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August 19, 2008: The humidity here is about stifling, and everybody is complaining about the "heat index" It appears that 95 degrees and 80% humidity are not a good or desirable combination. Air Conditioning is good..

It is a sad day here at FLT.. One of our hardest working and most reliable partners here succumbed to the heat today. He was making dinner, and we were all looking forward to it, let me tell you. It appears that some butter dripped out of its wrapper and ignited his work area. We have Zapata CSI working on the case.. The only witness to the crime was the front of my pickup, which barely escaped with its clearcoat. Another non survivor was Bubba Brisket.. He has already been cremated..

We will try to pick up the pieces and go on.. I know many of you knew or at least met Barney Barrel. And I know he enjoyed preparing many a tasty meal for you and others.. He will be sorely missed..

Survivors include only the Powder Keg Twins.. In lieu of flowers please send crawfish.. We still have a boiling pot left..

I guess I'm having a Ham Sandwich for dinner..

August 19, 2008: With all the rain and all the storms around here we have been busy answering e-mails and phone calls from folks wondering if the lake is on a rise. And the lake has come up about eight inches in the last two days. Hopefully we will get some more before this event is through.. I am sure the catfish are going crazy about now..

But with all the excitement I have neglected to tell you that the FLW Stren series is coming back to Falcon in 2009. Most of you probably know this already.. The dates are January 15th,16th,and 17th.. They have changed their format from a four day event to a three day event, and I hear that the top twenty anglers will advance to the final day. The dates are firm, but I am not sure of all the rest of the details. We'll fill you in as we know more. Congrats to the Chamber for getting it done..Make your hotel reservations now..

August 18, 2008: 5:00 PM The lake has jumped up over 5" in the course of the day.. And there is still a bit of water on the way in.. Hopefully we will get some more rain this evening and tomorrow.. I hear that parts of the valley, and Rio Grande City had 10" or more this morning.. Hoping that will happen above us.. But in any case we are catching some water right now..

August 18, 2008: Well boys and girls.. I have a weather report for you.. Yesterday evening and last night we got two inches of rain here at the shop in Zapata, and lots of Laredo got two inches also.. And the good news is that it was the kind of rain that does not soak in.. Most of it is running down the streets, and into the creeks and into the Rio Grande. And here this morning it is pouring, and has been for the last hour and a half. If this keeps up for a few hours it can be the kind of rain that can make a difference in the lake level. And if I know the bass here at Falcon, these fish will be in six inches of water tomorrow morning.. A lot of them are there already.

I would like to take a picture of the rain coming down, but I don't have one of them underwater cameras.. Right now it is 10:07 and you can't see across the street.. Hope it keeps up for a while..

As my Dad says, "It's raining like a cow pissin' on a flat rock.." (Please excuse the vernacular)

I'll keep you updated.. The lake as shown a rise of a couple of inches so far.. And there is a little in the pipeline..

August 16, 2008: There are a lot of folks in town this weekend, and I have no idea what might have brought them here. It's 70% humidity, 98 degrees in the shade, Gasoline is $3.59 a gallon.. What in the world could possibly make these folks crazy enough to drive all the way down here to this border town?? Oh Yeah.. The fish are going crazy... I forgot.

We are hearing of all kinds of fish being caught, from the dam to the Salado, and on most every method known to man. And these fish are still very shallow. And I mean from zero to ten feet.. But most fish are being caught in two to four feet.

Fliping the hardwoods and bushes is still the top producer of fish. And anywhere on the main lake where there is a brush line, with any kind of contour near, there is apt to be fish.. And sometimes good concentrations of them.

But what is kinda weird is that the spinner bait bite is still going strong, especially in water that is less that six feet deep, and always better near rocky points and ledges. We had SOB lures build us some Tilapia colored Spinner baits in 3/4 ounce, and they are eating them up. Literally..

Tim Montz caught this 10-14 within a quart of gas from the county boat ramp yesterday.. These big fish are all over the lake.

They also had 9 plus and a 7 in the same thirty minute period.

Mark Arriaga caught this ten pounder on Thursday evening, between thunderstorms.

The lake is dropping a bit, and we are at 272.82, or 28.2 feet low. Water temps are still around 90 in the afternoons. Hopefully we will be getting some rain this week as this low approaches from the north. I hear we have a good chance.. I was watching a San Antonio stations weather report last night and they were talking about possible flooding in the next week.. That ought to jinx it.. But a flood we need to put some real water in the lake.. I don't want to see a bunch of damage, but we need the water.. I figure we won't get too much.. Just cause they are saying we could..

In the mean time, Lots of folks catching a lot of fish.. Come Join Us!

August 14, 2008: Remember a few days ago when I was talking about the excuses that are commonly heard about the one that got away? Well it seems that one of them has returned to bite me once again.. After a five year hiatus from catching a double digit fish, I caught a twelve pounder on a trip to Sugar a couple of weeks ago. And when I had the chance to make a return trip yesterday, of course I had to take it. And with Murphy's law in full effect, wouldn't you know that I hooked another fish over ten pounds. I had her on for what seemed like ten minutes, and she was laying on her side right against the boat when we slipped the net under her... But as soon as the net touched her she took off like the space shuttle and the crankbait flew out of her mouth.. I hate Crankbaits.. Anyway, it looks like my new streak of not lading a ten pounder is well underway.. But I am here to tell you that right now Sugar lake is full of em.. We had a gill netter come up to us and try to sell us an 11-12 pounder.. He also had a eight pounder in the bottom of the boat..Both of them were dead as a hammer..

But Sugar lake is not the only lake that is producing some good fish around here, and for a more domestic trip Falcon just can't be beat. We had an afternoon thunderstorm here yesterday and after the storm passed, the fish went crazy we heard. Several folks reported catching a lot of fish from Five O'clock till dark.. And from the folks we talked with this morning, it is still going on today..

The afternoon temps and humidity have been excruciating the last couple of days, but it hasn't seemed to affect the fish. I guess they are in a high humidity environment anyway..

The lake is dropping again, with the increase in generation at the dam.. Current rates are at about 2100 CFS, and water coming down the river is about half that. We are currently sitting at 272.89, or 28.13 feet low. Water temps are around 90 degrees in the afternoons.. And fish are holding and chasing shad in six inches of water.. Hell if I know.. It's crazy.. There are still plenty of fish in deeper water also, and the flipping bite has been great in the bushes on rock points, and near drops and drains. Main Lake brush lines are holding a tremendous amount of fish. There have been several "Magic Bushes" reported in the last 48 hours.. Find one of these and you can have a good day in a hurry. The hardwoods and brush across from the Veleno on the Mexican side of the lake are still turning out some good numbers of fish, and occasionally a big one. But any cast anywhere on Falcon could make you famous.

As far as baits go, your favorite is working.. And so is everyone elses.. I have never seen the fish so indiscriminate when it comes to soft plastics. If you get the bait in the right place, it will get eaten.

And here is a special note to all the Game Hogs out there.. We have a new troop of young and very active Game Wardens here at Falcon Lake. And they are taking the daily limit and possession laws very seriously, and rightly so. I recommend that you read and understand the Texas laws on freshwater fishing, and what is lawful to retain.

There is also a heightened sense of awareness about the fragility of our fishery here in Zapata. There are many folks in town who will turn you in if they see you violating the game laws.. Including us.. Take what YOU can eat.. You do not need to feed your whole hometown..

With a little conservation, we can have years of fantastic fishing here at Falcon.. But you've gotta leave some for your grandkids to catch..

See you on the water!

August 12, 2008: The big fish parade continues here at Falcon, with nice fish being caught most places.. From Boats, from the bank, and from helicopters..

Tony McBride caught this 12 pound, 7 ounce whopper last weekend.. That is a big fish that would make Sharelunker in the spring for sure..

This fish was caught off the bank last weekend also, and it was over ten pounds..

Carl Nelson with 25" Bass.

Julian Botello and Alfredo Cantu also both caught their biggest ever last weekend.

The lake has started to drop ever so slightly, as the release rates from the dam remain at over 1000CFS. We are at just over 27 feet low. Water color in the Salado has improved tremendously in the last week, and a lot of good fish are being caught there. Some of the creeks on the upper end are still a little off color, but it does not seem to bother the fish too much.

If anything has changed, it is that not quite as many eight to ten pounders have been caught in the last week.. Of course there are exceptions.. Our water temps have risen dramatically in the last two weeks, and it is easy to see 90 degree water in a lot of spots in the afternoon. It was 84 on my gauge this morning at 8:00.

There are no tournaments in town this weekend that I know of, but a lot of folks are headed this way from all the calls and e-mails we have been getting. The Zapata group had their local tourney last Sunday, and it took a little over 19 pounds to win it. (Three Fish) It has been taking 20 to 21 pounds or more to win it in the last few months.

Don't forget to Mark the OPEC tourney on your calendar.. It is the weekend of Oct 24th and we have entry forms here at FLT.

We have gotten in a bunch of the Mann's 30+ Crankbaits lately.. Hard to come by but we've got em..And a lot of them have been going out the door. Look for them on our E-store very soon.. Or if you can't wait just e-mail me and I'll let you know which colors we have. We are constantly adding new inventory to the store and sooner or later it will make it to the online shop. We also have the new Revo Winch.. Cheaper than you'll find it most places.. It's an awesome crankin reel.. And next week we will have these new brush hog lookin thingys.. Made by River Bottom Lures.. They're gonna be awesome.. Swim bait hooks?? We're loaded..

We are also carrying a new line of SOB Spinner baits that we designed for Falcon. Stop by the store to see all the new goodies we have..

OK.. I'm through with the commercial.. And I might have lied about the helicopter thing..

See you on the water!

August 9, 2008: The weather has heated up a bit here in Zapata, and fishing the afternoon hours has become a bit of a grueling task. Some die hards are up to the task, but most are fishing till one or two, and then taking a siesta for a few hours and then hitting the water for a few more hours in the evening. And to be honest, the PM bite has been better for me than the Morning.

There is a phenomenon going on here for the last couple of weeks that I can't figure out. There have been a whole lot of fish in the willow trees, most anywhere they are grouped up. If they are close to a creek channel then there is a good chance that there could be a wad of fish in them. Pick the bigger sized trees, and ones on a point or near the ends of the clump. This has not been the norm on Falcon for the last few years, or at least if it is I haven't known about it. Anyway, right now, the right bundles of trees are holding some good numbers of fish. Pitching a brush hog or a jig in there is producing some good fish. Green Pumpkin Red brush hogs are doing good, but anything in that vein will work. If the water is off color a bit, then a Black craw with Chart pinchers has been the ticket for me.. It's always a good dirty color bait.

There are no clubs in town this weekend, at least that we know of, but there are quite a few fishermen around..

I was down in the valley for a couple of days, and let me tell you it is still wet down there. And while I say that, I see that they have increased the outlet from the dam to over 1000 CFM today.. I guess they are generating more electricity than last week with the hotter temps. I can't imagine that they need the water for anything else..

Kevin Reissig (top or left) caught this 10 lbr last weekend during the SABC club tourney. Tommy Law caught this 10 last week also.

And if you can find these willows you can catch some fish.. I was there early..

Fishing is still good.. Come see us!

August 6, 2008: There are some things that just never get old.. Like the look on the faces of folks that just got off the lake for the first time. Even though we try and prepare them for the type of fishing they're likely to encounter.

But one of my favorites is when someone comes in the store and we try to get them to put some braided line on their reels.

"Sonny.. I been a fishin' with fifteen pound Stren since you was turning your diapers yeller.. I can handle any fish with this stuff."

And maybe on Table Rock you can.. But down here you're not just fighting the fish, you're fighting the lake.. Or more to the point, what's in it. To say we're fishing in a jungle would be a pretty good comparison.. And that's at 27 feet low.. I'd love to see this thing fill up to the top.. There probably wouldn't be a fish landed for two years..

But it is fun to see the same folks back in the store the next morning and asking, "Where's that Powerful Pro string you was yammerin' about yesterday?? These fish here are mean. And you better give me another pack of hooks.."

Almost brings a tear to your eye..

And another thing about running a tackle store is that you get to hear the darndest stories about the one that got away.. I thought that kind of stuff only happened to me.

Some of the best and most popular excuses are:

Line Failure.. "I had em commin my way when she headed for a bush.. I had to thumb the spool and POW! Sounded like a 22 going off!"

Tree Interference.. "I set the hook and she had me down in the bottom of this big bush.. Sawed her back and forth for five minutes and she finally pryed herself off.. She had to be ten or better!"

Hook Failure.. "She broke the hook off right below the lead!" or: "I was a fightner (see: fighting her) an I durn near had her up to the boat.. And she just comt off..(you get it by now) I lookt at my jig and the hook was plum straight!"

Net Man/Partner Failure: I had this big ole Toad wornt plum out.. Layin darn near dead on top of the water.. My partner hit that fish so many times with the net.. She had more bruises than Sonny Liston after fightin' Casius Clay! Then he knocked the hook outta her mouth! She just laid there a minute and swum off.." "He's still a swimming back to the dock.."

These are just some of the stories you're likely to hear around here.. I have probably used a couple of them myself..

There have been some huge rod and reel catfish caught here lately.. And an old feller and I were discussing it a few days ago.. And we started to talk about some of the big catfish we have seen and caught.. And of course I had to tell him my story about the 18 pound blue cat me and some buddies caught on a limb line when we were kids.. That's nothing special.. But we ran our lines on the Medina River. With innertubes.. That fish liked to drown all three of us before we got him to the bank.. And just FYI.. A eighty pound kid cannot pull a eighteen pound catfish to the bank while sitting backward in an innertub Just in case you wanted to try it.. And after it finned holes, and ultimately sunk two of our tubes I knew we were in deep trouble..(literally)

It took a big box of Band Aids and all the Vulcanized patches the Mobil Station had to get us back in operation.. But I did learn early that owning a boat was an expensive proposition.. Those patches were twenty five cents apiece!

But I did hear a good one (mine was true) from the fellow in the store the other day.. He said him and a buddy had a trot line across some river and were fishing for some yellow cats. And they were running the line at night cause they had to work all day. He said when they started at one bank they could feel a fish on the line. And when they got in the middle of the channel, shure enough the pullin was getting a lot stronger.. He said he turned his carbide lamp on and looked over the side of the boat. And when he looked in the water he noticed something funny.. He said to his partner, "Hey.. Dis catfish only got one eye!" His Buddy turned to him an said, "If you want to see his other eye… You got to look on the other side of the boat!"

The fishing is still awesome.. Lake holding steady around 27 feet low.. Come see us..

August 4, 2008.. It is an absolutely beautiful morning to fish here at Falcon.. Very light wind.Nice and cool.. Lessened humidity.. Low of 72 degrees. What the hell am I doing in here?? I guess somebody's gotta do it..

It was a busy weekend on the lake, as there were about forty rigs at the county ramp yesterday morning. I heard that there were a dozen or so at the State Park.. And approximating our surface area I figure that only left 1,254 acres for each boat to fish.. I knew all this exposure would crowd up the lake..

If you can find a place to fish, I recommend that you continue to throw either a big spinner bait like the FLT Special, A big dark colored worm , like the Zoom Plum Ol Monster, or a jig, like an Oldhams Coontail or that copper colored critter. And yes, if you're one of them, the Crankbaits are still catching fish too. The San Antonio Bass Club held their August tourney here over the weekend, and they had some very impressive weights. They used a Paper Format, and according to the chart, they had one over thirteen pounds. I will have the Pic and results posted in the tourney section shortly..

The Lake has been a constant level one for the last week, as we hover right above twenty seven feet low.. There is just a trickle going out of the dam.. Now would be a good time to weld those gates closed.. Do you think there is a 220V plug down there??

We have a new Tropical Storm in the gulf, but predictions say that it is not meant for us. And I know the folks in the valley have all they want for now.. Maybe it will head in from Houston, be pushed south by a high developing over the Midwest, and stall out in Eagle Pass.. It could happen.. I'm not holding my breath, but you never know with a hurricane..

Get down here if you can..

August 2, 2008: The first annual "Whiskers and Tails" Kids catfish tournament was held this morning at the Zapata County Boat Ramp, here in Zapata. And I gotta tell you, the turnout was very impressive. On Wednesday, we had about 75 kids registered.. But by Friday evening, in true Zapata Last Minute Style, we had nearly 200 registered. I don't think I saw that many here, but there were a lot of anglers lining the banks this morning. There are a whole lot of people and sponsors to thank, and I will list them at a later date. I don't want to leave anyone out.

Food, Fun, Music, Laughter, and a whole lotta "Whiskers and Tails!"

P.S. The Bass are still biting very good. The lake is stable for the meanwhile at about 27 feet low.. SA Bass Club is holding a tourney this weekwnd on Falcon.. All Paper Weights.. Good Idea for the summer..

Will report on it later..

July 30, 2008: This morning would have the perfect time to get out early and throw a top water a bit. The humidity that recent rains left us with has created some overcast conditions.. But nothing that will fall to the ground. We had a low of 77 and it actually felt pretty good. We are supposed to warm up a bit this weekend as the moisture in the ground continues to evaporate. It has been a relatively cool summer so far. We have not hit 100 degrees in Zapata this month.. Did I really just say that?? Let me check the chart... Yep.. 98 is the highest we have been. And that's with the best recording equipment that your tax dollars can buy.. Now I am sure Al Gore is off his rocker.. If this is global warming then I say bring it on! We are usually 102 to 105 most days this time of year.. But to set things straight, we are supposed to get to the century mark this week.. We'll see..

But if the weather isn't hot enough, the fishing is making up for it. I am no longer surprised or overly impressed with a ten pound fish, and thirty pound stringers are barely worth mentioning... That's just wrong..

I'll tell you folks.. I don't know how long this can or will last.. I now that we will have good fishing for the next year or two, but I know that this stuff does not go on forever. You better get down here and get you some..

The San Antonio Bass Club is coming to town this weekend, and they have some high expectations, and rightfully so. And what is cool about the tournament they are having is that it is going to be a paper tourney. We here at FLT salute You! Thanks for putting the fish first.. We will post their results as soon as we get them.

It is my belief that a paper tourney is a great idea, especially in the summer months. I know that a chart can give you some estimates on fish weights, but here at Falcon the weights are usually under actual. One thought might be to have a tournament where all contestants used similar hand held digital scales, and reported their top five fishes' weight. Then we can still have a five fish limit and have a pretty darn close overall weight. Cause once we're to this point, it's all about honesty anyhow.

I just got interrupted by some kids who came back in for the second time this morning to get another spinner bait.. The story was that a ten pounder broke the hook off the old one they had right at the bank.. I did see the bait.. And it was mangled and missing the hook from right behind the head. I sent em out with a little better quality bait than they had.. We'll see if they come back with another story.. This happens fairly often..

Senor' Hammer continues to whack the big blue cats.. He also had a 20 plus yellow and a bunch of 6 to 15 pounds blues.. This one had to go 50.. His partner caught it yesterday..

July 28, 2008: To say the fish are biting would be a slight understatement.. OK it would be a huge understatement.. But it would be a true statement.. The fresh water in the lake has the bite turned on, and a lot of big fish have become very active.

Glen Blazier caught this 10.8 pounder this morning fishing with guide Tommy Law.

Laurie Burger caught this 11.34 whopper this morning... She was fishing with her husband and guide Roy Burger.

See... Now that guy knows how to take a picture.. It makes the 12.1 I caught this morning look like a minnow..

This fish was a fattie from front to back. And you are just not going to believe the story behind this fish.. Local Guide Gary Harlan called me on Sunday night and said his clients had cancelled for Monday, and I asked if I was willing to go to Sugar with him. I had to think long and hard about it.. But about two seconds later I blurted out "Hell Yea."

We left the shop here at FLT about 6:30 and at 8:00 we had the boat in the water.. Sugar lake is about 10-12 miles inside Mexico when you cross at Roma.. I had been there a lot of times in the past, but never had a day like this one.

The first two places we fished had a few decent fish on them, and Gary was schooling me pretty bad. He had one over seven and a couple of fives. I was catching all the little ones out of the way. We stopped near Hog Island, a spot not too far from the Dam, and were fishing a long rocky point.. Of course Gary caught a five immediately.. I caught a little one.. And then something weird happened.. Gary hooked a fish that was kicking his a... rear.. And it was staying deep and emptying his reel. After a minute or two he had her coming his way. And just about the time we were about to see her, she came off the hook. I hate Crankbaits..

But I was throwing one too and two casts later I hooked and actually managed to get this fish in the net. I was so excited when I saw 12.1 on the scale that I turned her loose without measuring her. That might have been a screw up. Cause she was so fat that she made Rosie look like Nicole Richie.. And you could probably believe all that but what happened next was really weird.. On my next five consecutive casts I caught two over seven and three over five.. You've heard that saying that the fish were stacked like cordwood.. Well these fish were stacked like boxcars. We went to have lunch and a few Tecates.. Gary doesn't drink so I had his..

We went back out for two more hours and I managed to let one between six and eight throw the bait at the boat. But we did manage a few other nice fish in the five pound range. It was the craziest day on the water I have ever seen.. I have caught a lot more fish, but I have never caught one that big or a stringer like that before. I figure I had about 36 or 37 pounds, and had a few on that would have gotten me over forty, or darn close.. Thank you Lord.

In any case it was just an unbelievable day. We can get you hooked up to go down there if you are interested. Just give us a call here at the shop. I took some pics of the "Restaurant " there on the lake, and I will post them and give you an overview of what it takes to get there and back. Tomorrow..

July 27, 2008: The lake has squeaked up to 273.04, which officially puts us above 28 feet low, by a few hundredths.. And like I said the catfish have gone crazy with the little bit of rising water and the muddier conditions in the current. And if you have been watching this site long you have heard of the catfish feller around here known as Hammer.. Well he Hammered them yesterday morning and the morning before.. And he stopped by the store and we took a pic of the biggest one he caught. It unofficially weighed about 50 pounds.. But he said he had a couple that he did not get in the boat that were also whoppers. He did have a dozen or so other fish from five to twenty pounds.. I mean he had a mess of fish.. I hate to say it.. But I'm gonna have to get me some..

But back to the bass.. Our Buddy Jimmy Sane from Tennessee found some big fish last week also.. He and some buddies really put the smackdown on some good fish.

Jimmy Sane with a 12lb 2oz ouncer

Brett Wolfe also caught this 8lb 5 ouncer the same trip..

In any case, don't let the little rise in the lake deter any plans you might have to get here.. Just get here!.. See you on the water!

July 26, 2008: There are a lot of folks out this morning, including a lot of locals that want to go and find out what the rising water has done to the fish. Other than muddy the backs of the creeks, I do not believe that the fishing here will change much. It should remain excellent.

We have only caught about ten inches of water to date since the passing of hurricane Dolly. It is very disappointing that we could have a storm like that go right over us and basically make no difference in the lake level..

Alamo Bass Club is here and is HQ'd at the State Park this weekend. I am sure we will hear from a lot of those folks on how they fared.

I was not on the water yesterday so I have not been able to get a first hand look at the water color up on our end of the lake.. I hear that the water color near the dam is looking fine on the main lake and in big coves and creeks.. I also had someone tell me that on Thursday the Tigers were running a lot of water into the lake.. I drove down yesterday to see for myself, and there was still a hundred yard wide area of water going under the Big Tiger bridge.. But it was only about six inches deep..

Dale Land of Fredericksburg caught this eight pound nine ounce bass last week.

July 25, 2008: Well we already have some new pics of people fishing the fresh water here at Falcon.. Results have varied from fisherman to fisherman..

The best action is coming from between the concrete and the asphalt, but not as far west as the center stripe on Hwy 83..

Fishing shallow is still the key..

Using a float with big cut bait seems best..

The water is a little muddy..

And you need a long stringer to get it done.. because these are big fish..

Come set with us a spell....

July 25, 2008: If you were thinking on heading to Falcon this weekend, but were hesitating because of all the new water that was coming into the lake, then go back to packing. We have caught .68 feet in the last three days, and a lot of that is due to the release rates at the dam being squelched, and non irrigation.R

I am grateful for the rain we received, but am disappointed with the rainfall totals that were accrued.. We finally had the perfect storm come in, in the exact spot I would order it.. And the eye passed between Zapata and Laredo, the way I saw it.. But a big rainmaker it was not..

We will probably pick up a foot or so more before it is all said and done. The catfishing should be excellent this morning, in any creek where there is a little moving muddy water.. The big catfish love this stuff here on Falcon. I have a picture here of a nice cat caught before all the rain started, but have been too busy to post.. I did not get the name of this fisherman. I have fish and back porch envy..

I have a few other pics to post also.. Will get to them ASAP.. But don't worry about the big rise screwing up your fishing plans.. Come On Down!

6:40 PM: The rain, she is over.. And we are watching another great chance slip away.. Not that we can do anything about it. I expect we'll gain about two feet of water in the end. I hope I am underestimating.. Maybe we'll get another one in a week or two.. We've already started praying for the next one..

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program..

2:37 PM: Rain has subsided and skies are lightening up.. There appears to be a small band of showers that could return to our area later.. I just poured out another 43/100ths from the gauge a while ago.. That brings the total that we have received to 3.59 inches.. My guess is that we pick up a foot or two in the lake before all this is over.. But I would be surprised if we get more than three feet.. I guess it could happen if we got some more rain in the upper watershed.. We'll see..

1:18 PM: Rain has picked back up a bit in the last few minutes.. Not pouring, but good 1/2 inch an hour rate.. Will check the gauge in a hour or so.. Still some rain South of us headed our way..

10:49 AM: Just checked the gauge during a little lull in the rain. We had another 1.31 inches since the previous reading.. Rain has slowed a lot right now. But looks like more coming from south of us.. Total of 3.16 inches since the rain began yesterday.. Another three inches would be good. We'll see..

10:24 AM: Still raining pretty good right now.. Probably about an inch an hour or so.. And it looks like we will get some more for the next few hours.. Still raining good at the State Park also, and that is moving our way.. We are doing some good right now.. Also a lot of rain falling up stream from us.. We have a narrow watershed above us but a lot of it should be getting rain later today.. Looks like the eye of the storm is just south west of Laredo to me..

9:25 AM: Checked the gauge again a few minutes ago.. We were up to 1.85 inches.. But it is now officially raining in Zapata.. Hopefully this will keep up for a FEW HOURS.. The water is starting to run a bit..

8:02 AM: I just checked the Official US Government Rain Gauge and we have Officially had 1.49 inches of rainfall here in Zapata, since Dolly first showed up. It is currently raining here steady, but not a downpour by any means.. The lake has risen about two to three inches in the last 48 hours.. Probably mostly due to closed off gates at the dam. Hopefully we will see a better response in the next couple of days. The eye of the storm still looks like it is headed for Laredo, or just south, so we still have some rain to come in the watershed. Hopefully she will stall out above us and the straps will burst and Dolly will BUST out all over us.. I'm all a tremble with anticipation.. More on Dolly soon..

6:00 AM: Winds from the west as storm goes by to the east.. Still raining above and below us.. But we are getting more wind than rain.. Maybe Laredo and above will get it better than us.. But maybe we will get some rain on the backside.. We were going to Bar-B-Que when the eye went right over us... Have to put those ribs back in the freezer.. No big amounts of rain here yet.. We should have known that with a storm named Dolly there would be a lot of titillation..

July 24 2008: 2:00 AM.. Breezy.. Light to medium Rainfall.. Eye of Dolly Moving East of us.. Headed towards Laredo Possibly.. Brownsville only had 6.68 inches of rain.. 3 plus in Harlengen.. More Show and Blow than Rain so for for us..

8:47 PM.. Light shower going on right mow.. Hopefully I will have a good report in the AM of a frog strangler going on.. The eye and the core of the storm is headed in our general direction.. Hopefully it will camp out over us for a while.. Local weather prognostication says it could happen.. I'm still waiting for something big!!

7:12 PM.. Decent rain happening.. on and off.. Still under an inch for sure... I'm not gonna look at the gauge till morning.. They say the core of the storm might come over us... well I'm waiting..

5:06 PM.. Light rain.. Possibly a half inch accumulation so far.. No heavy rain has hit Zapata as of yet.. Still waiting!

3:14 PM.. Light rain .. Maybe have accumulated a quarter inch so far... Maybe..

1:10 PM.. Light Rain... Very Light..

11:34 AM...NO Rain

July 23, 9:40 AM... Flags are down.. Boat In Shop.. NO Rain.. The whole town is gathered at all the Restaurants and coffee houses waiting.. We'll see.. Clouds but no rain.. Yet...

July 22, 2008:

I see that rain a commin,

It's rollin round the bend,

And I ain't seen the creeks run,

Since, I don't know when...

Well I got a bunch of Johnny Cash in me.. Just dying to get out.. But maybe another day..

We are in the track of a bunch of rain I hope.. We'll see.. We'll keep you posted on what happens..

Killed em today before the storm.. Gotta go batten down the hatches!!

July 21, 2008: Hellloooo Dolly!! I find myself wondering how in the world we will fish this lake if it were to fill up to the top. And a bank beater like me would certainly have a hard time threading his way through 10,000 acres of flooded Retamas and Huisache, and a few Mesquite trees thrown in just for good measure.. But I believe that a chain saw and a big box of Band-Aids would certainly come in handy.. And it would probably be good for crankbait sales.. Here's a great link to keep an eye on the progress of Dolly..

http://www.weather.com/maps/geography/oceans/gulfofmexicosatellite_large_animated.html

I don't know what is going to happen, but any rain we get from this system will be welcome, weather it is a foot of new water, or several yards.

I have neglected to say how great the catfish bite is right now on Falcon. You can't set your rod down unless you have plenty to donate to the fish. Of course the shore of Falcon has plenty of rod retainers scattered along its banks.. They look just like rocks..

The wind was a big factor in the fishing on Sat and Sun.. It was calm both days in the early AM, and of course it would let you get a long way from home... And then send you on nice Roller Coaster ride on the way back.. Please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times..

Atascosa Bass Club had a tournament over the weekend and I will update the tourney page ASAP.. But they did catch three over seven pounds. It was a Roadrunner again with some of the club fishing at Choke..

My previous post stirred several responses, and I want you to know that I am not singling anyone out.. I am just trying to raise awareness of a problem that does exist.. I am always trying to maintain and improve the great fishery here at Falcon. Please excuse me if I get a little too passionate sometimes.. I always welcome input from anyone who cares about Falcon, so feel free to e-mail me anytime with your comments. I answer every e-mail I get..

And speaking of E-Mail.. I have finally figgured out why they call it Spam.. No Body knows what's in there..

The Annual O.P. E. C. tournament here on Falcon is approaching, and the dates are October 24th, 25th, and 26th. This tournament is a fundraiser for the State Park, and it notoriously takes some wicked weights to win. There will be a great time had by all contestants, but of course some will have more fun than others. It is a two day, three fish a day format. Captains meeting and Bingo will be held on Friday night. The lake will be off limits on Mon, Tues, and Wed.. Prefishing will begin on Thursday.. You MUST be registered and Paid before prefishing. Of course late entrys will be allowed on Friday night. A meal will be served at the Friday night gathering. There are always a lot of door prizes and good stuff for the contestants.. So if you're looking for a good tournament to fish on Falcon, this is it. You will be able to register starting next week here at FLT. I am not positive, but I believe that early registrants will pay $25 less then those waiting till the last minute. I will have all the details before long and will pass them along..

Jedi Keller Caught this 8.2 pound fish on Saturday, just another fisherman who caught his personal best on Falcon this month.

We'll talk soon!

An Open Letter to Bass Fishermen

After attending dozens of weigh-ins, as a spectator, tournament participant, reporter, and occasionally as weigh-master, I have arrived at the point where it is very hard for me to be there. On most every occasion, I see a callous disregard for the well being of the fish displayed by many of the fishermen. Let me be clear. I am not talking about all fishermen.. I know many of them that take every precaution possible to give their fish the best possible chance at survival after being released. But I am going to put the number at about fifty percent.

I am not sure what the reason for this is. We all love to fish. (I think) We all think of ourselves as conservationists.

Maybe I am wrong.. Maybe a lot of people just don't really care. It appears that their attitude is "I am just going fish the tournament and if my fish die I just don't really give a damn."

I don't care that the water is hot, that my live wells are operating minimally, and I'm not gonna open the thing unless I'm gonna put another fish in there. It's too much of a bother to add some ice to the water, and putting Catch and Release in the wells is a pain and the stuff is too expensive.

And If I forget to turn the pump on or to plug the wells before I head to the weigh-in it's no big deal.. I just forgot.. And my fish are dead so just dock me the weight.. I only come here once a year.. I just don't care.. I'm not in the hunt for the Top Six anyway.. Look at those two big ones I caught.. Hey… Who wants fish?? Who's cleaning fish? And anyone who knowingly throws dead fish back in the water should be fined.. Substantially..

Is it any wonder that tournament fishermen are held in such low regard? How are we (as a whole) any better than the guy who fillets everything he catches? We certainly contribute largely to the death rate..

And I can't tell you how many times I have seen fishermen bring their fish to the scale with one quart of water in the bag.. Or no water in the bag.. And stand in line yaking about the one that got away while the ones in the bag are getting deader by the second..

Pull your head out people.. Because if these fish were human they would be rushed to intensive care and all immediate family members called.. There is no emergency room in the water when you dump them in the muddy shallows. And returning them to the lake is not some instant cure all that restores their vitality and returns then to instant health.. The fact is that a very high percentage of fish die after being released, even when they are well cared for. And the way many fish are treated gives them a ZERO chance to live.

I know that zero mortality is not possible. I know that some fish die in the first thirty seconds after they come out of the water. I know it is a numbers game. But these are not the fish I am talking about.

I am talking about taking some personal responsibility for the well being of your fish, and the sport you love.. Allegedly.. Because if you don't we'll all suffer for it.. And all ready are..

These are issues that need to raised at Bass Club meetings. It should be priority one to prevent fish deaths. And a lot of it is so simple.. It starts with giving a damn.

Here are a few suggestions for better survival rates.. And one of them is guaranteed to reduce fish deaths by forty percent..

Go to a three fish limit.

Shorten tournament hours in warm water months.

Do not allow trailering to weigh-ins.

Hold your weigh in as close to the water as possible, and if workable take fish to weigh area directly from boat.

Put lots of well-oxygenated water in your weigh bag.. Get someone to help you carry it if needed.

Limit the amount of weigh bags used, and use bags with mesh liners that are removable. This requires much less handling of the fish.

Minimize picture time.

Minimize the weighing of Patch fish, as this can add minutes to the time fish are in the bags.

The Weigh Master MUST keep things moving. Have plenty help..

All these things can greatly help reduce fish mortality… But not if the fish get there dead.. So it is up to you, the individual, to get them there alive..

The aforementioned precautions can greatly help in the survival rate. Please help us preserve our fish for our, and future generations.

So In the end it all comes down to "Do you give a damn, or not?"

July 18, 2008: Quite a mixed bag of results have been reported by fishermen this week.. Some folks at the right place and right time really wore them out.. Some not so good.. But overall I would say that the fishing is still excellent. I went out on Wednesday with a young fellow from Zapata for a test ride in his new Z-9 Nitro.. Of course we had to take a pole or two along to test the deck tie downs.. And as luck would have it we turned around right in front of one of my favorite spots in the back of the Tigers.. And being we had the poles along we decided to flip a point or two while we were there. And of course an eight pounder was just lurking there waiting to pull another fisherman into the water.. But luckily Jack Moore was able to keep his wits about him and fend off the attacker..

8lb 2oz

We also caught a few other fish with bad attitudes.. But this one was the biggest.

Doug McClure of Buffalo Gap, Texas has also been here a few days, and it appears he has fallen in with a bad crowd of people known as fishermen. And while they were fishing they caught and landed several very nice bass, including this nine pound plus beauty.

You can see he is having a terrible time..

I have spoken with a lot of folks this week that have caught their personal best fish ever anywhere.. I wonder how many people we have added to Falcon's list of personal bests this year?? I can tell you it is a lot.. I am just trying to get on that list.. One of the big fish was caught by a young fellow that WAS in danger of being pulled in.. He couldn't have weighed 90 pounds soaking wet with a rock in his pocket. I should have a pic this week..

And I'm telling you that if Falcon Bass got up to 40-50 pounds then it would not be safe for people to swim here. As it is, I do not recommend that you swim naked.. A feller could come up missing a few parts...

In any case, the fishing is still great, and If you can get away then Falcon is the place to be. No Crowds, No Pressure, No long lines, No Hassles.. There might be a line at Stripes at the Taco Bar.. But it is usually worth the wait..

See you on the water!

July 15, 2008: Sorry it has been so long since I wrote, but I have been busier than a Mustard Paddle at a Weiner roast. I went back home for twenty seven hours, and while I was there I worked for twenty nine.. Moving all your stuff after living in one place for twenty five years is a pain.. We Germans don't throw anything away.. My Dad always said that when when we kill a hog the only thing we waste is the squeal.. And apparently the apple did not fall too far from the tree. You really should see his scrap iron pile.

I have not acquired all the info from the weekends tourneys, but I will, and I will post the rest of the results tomorrow, Lord willing. I promised a pic of the big fish found dead in a net over the weekend, and it arrived while I was gone. It is a shame..

14 pounds, 7 ounces.. DOA in a gill net.. That's just a big Shad away from a new Lake record.. Add some eggs and we are talking a 16 pound fish..

The fishing is still awesome.. The big FLT spinner bait with a BIG Chrome Willow blade on the bottom is still whacking the fish. I said I was busy but this morning I fished from 7:30 till 1:00 with an old buddy and we caught forty six fish, between one and six pounds.. We did not catch any big fish, but we had a ball with lots of two to four pounders. Rocks, Rocks, Rocks.. Points, Points, Points.. Repeat... The Zoom Ol Monster in PLUM is also a killer.. We also did well on the Watermelon Candy Zellamander.. You heard it here first..

And anybody can catch these fish right now. I recommend that you get down here and have at em.. I have been fishing the top of the lake almost exclusively due to time constraints, but the entire lake is producing great numbers and size for those who can stand the heat.

We are up to 272.22 as of this morning, and we are up about a foot from the low point two weeks ago. That equates to 28.8 feet low. Water temps are at 81 degrees..

The Whiskers and Tails kids event is a GO and it will be held at the County Ramp on the second of August.. Stop by the store to register your kids, from five to thirteen years of age. Food and drink will be provided for all, and bait shrimp will also be provided for the fishermen. It will be a three or four hour event. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest catfish in three age groups. Lots of door prizes too..

If your club is coming to Falcon this summer then we urge you to do a few things.. Go to a three fish limit. Make sure your livewells are working properly. Take some ice with you to keep the water temperature in your wells cooler. And add some catch and Release as needed to sedate your fish. It Works..

It is not hard to keep your fish healthy.. You just have to try.. We are enjoying some mighty fine fishing here currently. But it won't last if we do not become more proactive in protecting the bass. This is an easy choice to make if we are truly conservationists. Please don't kill our fish..

July 13, 2008: The local Game Wardens have been working overtime on the netters here on the lake, and yesterday morning they confiscated a boat and a lot of net.. And unfortunately one of the nets had a 14.4 pound bass in it.. DOA of course.. I should have a pic of the fish Muy Pronto.. Another Lake record potential shot to hell..

Fishing is pretty awesome.. See Tourney report for preliminary info on weekends tournaments.. Will be on the run for a few days but will update flash report as possible..

See you on the water..

Seven Come Eleven, 2008: Well the gamblers fishing day has come, and it is a good bet that a lot of fish are going to be caught this weekend. Because there have been a ton of fish caught the last few days. And the weather couldn't have been much nicer than it has been. We have been experiencing highs in the upper eighties and low nineties, with a little wind in the afternoons, especially if there is a thunderstorm nearby.

The lake has pretty much leveled off at 272.09, or 28.95 feet low. The release rates are down to about 530 CFS, and for the meanwhile we should maintain our water level for a few days. And That should equate to catching a lot of fish.

I know I am sounding like a broken record, but these fish have maintained the pattern they have been on for a month or more. Any rocky protrusion or point is liable to be covered with fish. Any underwater ledge, hump, or gut, as long as there is rock or gravel involved is a pretty sure bet.

Leroy Medford from Laredo had a great trip over the Fourth of July, and he sent us a pic of a couple of his smaller fish. :-)

Congrats on the big fish Leroy! That's a 9.5 and an 8! Pretty good day I'd say..

Yesterday I was able to get out from two till seven O'clock, and I had a fairly good afternoon. I headed to the Salado, and fished a rocky ledge on the North side, where there was a four foot drop from the top of the ridge to the side. I caught one over six, one over seven, and four over five.. I had to pinch myself.. And I caught all but one of the bigger fish on a Jo-Baby FLT Special. I also caught several smaller fish on th is same spinner bait. It has a Chart/White skirt, with a small Indiana on top and a whopper nickel Willow blade on the bottom.. We had it made because of some experimenting we have done in the last couple of weeks. I added a Stinger hook to the rig as I had several short hits.. And that cured that.. I also had good luck in the Hediona, especially on the rocky points on the right.. If you head that way be sure to look out for the concrete Bridge abutments in the river before you get there. The one on the right is out of the water about 6 inches. You can safely pass it on either side if you just stay twenty feet away or so..

In all these situations I have been sitting downwind from the structure, and casting into the wind on top of the ridges, or preferably past the ridge, and retrieving my bait with the current. Most all these fish will be facing the wind on these points. And most of your bites will come on top or right on the break lines of the structure.. This is springtime fishing in my book.. And nobody likes beating the bank any more than me, I guarantee.

There are still a lot of fish to be caught in the woods if you prefer fliping the bushes over chunkin' and windin'. Four to eight feet seems to be the best depth for this approach, although I did get my arse handed to me by a toad in a laydown last Thursday in knee-deep water. (But I know where she lives..)

We are sponsoring a Kid's Fishing Event here in Zapata with several other businesses on the Second of August.. It is going to be called "Whiskers and Tails". We will be using a lot of the County boat ramp area that morning so please bear with us if you are launching there. It should be interesting..

This weekend we have McAllen Bass Anglers, fishing out of the state park, UCBC fishing out of Beacon, And Helotes Bass Club, and I think they are weighing at the County Ramp.. Lots of folks in town.. We should have some really nice stringers caught. It will be the first time in a while that we have a lot of fishermen in town. We'll let you know what happens!

In any case, I can't possibly tell you how much fun we are having down here.. Come join the party!

July 8, 2008: The rains have continued through the night and early morning here, and we have rec'd a total of about three inches officially in the last five days. The ground is now saturated, and a big rain right now would certainly put some water in the lake. I hear from the weather professionals that the low down in the gulf is going to peter out in the next 48 hours, and we will be loosing our rain chances by the weekend, with every day having a lesser chance till then. Let's hope they're wrong.. It wouldn't be a first..

It is now Wednesday morning.. Rain has quit and it is a beautiful day.. Lots of folks taking to the lake today.. I recently rec'd a few pics from over the Fourth weekend..

Joel James with fish just over eleven pounds.. DD-22.. Joel had dropped his phone in the water so it is a good thing that he e-mailed his wife some pics to prove he was fishing.. They also caught a LOT of other good fish, and had 37 pounds plus on the Fourth of July.. That would call for fireworks..

And just to prove that these fish aren't sexist, here's a picture of Cindy Robinson of Lubbock who caught this big seven pounder on July Fifth.

If you are overdue to come to Falcon then get a trip on your calendar.. You don't know what you are missing.. Or Maybe you do??

Lake is up to 271.99.. 29.03 feet low.. And creeping up..

July 7, 2008: Over the weekend we had a lot of fishermen in town, and we have a lot of guides standing around the store this morning, waiting to see if the rain will let up. I don't think so, Tim.. We have a good chance at rain for the rest of the week, the experts say, and I guess we will see..

The lake has risen a meager three inches in the last few days, but like I have always said , three inches up is better than three inches down. My wife even agrees with me on that one.. The low pressure in the gulf of Mexico has been churning right up against the coast about a hundred and fifty miles south of Brownsville. This is a good thing and I hope it stays there for a few more weeks.

There are a few bass clubs headed to Falcon this weekend, and I think they are liable to catch a bunch of fish. Universal City Bass Club and McAllen Bass Anglers are both headed our way. There might be another club fishing locally.. There had been a local group of guys that have been fishing about every weekend on Sunday.. So if you are down and want to fish competitively one day give us a holler and we will help get you entered.

The lake is at 29.26 feet low this morning, and the release rates have been slowed to about 1340 CFS. And we should continue to come up just a bit for the next few days.. Hopefully we can get some downpours above us and make some real runoff. We have had about two inches in the last few days here in Zapata.

And the rains also helped us not to burn down the county over the Fourth of July weekend.. In my neighborhood I am sure there is going to be some evictions next month..cause I know they spent all their rent money on Fireworks.. It wasn't exactly like going to Sea World, but it wasn't bad.

This 10.5 pounder was caught off the bank here in the Veleno by Ramiro Garcia Jr. yesterday just minutes after buying a Mann's 12" Jelly Worm in Watermelon/Chart here at FLT. I knew these baits were working well. But that was quick.. Congrats Ramiro on a great fish.. Maybe my wife is right.. I don't really need a new boat.. If this keeps happening I might not even need the old one. This is actually about the fifth or sixth fish over ten pounds caught off the bank here in the last month, and that's just the ones we have heard about. Unfortunately many of these fish do not survive..

We have been having to double deadbolt the doors here at FLT lately, as we have been finding a lot of teeth marks on the front door.. We got the guys from CSI here and the DNA tests were conclusive.. Micropterus Salmoides... Better get here quick..

July 5, 2008: Here's hoping you had a great Fourth.. We certainly did here at FLT.. We rolled out the old barrel and smoked a couple of Briskets and then helped support the struggling Chinese economy by setting of a bunch of fireworks.. All fingers are still intact as of this morning.

The fishing yesterday was fantastic, especially if you did not mind getting a little wet occasionally. Air temps topped out at 88 degrees and it almost felt cool when the breeze hit you..

We heard several reports of eleven pound fish being caught, and a lot of smaller big fish.. If you call sevens and eights smaller.. I just think we are getting a little spoiled here on Falcon.

Aubrey Hanath caught this 8.15 pound beauty in the Veleno on a W/M Red soft plastic yesterday morning. She was the last one to catch a fish.. But it looks like it was worth the wait!

We will let you know how the weekend progresses!

July 4, 2008: I know it has been a while since I wrote Mom, but the fish have been biting and I have spent a lot of time on the lake. I have been busy also with trying to keep one male and one female bass alive here at Falcon. But I digress.. We have been very busy here at the store, and there are a lot of folks here for the Fourth of July weekend. And what better way to celebrate the freedoms we have here in America than to spend your holiday doing one of the things that we have done in this country since its inception. Fishing. What a great idea.

The lake has dropped to 271.60, which equates to 29.42 feet low, and I guess I should say that that is actually an inch higher than it was a day ago. We have had some nice rains here in the last couple of days, and the forecast calls for more scattered showers in the next few. Hopefully we will get enough accumulation to make some water run and bring the lake level up a bit. There has also been some very good rains in the Valley so it should slow down the release rate from the lake.

On Wednesday I fished The Salado, and while many of the points on the North side are now high and dry, there are still a lot of fish in certain areas. It took me an hour or two to find the fish but when I did it was awesome. The biggest was a 7-2 but I caught a few fives and and a lot of solid threes.. I also broke off a whale in a laydown in about two feet of water. Finished the day with about 24-25 pounds.

Yesterday I took my old friend from Oklahoma, Marvin Hendrix.. You remember him Mom, he used to live next door to us over at Lakefront.. He says he's too old to go trapsyin' off by himself to far.. So he wanted me to take him to the Tigers. It was a nice cool and calm morning and the boat ride was pretty nice. We caught a lot of fish, but like usual old Marv caught the biggest fish.. Twice. We got caught in that big rain storm on the way in, and we looked like a Lab on a duck hunt when we got back. Wet, Cold and Smiling.

He caught a 8.3 and a 8.5 three casts apart. And two minutes after I lipped his last one I caught a 7.6.. And all these fish were in a twenty yard long area on the end of a rocky point that dies off to the creek channel. We also caught a bunch of fours and fives and we did not weigh them but I reckon we had an easy thirty two pounds for the best five.

The two big fish both came on a white 3/4 ounce spinner bait.. I know that sounds a little funny but the fish are on the spinner bait in shallow water right now.. That's not the usual pattern for summertime bass on Falcon I know.. But it's working..

I caught my big fish on a Pumpkin Green Jig, but we also caught fish on a Plum worm and a W/M Red Lizard.

We have had customers say that they are catching fish on about every known lure ever manufactured.. That tells me that the fish are just plain on the bite.. From two feet to twenty feet a lot of fish are being caught. So if you come down tell Daddy to bring all the tackle boxes.. Sorry I couldn't make it home for the Holiday.. But I'll be home the next time I need a haircut for sure..

Love, Your Son,

James

Happy Birthday America!

June 30, 2014: Overheard at the fish cleaning station at Falcon State Park: "Man.. Remember when we caught those big old bass a few years ago? They sure were good eatin'.. Those fillets must have been two inches thick!" "Yeah man, that was awesome.. I wonder what happen to all the fish that were in here??" We used to catch em' like crazy!" "Now we hardly catch anything at all... Maybe a few little ones.." "I guess we'll have to start fishing somewhere else.."

Sound Crazy? It might not be too far fetched, given the catch and kill mentality that seems so pervasive around here. I am continually hearing stories about eight and nine pound fish that are being killed here on a daily basis. And it makes me crazy. I know I am preaching to the choir here for the most part, but we all need to become proactive in guarding our mature fish here at Falcon. Don't be afraid to politely point out the facts to those you see killing our big fish. We sell a lot of tackle to local folks here in Zapata and the surrounding area, and we are always dispensing the 'turn loose the big fish' lecture, especially to our young fishermen.

But given our sudden notoriety we do have a lot of folks from all over the country here that are keeping a lot of fish. And a lot of big fish. There is simply no sense in killing a five pound bass. They are too hard to replace and there are plenty of smaller fish in the lake if you must take some home to eat. And there is no law that says that you have to feed your whole neighborhood when you get home. Especially not from our Brood Stock.. I don't know any ranchers that eat their cows.. Do You?

The smaller fish are easier to clean, they taste immensely better, and they have not had the time in the lake to absorb a lot of toxins from our less than perfect water. Don't believe that the water has problems??

Click this link and read on.. http://www.txpeer.org/toxictour/laredo.html

I hope you noticed the part where it said that "The Arsenic levels in a fillet of bass were 11.1 times the EPA edible tissue Criterion near the Jefferson Street Water Treatment Plant--the sole source of Laredos drinking water."

By the way.. We are downstream from Laredo..

Think I am just trying to scare you into not keeping bass from Falcon? Maybe.. But you do the math on the fishery and on the amount of chemicals in the water and you decide what is best for you and the lake.

Are you eating fish to survive?? My guess is no.. If you have a home up north and winter down here, we are happy to have you. But I am sure if you have the means to visit here for a few months you don't need to kill all your fish to keep your family fed. The idea of the great hunter coming home with food is dead and gone. The depression of the 30's is over.. And hauling a couple of chest freezers home stuffed with fillets is not only ignorant it is illegal.

I am NOT talking to those of you who occasionally keep a few fish for your personal enjoyment. I eat fish too. I love em'. But I am NOT eating a big fish or killing a bunch of them every time I go out.

I am getting off my soap box now and want to tell you that the fish are still biting and today the wind was less than hurricane force. Sorry to the Weekend Group from Castroville.. There will be better days.

Travis Harper caught this 10.07 pound whopper fishing with Charlie Haralson Last week.

We are 29.25 feet low.. Water temps in the middle to upper eighties.. Same patterns working for the last month.. Fish the long and rocky points, ledges, and any old rock houses you know of..

Come see us!

June 28, 2008: The High temps have hovered around the 100 degree mark the last few days.. But the good thing is that the fish are not air cooled.. They definitely have an advantage over us humans.

The wind was mild this morning, but by noon it was back to itself, and we are having gusts in the twenties. But it does get hot when it quits, which don't happen too often.

In the last seven days, we have lost .83 feet of water.. Good for the fishing, but bad for the long run. We were still a little lower last spring, but we are approaching last years low in a hurry. And caution needs to be used, especially if you are not well versed with our natural and man made hazards. In the main lake you can run marker to marker and be fine. Do not skirt the Mexican bank anywhere, as there are a lot of old hardwoods that are making themselves known. If you are heading to the edges then it is prudent to drive perpendicular to the bank on your way in. If you pay attention you will be fine, but we are at the point where Hardwoods can appear anywhere. If you know the lake and want to run into Oscars Cove, then be aware that there is a Steel post near the mouth of the river channel on your way in.. Use caution in this area.. We had a buddy put some GelCoat on it yesterday.. This is up the river above the Hediona..

There are quite a few folks fishing this weekend, and most of them are catching fish. And the Veleno is still cranking out a bunch of good fish. You can fish close to the ramp and hide from the wind fairly well, and still catch some good fish.

The catfish are still very active as well, and easy limits are being caught, even off the bank for some folks.

We finally have a full contingent of Game Wardens here in Zapata county, and they are working.. We hear that this week they confiscated six net boats, along with a lot of gear and a few fishermen too. But we hear that most of the time they hit the bank a running when caught on the Texas side. They are also doing a lot of boat checks so have your boat in order when on the lake. Especially your safety equipment.. It's for your own good anyway. You can buy a lot of throw cushions for the price of citation.

Come see us!

June 26, 2008, P.M.. Here's just a tidbit of info for you this afternoon.. Latest from the Water War Department..

As of June 21, 2008, the U.S. Combined ownership at Amistad/Falcon stands at 84.87% of conservation capacity (2,878,831) acre-feet (AF), up from 82.60% (2,747,496 AF) a year ago at this time. Overall the system is holding 52.71% (3,122,044 AF) of conservation capacity with Amistad at 68.20% (2,234,317 AF) and Falcon at 33.54% (887,727 AF). Mexico has 9.61% (243,213 AF) of the water it could store at Amistad/Falcon.

I am just wondering how much lower 9.61 percent will get the lake, adding what the US will remove.. The Bridge in the Veleno will be in the danger zone in a short time, if the drop continues at current release rates. The current release rate is at about 2800 CFS.. The Concrete bridge pilings just before the Hediona are now in hazard zone. Here's what they look like.. But they are not quite this far out of the water right now.. But could be soon.. The Coordinates for the tall piling is 26 Degrees N 52.702'- W 99 Degrees 19,600'. This Pic was taken when the lake was about at 268.. Right now we are at 272.23. Thanks for the Info and pic Steve..

The tall one is on the East side of the Channel.

There are two old telephone poles out of the water at the mouth of the big Tiger, once you are in the big area of the Tigers in general.. They are about a foot out so keep an eye out for them. Bridge in Back of Tiger is still plenty deep.. But we'll warn you when it gets close..

June 26, 2008: The wind had laid down for a few days, but it seems to have made a bit of a comeback. It's hot knocking old women and children down like it was last week, but is is enough to be a distraction. I have decided to build a big old kite and fly it over Falcon Lake Tackle.. When it falls to the ground then I will go fishing. But it is possible that we could get in the Guiness World Book of records for the longest continual kite flying episode. At least the longest Kite flying Episode by a frustrated bass fisherman.. Is there a category for that?

I have been out of town for a few days and have not been able to post a new report. And I have been busier than a bird dog looking for a jeep tire. But my lack of attention to the page has not changed the attitude of the fish. We are still getting reports of good numbers of fish caught, and a lot of quality fish are also being boated.

Kevin "Gig Em" Skloss and buddy Sam Gruner tore up the big fish recently, and I believe most of their fish came from the Salado. These fish weigh (from left to right) 8#,6#, 6# and 9#.. I reckon they had a pretty good stringer between them. They were using crank baits in about ten feet of water.. I didn't hear the color but they were probably Maroon and White..

Lots of folks have been talking about 35 pound stringers being very common for the boat. Even I have come close to that lately a time or two and I would love to take a day to fish and see what I could come up with.. The way the fishing is even has me excited, and I fish three days a week.. (Somebody's gotta do it..)

We are expecting to see quite a few fishermen down on the Fourth of July Weekend, and I hope we get a good stretch of decent fishing conditions. It will be hot no doubt, but that won't bother the fish.. I know I have said it before.. But you better get down here..

But before you do you better get Old Glory Out of the closet and run her up the pole. And then go thank an Active Duty Serviceman and a Veteran for the for the freedoms we take for granted here in the USA everyday.

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY!

June 23, 2008: We took this picture off Rusell Parrish on Sunday Morning.. He caught this 11.23 pound monster on a long shallow point in about four feet of water.. I do not know what is getting these fish back in the shallows, but there have been a lot of big fish caught in less than four feet of water in the last couple of weeks. I'm just gonna guess that there is easy pickins there in the food department.. The shad are thick in the shallows. But Falcon bass have never been afraid of shallow water..

Russell said he also caught a lot of big fish yesterday, including several over seven.. And all in the same shallow water area..What a morning! We have reports of lots of bigger fish being caught over the weekend.

So don't be afraid to try the shallow water a bit.. These fish like it!

June 22, 2008: Well I finally got some pics in the mail of some more of those whoppers that have been caught lately.. Actually I have had them a day or two but have been busy.. And not with fishing.. Just working.. And it is hard to stay in the shop with all the reports I have been getting. There were a lot of fish caught yesterday. See tourney report.

Patrick Henry and his son Shawn Henry spent a few days last week fishing with Charlie Haralson.. And on day three they hit the jackpot with some huge fish. On their last day of fishing Patrick caught this 11-12, and 45 minutes later Shawn caught this 11-2. And a few minutes later Charlie caught a 10-5. I need those Coordinates Charlie.. They were throwing Senkos a lot.. That I do know..

Patrick Henry

Shawn Henry

They also said they broke off a few in the same time frame.. Sounds like a good day to me!!

June 20, 2008: There are still a lot of fishermen in town from all over the lower states area, and this week we have had a lot of folks in from the Dallas/ Ft Worth area.. Of course I had to ask how they thought Falcon stacks up against Fork. Without exception they all said that this was the best fishing they have ever seen. But they are here while we are on a hot streak..

On the left is Rustin McClelland, and on the right is Paul Duplechan. These two guys went on about a four day terror of catching a bunch of nice fish.. They had a bunch of sevens and eights and a couple nines.

We have had a bunch of folks in the store with big fish stories and pictures.. I'm still waiting on those e-mails with pics guys..

The lake is 28 feet low, and the water temps are in the mid eighties. Water clarity in the marker seven area and below is awesome, with visibility in the three foot range in some spots. There are a few places where the treetops are starting to pop out of the water a bit, especially in the marker six area, and in the upper lake in the flats just off the river channel. These are not too much of a problem if you stay from post to post if you are not too familiar with the lake. If you are heading to the Hediona, the concrete bridge pilings from the old bridge are defiantly in play right now.. They are somewhere around a foot or so under the water.. I tried to go mark them the other day but was unable to find them. Since then I have dug up the Coords for one of them and they are 52.71N and 19.59W. There is another piling to the west of this one.. This is the only info I have.. These things are twelve feet long and three feet wide and will make a mess of your boat. It is however fairly easy to safely pass the area.. There is a bunch of concrete chunks on the Mexican bank in line with this old road. You can safely pass at low speed on the Mexican or Texas sides. These will be out of the water in another foot or two.. And I will continue to try and mark them somehow..

The Old Veleno Bridge still has plenty of water over it for the mean time and is not a hazard. We will let you know when it starts getting close. I was hoping to never see it again except in my depthfinder screen.. BTW.. I heard some locals caught a lot of fish off the top of it the other day..

I know I hardly ever talk about it, and it is my bad, but the catfishing here is also excellent. I just take it for granted that everyone knows.. But you can catch a box full real easy in a few hours.. And we have a fellow here who will be glad to guide you on one of these trips.. Shrimp and punch bait are probably the best baits, but night crawlers also will get the job done..

The ten pound fish have been vary cooperative the last few days, but not all of them have been gotten to the boat. But a lot of them have and the guides are doing especially well. If you are planning on coming down for a few days, it is a good idea to hire a guide for your first day. They will show you the hows and wheres as to what the fish are doing. And if you duplicate their patterns your chances of success will be much greater.. Most of the local guides are charging $400 a day with the big increase in fuel prices.. But that might be a good investment as you are saving a days fuel, and learning a lot about the best ways to approach the fishery.

Yesterday the wind was light and I decided to run to the Tigers from the Get Go.. I found a ridge in the area where the Elite fellers were fishing and chunked a marker out.. Before I got the trolling motor in the water I had a six pounder... The first cast fish is usually a curse but not yesterday.. I found a lot of fish on these ridges, and particularly on one with a rocky bump on the side of it.. I think five in a row was my best streak.. But I also missed a lot of fish in this deep water cause I am a novice with heavy jigs.. But the fish did know what to do with em! Green Pumpkin in a 1 oz was my best bait. I had it tipped with a Rage Craw in Bama Craw color. Most of these fish were on top of some 16' ridges that had deeper water around them.. Try it.. You'll like it..

There are some new Rage Craws coming out next month and the inventor stopped by the store yesterday and we talked him out of a few..One is called the Lobster.. They also have one called the Space Monkey that looks promising.. They must be John Pryne fans..

We are running the weigh in for a private tournament tomorrow and Sunday and we will see what these folks drag to the scales. Hopefully I will have some good pics to post.. Clubs are avoiding Falcon right now but there are a few scheduled for early next month. Lots of folks are heading to town for the Fourth of July the way it sounds.. You should too.. But only if you like to catch fish...

I better go and turn my brisket..

June 17, 2008: Well folks, the bad news is that the lake is dropping like a hookers bloomers at the Democratic National Convention. But the good news is that the fish are biting like the hookers at the Republican National convention. (I'm trying to be fair here.) And I want to apologize to anyone I may have offended.. I Certainly would not want to put our fish here on the same level with any politicians.

I got on the water this morning for two and a half hours, and I caught nineteen fish, all in a two hundred yard area. And it is directly across from the water works plant near marker thirteen. I did not catch any fish over three pounds, but the bushes and the hardwoods are loaded with fish in this area.. And I am sure these fish are in the same depth and cover all the way to marker eleven. They were here last year at this level, and they are there now. And the good news is that you can use three gallons of gas and still catch a lot of fish. . And if you are fishing three to a boat it works great as there is a ton of cover to pitch to. There is also a LOT of fish on the rocks from Beacon to the Veleno on the US side of the river..

On the Mexican side Fish here..

Flip this five times..

Flip this ten times..

The fish are glued to these big woods, and a lot of the smaller bushes as well. It is almost impossible to fish all the cover in this area. I did best in water from four to eight feet deep.. And of course I was throwing an Ol Monster in Plum.

The town of Zapata is getting a new water pick up system, and it will be quite a deal when complete. These fellows certainly have the equipment to get er' done.. I hear that a big grant is paying for the improvements. Of course all this is going in near marker 13, at the old water plant pump station.. By the way, the fellows working here are tearing up the fish off the bank in this area.

The lake has dropped to 273.23, or 27.79 feet low. The drop has slowed somewhat in the last week or so. Water quality is improving on the upper end of the lake with the diminished winds. And there are a lot of folks in town, and a lot of them have found the fishing good enough to fish close to the Veleno.

Charlie Haralson has had some awesome days with clients, catching over 30 pounds on most days, and a near forty pound day a couple of days back. Pics to follow..

Tim Montz caught this nine plus a couple days ago fishing with Tommy Law.

Water temps are in the middle to upper eighties.. Jigs and big plastics are still the best choices.. What can I say? Get down here.. Los Lobonos son listo..

June 14, 2008: Well for those of you with Paraskevidekatriaphobia, it is all right to come back out and join the rest of us here on the outside. We have survived to fish another day. And the good news is that the wind has decided to lay off for a while. This trend started on Thursday evening. It's not that the wind has totally quit, but it has subsided enough to make fishing enjoyable. Yesterdays winds were in the ten to fifteen category, and I'll take that any day on Falcon. And the fishermen have come out of the woodwork the last couple of days, eager to burn some two week old Gasoline..

The Zapata Bass Club is holding a quickly assembled Tournament this morning, due to the good weather and and tomorrow being Fathers Day.. You did remember Fathers Day, didn't you?

There have been a lot of folks in town this week, and a lot of them that are have brought their kids fishing for their graduation present. And it is good to see that a lot of college educated kids still like to fish, and haven't been brainwashed by our liberal universities professors.. And we will take it as a compliment that that their wish for graduation was to come to Falcon.

As a matter of fact, we have had several college bass teams divert their routes on their way across the country to stop off here at Falcon.. Most did not think that Zapata was very far off Route 66. And all of them caught a lot of fish.

The lake is at 273.57, or 27.45 feet low as of this morning. Water temps are in the middle eighty's, as our day time highs have been only around 100 the last week or so. We had seventeen drops of rain here at the shop yesterday evening.

The middle part of the lake has been virtually untouched this last two weeks, and I am sure this weekend it will get fished pretty hard. And the fishing should be good as there has been NO fishing pressure. Unless you had the Queen Mary, you just were not going to be fishing mid-lake.

The Veleno is really putting out the fish in the last few days, and a lot of that is because there hasn't been another place to fish out of the wind. But there are always fish to be caught near the county ramp.

The rocky banks between the Veleno and Beacon are holding a lot of fish also, as are the woods just across the river from them. I do not have first hand info on much of the lower lake, but I should have some good intel later today.

I got a call yesterday from Randy Myers, biologist for TPWD in San Antonio, and he said that Falcon was getting a small stocking of about 2000 bass fingerlings, from Operation World Record Bass. These fish are third generation Sharelunker babies. Their Grandmas were Sharelunkers, Their Mamas were Sharelunker brood stock, crossed to Sharelunker male stock, and hopefully they will all be Sharelunkers.. And they will bring their gene pool to the fish in Falcon that are already known to get on the hefty side.. If some Yahoo doesn't run a fillet knife through them.. But that's another subject .

The usual baits are working in the usual places.. If you have a confidence bait, throw it and it will catch fish. But there has been a LOT of reports of fish being caught in very shallow water, and some big fish too. I personally caught a five pounder in two feet of water(actual) off a Huisache tree on Wednesday here in the Veleno. And we caught a lot of other fish in very shallow water too. These fish just do not care about the depth, as long as there is some deeper water near. Rocky areas are still holding the majority of fish.

At left is young Randy Sullivan, of Woodson , TX, who caught three personal best fish last week. This his biggest being a 10.5 pounder. Awesome.. I wish I still had hair like that.. On the right is Audencio Garza, also with a trophy catch. This tiny bass actually bit a 12" worm.. Helps you understand how these fish get so big so fast. They are eating machines. Good thing Audencio had some sixty five pound braid on.. And by the way.. A baby bass Fluke or Crankbait is not a bad choice right now..

Pray for a friendly hurricane... See you on the water.

June 11, 2008: Things are pretty slow around Zapata this week, as the high cost of Gas, the high winds, and the summer heat is acting like Bass Club Repellent here on Falcon. There are a few clubs scheduled here and there over the next few months, but to say that fishing pressure here is light, would be an understatement. Sounds like a good time to fish, doesn't it??

The lake continues its slow decent towards thirty feet low, as we are at 273.77, or 27.25 feet low. Water temps are in the very high eighties in most areas. I will check and see how much water is still over the Old Veleno Bridge next time I go out.

The fish are getting more and more clannish, and when you find one or two , you will usually find a decent sized school, especially with the smaller fish. There have been a few "first week of summer" groups down this week, that included a lot of father and son pairings.. And in one particular boat, the Son was Putting it on the Dad pretty bad.. He had an Eight, a Nine, and a Ten plus in two days of fishing.. I am not sure who was guiding who.. But I do know it is fun to catch a personal best, and then beat it twice in the next forty eight hours. I am promised pics of the big fish. I tried to get the photos off their camera, but to no avail. If my computer had as many memory stick sticking out of it as it has had stuck in it, it would look like a porcupine..

If you have not gotten your Daddy anything for Fathers Day yet, then let me recommend a FLT gift certificate.. It's painless.. We'll mail or e-mail it to him.. You don't have to waste any time or gas running around looking for something for the man that "Has Everything." He can use it on-line or the next time he comes in the store. Just give us a call or e-mail.. We'll Get R' Done..

In the next couple of days we will have in the newest of the Mann's 20 plus crankbait line. And I already told you we have the 12" Jelly Worms, the ones that Paul Elias used here to win the Elite. They are hard to find, but we have em'. We also have some new deep divers from Bandit lures, and of course we have an unbeatable selection of Hot Lipps and Norman DD-22's..

These items are available on our E-Store as well..

Damn.. This is starting to sound like a commercial.. But if you haven't been in our store lately I think you will be surprised on your next visit.. We pride ourselves on having the biggest selection of tackle in a privately owned store in South Texas.. And If you are looking for something in particular, or can't find something, give us a call.. We'll do our level best to find it for you..

And if you are looking for a new GPS for your boat, be sure and give us a call. We can usually get it to you a little cheaper that the Bass Pro catalogue.

It's Hot, Windy, and the fish are biting.. Better get down here quick!

June 8, 2008: We have had the threat of rain in the forecast for several days, but only a trace has appeared as of this morning. But it is good to at least smell it.. And today is the first day in ten that the flags are not flying straight out. Of course it is still early.

Fishing pressure these days is very light, as the wind, heat, and cost of fuel all figure into the equation. But those who have gotten past the the previously mentioned barriers are catching a lot of fish. And the guides are still working them over pretty good , even with the wind working against them.

I have not ventured back on the lake since the carpet washing incident the other day. But I plan on checking out some spots tomorrow morning, weather permitting.

The American Bass Anglers are in town this weekend, but their turnout is very light, with only nine fisherman participating yesterday. They are fishing two one day events. Four fish for 19 pounds won it on Saturday, but hopefully the winds will treat them a little better today and allow them to fish a little more open water. I will have a full report in the Tournament section..

The lake is still dropping, but it could be that they are slowing the release rates a bit as of this morning.. But Hell, who knows, they might open the flood gates this afternoon.

We are right at twenty seven feet low right now, and at this time last year, we were about seven feet lower. The rains had just begun in May that blessed us with all the new water. Last year we lost almost ten feet of water between April and May. This year our quickest drop to date was between March and April, where we dropped about five feet.

On a good note though, there are a whole lot of areas where the fish are starting to show up, if the wind will permit you to fish them. The Hardwoods on the main lake channel on the Mexican side, near the Veleno and above, are starting to hold some fish again. The have probably always been there, but the lake is at the level where you can see and fish a lot of them. I am doing best in about eight feet of water. The mouth of Blanco, on the North corner, is holding a lot of fish on the trees in about ten to twelve feet of water. If the lake drops about two or three more feet, this area looks like a forest..

A lot of the main lake rock piles are holding fish, but not all of them. And even the good ones don't have fish on them all the time. But if you have some favorites, now is a good time to check them.

Make sure you have a good Brush Clip in your boat when you go, so you can tie up occasionally when you find some concentrations of fish.. It really beats fighting the troller in these winds we have been having.

There will be no "Legends" tournament this year, according to the local C of C.. As of this moment, the next big open tournament on Falcon will be the O.P.E.C. In October.. It will be the weekend of the 25th.. There are no losers in this event, as all proceeds go to improve the facilities at the state park, and there are a ton of door prizes given away. There is food and drink at registration on Friday night, and another big meal on Saturday evening for the fishermen. It is a three fish, two day, team tournament. Lots of fun and food, and Oh Yea, Lots of big fish are need to win this one.. If you look at the past weights it is very impressive to see what it takes to win it. But the old record could easily go down this year with all the big fish we have in the lake. Entry fees are $175 if registered by October first, and later is $200. I believe there will be a contestant "Bingo" also..

Falcon Lake Tackle is a Sponsor of this event, and we will be accepting entry forms here at the store.. We will have them in the very near future and we will have a link to the info on our site. Put it on your calendar..

Yeah... You could go to Disneyland this summer.. But Falcon would be a lot more fun.. Those big mouse ears always scared me..

Chuy with McAllen Bass Anglers. 10 lbr..

June 4, 2008:

WIND.. According to the dictionary..

1. air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface: A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast.

2. a gale; storm; hurricane.

3. any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan.

4. air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument.

If you chose number two, then you get to move to the head of the class.. We have been stuck under this High Pressure and the Southeast return has been unbelievable. We have had a steady twenty plus mile an hour wind for about three days, and the Windologists predict it to go on till at least Saturday..

I think it is high time that Zapata County gets into wind generated electricity. We've certainly got the natural resource.. It is kind of weird to think of wind as a natural resource, but if it produces energy I guess you would have to say it is.. I am just trying to say something nice about it.. Flying a flag right now is kind of crazy.. I think I have worn out two of them in the last month.

The lake is still dropping like a rock, and we are down to 274.29, or 26.73 feet low. At the current rate of release we are losing about three inches per day. The falling water and the high winds have made for some off colored water in the upper lake, as the big waves beating on newly exposed mud is making a mess.. The Salado that was looking so good has turned a little chocolatey.. OK.. a lot Chocolatey.. And the fish have responded by not responding...

When you get to Marker 9 or so the water is a lot better colored, but the wave action makes it a chore to stand on the troling motor for a long time. Clipping to a bush is about your only choice for staying in one place. The water on the lower end of the lake still looks great in most areas, but getting there and fishing it is a pain.

There is rain in the forecast for Sat and Sun, and that immediately makes me think that it will be a good weekend to fish. It would be nice to see a cloud that is not moving over 60 miles per hour, and if we got the dust settled it would be a bonus.

We have finally got in our order on Manns Jelly Worms, and we got a lot of them. The Big ones.. Motoroil, Watermelon Red, Tequila Green, and Watermelon Chartreuse.. They have the big paddletail.. Stop by and check them out.. The Motoroil looks like the old School Color from back in the day.. (Like the 70's.)

I am ready for some of those Dog Days.. 105 in the shade and no wind..

June 3, 2008: If we were supposed to fly, I guess that God would have given us wings. So in their place, we have bass boats, and this morning mine was flying.. I don't mean speed.. I mean flying.. I snuck down to the cove at 7, Pierces', early this morning, and ran through the trees as much as I could to hide from the big water. But after fighting three footers in the cove for a couple hours, with only four fish to show, I figured that it was time to head in and wait for a better day. It would have been a good time to have Scotty beam me up, but I had to endure the ride.. I don't care what kind of boat you have.. It was rough with lots and lots of six and seven foot waves.. But it was the first time in a couple of years that I washed the carpet in the boat..

If you find some protected waters, you can still catch some fish. It just might not be the most pleasant of trips. The wind is supposed to be a factor till at least Saturday. So until then we will just have to fish for perch off the bank..

Here's a pic of Thomas Haralson with a 12.13 fish he caught recently..

Live Long and Prosper!

June 1, 2008: OK, so it is Sunday morning again and we have started another week. And for a few weeks now I have been thinking about a good way to have big time bass tournaments, and still affect the fish only minimally. And here is what I have come up with, but it would take some money and some want to, to "get er done."

And I am talking only about the big televised events like FLW, BASS, etc.. I am kind of inspired by the NASCAR guys, how they have their on board cameras in the cars. What if we mounted a wide angle mini camera on top of the outboard motor. And it would observe the angler at all times. A series of truck/trailer mounted antennas could be set up around the lake, to receive the signal from each boat. On the back seat post we would have a self contained digital readout scale. When the fisherman caught a fish, he would put it on the scale, and it would be recorded by the camera and the observer/cameraman. And the fisherman would not have to rehandle the fish or worry about culling for the most part.. His best weight would be automatically captured. This would make a killer up to the minute leader board.. I know rough water might make it difficult on occasion. We could still keep the drama of the weigh in by bringing one or two fish to the scale for the spectators and the cameras. But we could greatly reduce the crowded conditions in the livewells.

And here's how we pay for all this equipment. We could sell On-Line Pay Per View to fans that want to watch their favorite fisherman live. Kind of like NASCAR's Pit Pass. You could pick out who you wanted to watch for $9.95 a day.. Or whatever..How about a split screen and watch a few? Or all of them.. There are probably enough fanatics out there to make it viable.. Heck, I paid $12 once to see Lucy Johnson... Uhh.. I better skip that story. But you get my drift.. It could work..

And I know the technology exists to make it happen.

Anyway , just a thought.

The lake is dropping about three inches a day, and I am not sure how far down we are headed. More and more of the hardwoods on the main river channel are starting to pop out of the water, especially on the Mexican side of the lake, from Marker 13 to marker 8. Stay nearer the channel and you will be fine. By the way, there are some fish starting to cling to the hardwoods in the same areas. Look for about eight feet of water.

Big Jigs and Carolina rigs in deep water are still catching a lot of fish. But there are still a lot of fish shallow, for the rest of us bank beaters. It's like Burger King.. Right now you can have it your way.

Come see us!

May 31, 2008: The fishing remains great here and I need to post a few pictures of fish that have been caught. Some from youngsters, some from veterans, but all personal bests. First we have young Mister Drewery with a 6-10 that he caught last week.. I need to give them lessons in Photography.. The camera should be in the same county as the subject.

Next we have another youngster, also from Oklahoma.. I did not get his name but he was fishing with Gary Harlan. This fish was also a six pound plus bass.

And finally we have Mr. Mike Power.. He has been fishing for decades and was winner of a whole lot of flipping and pitching contests around the area. He should know what he is doing. And yesterday Falcon gave him his first Double Digit bass.. A 11.56 pound beauty caught on a jig in a brushline in the midlake area.

Bass Champs is at Choke this weekend, and things are kind of slow around here.. Think I will go and re-spool a few reels.. Have a great weekend!

May 29, 2008: There's some good things happening here in Zapata, but catching some water is not one of them. The lake has dropped five inches in the last fourty eight hours, and it looks like it will continue to fall at approximately the same rate for the near future.. We are at 275.57, or 25.45 feet low. It has been a little cooler the last couple of days, and fishing pressure has been pretty light. There were about a dozen trailers at the ramp this morning. And on 50,000 acres it wasn't too crowded.. I had to run to San Antonio for a couple of days, and it was good to get back on the lake. I fished with a buddy of mine from Rock Springs, and we caught some nice fish but no big fish. We were talking about it and I think we came to the consensus that we are spoiled.. If we don't catch some sevens and eights we are kind of disappointed. That's crazy.. But that's the way it is.

This lake is producing some awesome stringers for some folks, and frustrating some others. And while we did not catch thirty pounds of fish by noon, we did have some nice fish in the four to five pound range. We used a variety of baits that included Jigs, Worms, Senkos, and Crankbaits. It really didn't matter..

On another note, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Zapata County Park, that is going in right beside the boat ramp, was held this afternoon. All the dignitaries were there to include Congressman Henry Cuellar.. I opted to not wear a tie.. But I did wear a nice white shirt.. Well it was a T shirt.. But it did have a FLT logo on it.. Construction will hopefully start before the end of the year. There is an environmantal study going on I hear. So if they don't find some walking catfish or a DoDo bird we should be in good shape.

I worked in The construction field for thirty years.. They don't look like anybody I worked with..

New Park Preliminary Plan.

And speaking of shirts we finally got some T shirts in that you can wear to amaze your friends.. They might be amazed that you paid $10.95 for it anyway. We've got em in several colors and sizes.. E-mail us if you want one..

Hope yall had great Memorial Day.. Get here before it gets too hot!

May 25, 2008: There are a lot of really neat things about running a tackle store. And probably one of the best is that we get to share a lot of information with the fishermen. We always try to help out anyone that comes to town, but many times, they help us out by sharing some new spots or tactics that we just haven't tried. It is real easy to get in a rut when you are catching fish all the time.

Like the guys who came in and said they were Carolina rigging a medium sized floating crank bait. Sounds crazy.. And I'm dangerous enough with three feet of line and a single hook swinging around the boat. I want to try it but I better do it when I am alone. I have heard of tipping your jigs with leaches..(Eh) But I am not sure if tipping your Deep Little N with earlobe is a good idea. But hell it could work.. It might be a little hard to market though.. And I am not sure I could buy a can of Bang that said "Earlobe" on it. "Hey John! You want the garlic, crawfish, or this new stuff they're callin'....Earlobe?" Could be a marketing faux pa.. (I have been dying to use that somewhere..)

But anyway it is Sunday morning and I am still half asleep. So please excuse the rambling..

There are an awful lot of fishermen in town from Louisiana, and there have been several groups of them in the store this morning. And so far this week I have scored a Tennessee Cured ham, A bunch of fresh Boudin' sausage, and I have some more boys from Louisiana bringing me some crawfish tomorrow evening. I told you there were a lot of perks to owning a tackle store..Of course I am always willing to Trade and Barter, and I am putting three briskets on the pit tomorrow. I think it would be Un-American not to..For sure it would be Un-Texan..

If the fishing (you remember fishing) could get any better, it would be hard to imagine.. Ray Charles could guide on this lake right now.. It is so funny to have people come in and say "Where are the green DD-22's?? We're killing em on those!" And the next guy through the door says "Where are the Green Pumpkin Lizards? We're killin' em on them things!" And the third one says "Where are the 1oz jigs?? We're killing them on jigs!"

What that tells me is that the fish are just plain biting. When someone asks me what they should throw, I ask them what their favorite lure is. And then I tell them to throw it. Because right now if you have confidence in a bait.. It will work.

The Gulf Of Mexico must be getting pretty low, cause it looks like they are trying to fill it up with water from Falcon.. The release rates are back up to over 6500 CFS from the dam. I am sure they are making a lot of electricity to help keep up with the A/C usage down here.. It has been hot.

I pulled the dipstick this morning and we are officially at 24.68 feet low, at 276.34.

And here's the weekly water ownership report from IBWC..

"As of May 17, 2008, the U.S. combined ownership at Amistad/Falcon stands at 91.18% of conservation capacity (3,092,859) acre-feet (AF), up from 75.63% (2,515,633 AF) a year ago at this time. Overall the system is holding 56.71% (3,358,772 AF) of conservation capacity with Amistad at 71.27% (2,334,845 AF) and Falcon at 38.68% (1,023,927 AF). Mexico has 10.51% (328,000 AF) of the water it could store at Amistad/Falcon."

Pray for Rain..

Now go and thank a Veteran for providing the safety and security and the great way of life we have here in this country. It's not too hard to say "Hey! Thanks for your service!" when you see someone in uniform.. Trust me.. They will appreciate it..

I gotta go get those briskets out of the freezer.. Have a safe Holiday!

May 24, 2008: We got a little cooling trend today, as we had some cloud cover till lunch time, and the temps topped out at 99.6 degrees.. I know that's officially 100, but it sounds better this way.. It's hot, whatever the case.

And the fishing is even hotter. We had reports of LOTS and LOTS of fish being caught, and almost every boat had a fish over seven pounds, according to the folks that came in the store. I fished till 1:00 today and had about twenty seven or eight pounds for the best five, but a lot of folks had better. I really whacked them on a jig, namely a Jo-Baby in Green Pumpkin with a Rage Craw trailer in Bama Craw. It was awesome.. Every creek on the lake is producing fish, if you find the sweet spots.

Water temps are up to 88 degrees pretty easy in the afternoons. The lake is starting to drop a bit today, and I expect it to continue that way for the near future.

We have people here from all over the country this weekend and most have tied some vacation days to the holiday. Good choice.. You should be here!

Freedom Bass club is here fishing a three fish tournament, and 19.62 pounds is leading it.. I will have results posted on tourney sheet tomorrow!

May 23, 2008: There have been a lot of rumors and speculation around town about our local Chamber of Commerce, and what is happening with it. You may have heard that it was shut down and all the employees released. And for a very short time the doors were locked. The county has made funding available to reopen The Chamber and reinstate its employees. This actually happened a while back. We are members of the local chamber, and I attended a quickly called membership meeting here on Wednesday night. The results are as folows. Eight of the nine memembers of the Board of Directors were replaced. The only existing board member to remain is Boyd Carter.

The county of Zapata has provided funding for the the Chamber to meet its financial obligations for the next few months. There is still much work to be done, and quickly, as the budget and the future tournament schedule are hot items on the horizon. The board that was elected will serve till the end of September. And there is talk of forming a tournament comittee to oversee and regulate, with county approval, future tournaments here on Falcon. Any of this would have to be given teeth by the county commissioner's court..

Of course I had to ask the question, what tournaments are scheduled, anticipated, and contracted with the Chamber?

On November 19-22, 2008 there will be a FLW event here, and it is supposed to be a Top 50 shootout.. Scheduled to be held at the Civic Center. This one is scheduled and contracted.

FLW has also sent a request to hold an event here in the spring, at least our spring, in the Middle of January. It would be an event similar to the one last year, but would be televised from what I understand, and possibly have weigh ins in Laredo at the LEC. I said Possibly... The details are still being worked out. As you may have guessed, I am not too crazy about hauling the fish to Laredo..

Bass Elite has sent a proposal to the Chamber wanting a Two Year contract, to hold events here in 2009, and 2010. I would hope they would make their first stop here, when the water is somewhat cooler. Good things for a tournament comittee to consider.

Like I said, there is much work to be done around here..

But the way things are right now, anyone could come to town and hold any event here, without asking or involving any entity of this county. But that is not the way these organizations operate. I believe that after the results of the last two major tournaments here, the county can probably negotiate a little better deal than in the past. Yes folks, the cat is defiantly out of the bag about Falcon..

The lake has come up to 276.58, or 24.44 feet low. I look for the lake to level off here for a day or two and then start to drop again.. The big push of water that was in the river has made it here, and the releases from Amistad have been greatly reduced. But we did catch almost a foot of water in the short term.

The fishing continues to be good, especially if you find the right areas.. We have had a few groups in town this week from all over the south, and after a day or two of looking around they are starting to whack the fish. Ol Monster in Junebug and Plum are really working well. Also Mag Lizards in Watermelon Red are really good when the sun is out. Strike King or Norman Sexy Shad pattern in the deep diver has been a killer.. Bring some with you.. I have been wiped out but will have more next week..

Fish are still concentrated on the rocky points and humps, and sometimes it takes a bit to find the sweet spot. If you are looking at the bank, look for some drains that empty to deep water, or at least deeper water.. And any time there is a hump close to a channel or ditch, there is more than likely fish on it. Deep water is a relative term in this issue. A two foot ledge in eight feet of water can have a dozen nice fish on it.

If you are fishing open water, try to find some humps or points with a sharp drop to the creek channel. These fish are piling up on this type of structure and will all summer long. There are still a lot of smaller fish shallow, and if you are in the right place you will find them schooling up on shad in the early hours of the day. Usually this is in areas with brushy cover, but not always.

Hope you have a great Memorial day weekend, and don't forget to thank a Veteran for all the freedoms you enjoy.

And if fishing Falcon is the way you plan to spend you weekend, we hope to see you here!

May 20, 2008: The weather is getting back to hot today, as the cool temps we enjoyed over the weekend are history. We topped out at 101 today, but the prognostigators are saying we will get to 103 or 104 this week. I love Summer... Just think back to that time when you were riding down the lake with your teeth chattering and the wind blowing down the crack of your bass jacket and wondering "What the hell am I doing out here?" The Chatterbait was definately invented in the winter.. The story goes that a man was fishing in the fridgid north and was shaking uncontrolably.. And the lure he was using had a blade and it was making a this terrific vibrating action because he was shaking like a dog trying to pass a peach seed. (Those things are pointy!)

Anyway, the fishing is as hot as the weather, and in some cases even hotter. We had a couple of reports that were mind blowing today. I would print them here but you would say that the heat has gotten to me for sure..

Dan McCloskey caught this 9.5 this week on a Strike King Trick Worm in Pumpkin with a spiked tail. Why is it that I like Spiked tails on worms but despise Spiked hair on teenagers.. Never thought of that before..

Anyway, Will Kagle caught this whopper, and a few more fishing with Gary Harlan last week. He sent me pics of four big fish but if you've seen one nine pounder you've seen em all..

Alan Hodge was fishing with Tommy Law and he whacked the big fish too.