fishing Tours and headed south to Marte R. Gomez, better known as Sugar Lake. After all the epic fishing reports we decided to check it out for ourselves and stayed at Sugar’s newest lodge, Campo El Mirador. The lodge is located in Tamaulipas, Mexico and resides by the dam of Sugar Lake.
There are two travel routes to cross the border, either through Rio Grande City, TX or Roma, TX; with boat in tow we drove through Zapata and crossed at Roma. After a brief inspection of passports and boat registration, we were on our way. Just 25 minutes after crossing the international bridge we arrived safely at the lodge. Campo El Mirador offers two separate packages, semi inclusive and all inclusive. Package 1 is all inclusive and includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks at a restaurant bar; package 2 is accommodation and lunch only.
We chose Package 1, which came out to roughly $70.00 per person per day at the current exchange rate, knowing each of us would easily make up the $27.00 difference in the two additional meals and unlimited cold beverages.
The rooms are equipped with different bed configurations and our room had four single beds with adequate air conditioning, a ceiling fan, satellite TV and a spacious bathroom. Our room was clean with both hot and cold water readily available; everything was beyond satisfactory but the water pressure in the shower left much to be desired.
There are two sections of the lodge and the one we stayed in had a nice view of the lake just outside the room. Launching the boat is extremely convenient as Campo El Mirador has a private, gated boat ramp that is within walking distance from any one of the rooms on the property.
After a long day of battling Sugar’s hard fighting fish in the Mexican sun, we retreated to the restaurant bar for some cold refreshments and really good food. The staff is extremely friendy and their service is very prompt.
We had hot meals and cold beverages in front of us within minutes of our arrival each and every day. Throughout our two and a half day stay we enjoyed breakfast tacos, Mexican eggs, chicken and beef fajitas, pan fried steak and fresh tacos in a very relaxing and comfortable dining area.
There’s even a pool table below for some casual games while enjoying your icy cold Sols! The other side of the restaurant houses a larger dining area for group parties or banquets.
We had a great time both on and off the water fishing with Charles and Barefoot Fishing Tours. Charles has been to Sugar several times over the last few years and took care of everything, his experience and contacts made for a fun, relaxing and safe trip. Crossing the border was easy and we even had an escort meet us in Falcon Heights, just outside of Zapata, to take us across.
Stay tuned for the Triple Nickel 5 filmed on Sugar Lake, it’s a show you won’t want to miss!