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FLT Flash! Fishing Report

July 29, 2010: Well here's a bit of news.. The ramp at Tiger Island has reopened it doors, or in this case gates, to fishermen that want to launch there. It is not a bad idea if you want to fish midlake with the lake the size it is and the possibility of big waves with little wind. Trust me on this one.. Of course there are three miles of dust to eat on your way to the ramp. But the road is in good condition. Leave your tarp on till you get to the ramp.

The State Park people decided they need another week of vacation, and will not open till next week I hear. There is no good reason for this that I can see.. And none I hear. I love the government.. All phases..

Of course the county ramp is in great shape and is open to the public. Lakefront Lodge's ramp is fine, and Oso Blanco should be too, but I have not been there. Beacon is not currently allowing launching, as they are in the middle of some rehab work.

Thanks to all of you who complimented my flood coverage and pics.. Someone said I should get a Pulitzer.. I told em I rather have a Howitzer.. I always liked practical gifts..

Looks like the October tourney we have been talking about is going to happen.. And I told you a month or so ago to pencil in the weekend of Oct 16-17.. Don't use the red marker yet, but after a meeting on the 10th of August we will know for sure.. But it looks good.

No other open tourneys that I know of here on Falcon between now and then. But you'll hear it here as soon as it happens..

Heard some good things about the fishing this afternoon from a couple of groups of fishermen. A couple of locals are fishing off the bank here in the Veleno and have come back for some new line and three times for worms.. Sounds like they are having fun.

A couple of guides are actually back at work, and Tommy Law's clients from today said they whacked em good.. Fishing the River.. Mag Flukes in Mardi Gras and Watermelon Magic.. Go figure..

Seems like all we need is you..

What else is there to talk about.. Obamma was on "The View," a show I rarely miss.. I hear he wasn't invited to Chelsea's wedding.. Too many Secret Service agents to feed.. And the Clintons can't afford it..

It is good to see the departed first daughter getting married.. I guess she has come of age.. Wouldn't you like to have been a fly on the wall when Hillary and Bill were giving her the parental speech about the birds and the bees?

"Now Dear.. Your Father and I think it is best if you abstain from having sex until you are married.." And Bill, setting down his scotch, "That's right, Baby.. But like I said.. Eatin ain't Cheatin.."

I wonder if Bill told her not to date anybody that smokes cigars.. No wonder she never returned any of my calls..

I better stop before I type what I am thinking..

But do you think they invited Monica??

See you on the water..

July 28, 2010: I have been waiting to get my ten page proclamation telling me that the lake has been officially reopened, and all the reasons why it has been opened, and by whose authority.. But I'll probably see Rosie in line at a salad bar before I see that.

But fear not.. I launched my boat at the county ramp yesterday and managed to avoid arrest.. But not before being grilled by the Border Patrol.. Told them they better call HQ and check the facts.. It is such fun being a dissident.

And maybe it all goes back to my teenage years.. Like when we would unlatch the flashing light bars on the roofs of parked police cars.. Or stick a banana or two in their tailpipes.. Or on a rainy day many times the wipers would stop in the middle of the windshields.. And being mechanically inclined I.... I mean some people I knew had knowledge of how to remove them and put them back on in the parked position.. Of course this may make a mess when the car was restarted..

But before you scold me please know that I paid for all my transgressions several times over.. And I have kept my vow not to re-offend.. For the most part..

For some reason I just hate authority.. But I digress.

The lake is still dropping about six inches a day, and currently we are sitting at 304.33, down about five feet from the high mark. And many folks who have property on the water are in the process of cleaning up, mucking out, and disinfecting.. It's not a pretty sight in some areas. We have some friends that were affected by the high water and I've been moving appliances all morning.. And I don't mean a can opener.. I mean heavy crap..

I am still not sure where they are planning on holding the lake, but I do know that Amistad still has a lot of water to get rid of. They are still right at 1122, five feet over pool, and that water will continue to run thru Falcon for the next few weeks I am sure. And being we are right in the heart of Hurricane season it would probably be a good idea to get that lake down a few feet below full. We'll see.. They only dropped a hair over three inches in the last twenty four hours.

Fishing here on Falcon has been a bit of hit and miss. The fish are still scattered somewhat, but when you find them you can catch a bunch in a little while. My best advice is to fish likely looking spots, and if you don't get bit pretty quick, go find another one.

Rocks on the bank have been working best for me, and if there is a brushy point or hump with rock in the same area I like it even better. There is brush most everywhere, but surprisingly enough there is quite a bit of access to the bank, if you are willing to look and prod a bit.

With the water dropping, especially as quickly as it is, it has pulled the fish off a lot of the banks where they were so thick when the water was rising. And I am trying to follow them out the ditches and drains that run off a lot of these flat banks. Fences and roads are an easy egress to the bank and there have been some fish caught off roadbeds and senderos. Watch out for submerged fence posts.. I found a nice T-post last Saturday and my feelings are still hurt.. That sound is unmistakable..

Not a lot of fishermen in town just yet. But I hear a few are headed our way this weekend. Get down here and help me figure them out!

July 26, 2010: 2:30 PM I just talked to Chief Meza at (Our local disaster coordinator here at the Fire Department) and the word is that the lake will reopen at 8:30 tomorrow morning.. That is 7/27/2010.. 0830 hours.. Tuesday.. BFT..

Local law enforcement asks that you stay away from the bridge here in the Veleno and the adjacent power lines, which parallel it. There was no mention made of a no wake zone, but let's use common sense if you are running a bank with houses that are still close to the water.

I can't wait to get back to talking about fishing and fat obnoxious chicks that need their back shaved.. So get your bad self down here and catch some of these fish that have not seen a bait in a few weeks.

We got in a new shipment of Whack A Pirate T-shirts so stop by and pick yours up when you get here..

I went on a road trip yesterday, and I stopped by the observation deck that overlooks the river and bridge between Roma and Miguel Aleman. Here's what it looked like yesterday..

Here's what it is supposed to look like.

They will be seeing a lot of water for the next few weeks I am sure.

Thanks to all of you who called and e-mailed the powers that be to help us apply pressure on them to get our lake reopened. I am not sure how much difference we made but it damn sure didn't hurt..

I hear that they fired Tijon an Beaudreaux over at the oil clean up in Venice.. Seems that they told them to go down to the water and clean dem pelicans.. They fired them just before they had three ice chests full.. I've got them hired to come over here and help us clean up these cormorants..

See you on the water.. And soon!~

July 25, 2010: The lake is starting to drop a little faster and the last 24 hours was the first time that we have dropped six inches in a days time. We are sitting at 306.44, down down .58 since yesterday morning.

We have spent an enormous amount of time on the phone and on the computers here lately, discussing the water situation with everyone from fishermen to the powers that be that control our lake, in all aspects. And I mean a lot..

And if nothing else, I guess it is good to see some cards on the table. Just to see what a man might be up against if this ever happens again.

But it is possible that some good could come from this event.. And although the odds are that an event like this won't happen again for a long time, it appears that we have gotten the attention of the company that owns the lines over the Veleno, and an upgrade of the lines and towers is supposedly in the works. These wire heights, which are usually not a problem, are certainly too low to meet any code for navigable waterways. They are too low to meet the code for non-navigable waterways.. But under normal conditions, they are not a problem.

I fished the Tigers area yesterday, and let me tell you that there is a lot of water down there. And if you thought your deep water ledges and humps were out in the middle of nowhere before.. There was a ten mile an hour wind.. And a two foot chop.

We put in right at the Big Tiger bridge on some private property.. We had four wheel drive, but still had to get pulled out.. Not a good situation. But we did fish the Tigers..

Water in the very backs of creeks smells like a chicken processing plant.. At best.. But once you are out of the stagnant water all is good..

We caught most of our fish on rocky, bluffy, banks, or areas where there is a lot of rock and good slope. We tried some open water humps but did no good with them.. Seemed that you needed to be near the bank or out a point to get bit. We did not catch a fish over four pounds.. And we did not slay them.. But it was good to get out and see that part of the lake. Water Melon Red was still the best color by far.. You pick the bait. We caught about twenty fish..

Here's a pic of Bob's Knob, looking north.

And here's a pic of that concrete water tank in the Mexican Chapote Creek.. I have a pic of the water all the way over it but I just found this one on my camera.. Meant to post it the other day. This pic is looking out towards the river channel.

Word is that the lake should re-open on Tuesday Morning. We will know for sure tomorrow afternoon. The powers that be are having a big conference call at 1:00 on Monday to get their stories straight, and I am not invited.. But we are supposed to be back in business then.. I will let you know something as soon as I know..

July 23, 2010: First of all I would like to thank all of you who have called and e-mailed the Coast Guard.. And judging from the responses from you, and the feedback we have gotten from them, that we have at least given a few of them something to do. They say you can't fight city hall.. But you CAN pester the hell out of them..

We fished yesterday and caught a bunch of nice fish.. No monsters, but some fat, chunky, mean fish. Of course we fished the river as there are no real alternatives to launching other than the Burro. All of the creeks off the river channel have some fantastic looking water in them and the water quality is awesome. Those greens in the water really filter out the sediment in a hurry. And most of the crap in the water is rather sandy, and it falls out of suspension pretty quick.

A baby brush hog in WM Red was pretty much a killer. But we caught fish on most anything. The Blue Fleck Power Worm was also good, as was a WM Red speed worm. We used light weights and just pulled the baits over the tops of the brush. And it is brushy.. We lost a bunch of fish due to the heavy cover.. We put 21 in the boat from 8:30 till 1:30, so I'd say it was a productive outing. There were a couple of other boats out and one group who had been fishing for three days really had them figured out.. They had a couple of 75-80 fish days.

The Burro requires a 4x4 to launch, but other than that it is no sweat. It is fairly easy to pick your way to the river channel. Minimal debris was seen in the river..

Rumor has it that the Veleno will re-open on Monday if the water continues at its current rate of decent. That does us no good for this weekend. I have heard a rumor of a launch on private property near the Big Tiger.. But I have to go check it out before I say it is "Open to the Public." Will follow up this PM with more info..

We will let you know as soon as the Veleno re-opens.. Sooner than later I hope. If you have not taken the opportunity to E-Mail the Coast Guard, please see the post below for contact info.. It is not often that we get to interact with our Guardians.. Just Do It!

July 21, 2010: It is frustrating to deal with politics and apathy, especially when when you are so directly affected by the decisions of those who just don't care. Or don't know. But probably both..

And being the Coast Guard placed a blockade on us, without ever giving a second thought to, and without even giving the community the ability to comment about the town of Zapata being deprived of our ability to make a living. No consideration was given us. Barely an ear has been given us. And listening to some common sense cures.. Well it is the Coast Guard Command and that is out of the question.

So if you have a few minutes to kill.. I'd appreciate it if you'd send a friendly e-mail to a couple of address at the Coast Guard. And ask them to please open up our playground ASAP. The problem is that neither of these people who will get these e-mails has any stroke. Because anybody with some could fix this problem in 24 hours.. I sure could.. But maybe it will help move the info up the ladder..

But these are the people who are designated to help us.. So they are the ones that need to receive your mail..

Please make it a point to send your thoughts to them.. My thoughts have had no impact.. Maybe some of you are much more articulate than me.. But it can't hurt..

Please send your comments to: Colt.W.Gillis@uscg.mil

And to: Gerard.P.Achenbach@uscg.mil

This is your assignment for today class.. Just Do It.. I will be disappointed if they do not get at least 1000 e-mails.. So do your part.. Help me out.. Because there is no way they can get as aggravated as me..

July 20, 2010: I took a trip to the south end of the lake this morning, to do some checking on launching possibilities in the near future. And it looks like in a few days we might be able to put in put in at the Tigers at El Tigre Island. They are currently not allowing launching of boats, and currently most of their parking is under water.

So I headed to the dam to check out the flood gates and get a current idea of how much water they are releasing. All six flood gates are open six feet , and let me tell you that is a lot of water. I ran into some IBWC guys and they gave me a few facts that I did not know. One is that all the gates and and equipment on the dam are working perfectly, and the dam is working exactly as designed. Here are a few shots of the gates in operation, and some of the workings.

This is looking down the backside of one of the gates.. The guys working there said carp have been piling up on top of the gates as they keep jumping out of the water and over the top of the gates.. There is six feet of water going out the bottom of all of these gates.

Whirlpools are created at the corners of all the gates.

These huge counterweights weigh almost the same as the gates.. It only takes a 5 HP motor to raise the gates!

This is the lakeside of the dam.

I took some video of the floodway behind the gates but forgot to take any stills. E-Mail me and I'll send you a short video if you wish.

July 20, 2010: I spent most of the day yesterday arguing my case for opening the lake with some restrictions we could all live with. For the most part I would have had just as much luck if I'd of just stayed in the house and watched Captain Kangaroo.. And the Coast Guard.. Don't get me started..

Seems to me that the logical solution to all this is to Buoy off the area across the Veleno next to the bridge west of the electric lines. Declare the back of the Veleno off limits, and make the outer Veleno a no wake zone till the water gets down to 305. Shazam.. Problem cured. And we have plenty of law enforcement here to make that happen..

But that makes way too much sense.. Word is that the Off Limits area will not be lifted till there is about ten feet of air between the electric wires and the water. While the town dies..

Like I have said many times.. Common Sense is not that common..

I have Pissed and Moaned so much lately that I had to read the last few entries I posted to see if I had complained about everybody or not.. I even went as far as writing our Congressman.. No reply so far. Do you think I should wait to go to the Mail Box cause I might hear back from them at any time?

And here is the whole ball of wax.. They don't want some idiot decapitating or electrocuting himself on the wires near the bridge.. Here's where I say that Darwin's Law needs some respect. Survival of the fittest.. (Smartest) Actually you don't have to be that smart to survive this one.. But if you are in that bottom 1/2% of the intelligence pool that would try to do some zip lining on the high line wires, then I think that the human race could probably get by without you.. You won't be designing the next I-Pad..

Meanwhile the fishing is pretty damn good. I hear there were four boats on the lake yesterday. They had mixed results but the fish seem clannish when you find them. Bushy points in about ten feet of water in the creeks where the water is clear.. And you won't believe how fast the water is clearing up.

I can't think of anything good to say for now. So I'm gonna quit. Cause I am sure you are tired of hearing me bitch..

But I am headed down south today to try and find some place to launch a boat.. You gotta see this lake.. It is huge..

July 18, 2010: As promised.. Pics taken this morning..

Old Church.. At record level..

Old Motel..

Hedieona Fish Camp..

Palapa in the Salado..

Pics © Falcon Lake Tackle

July 18, 2010: As of right now, it appears that the water has crested here on Falcon. I do not know if we will have another increase in flow from the Rio Grande, but looking at the river right now it does not look like it. During the night we reached a high water mark of 309.31 feet. And as of 7:00 this morning we are at 309.28. It is barely noticeable but it is the first time we have seen the level drop in weeks. Hope it starts heading the other way.

I do not understand the wisdom that has decided that the lake must be closed. I guess that we are not able to take care of ourselves and the government has decided to take control of the situation. Cause they know what is best for us. And why in the hell do we need the Coast Guard here.. Why now.. They have given us no help during the time we needed it. When we had to put up with "Pirates" on the lake were they here to help patrol the border? Hell No.. But they show up now and again to give you the privilege of getting a boat inspection on the water.. While taking 30 minutes of my fishing time.. No thank you.. I don't want one.. And it is ludicrous that they even have any authority on the Rio Grande. They are operating off some obscure ruling from the Supreme Court from back when Packards were the hottest thing on the roads, that said that the Rio Grande was a navigable river.. I'd like to see them get a cutter up the river.. And past the dam.. Yeah Right..

In any case, they might as well come and padlock all the businesses in this town.. They won't protect us, and now they cut the legs out from under us.. But I guess I'll be getting my rescue money from FEMA any day..

But it is fine for the law enforcement boats to run around in the cove and throw big wakes all over the place..

Making the Veleno a no wake zone would be sufficient punishment for the time being.. Closing the lake is just wrong..

July 17, 2010: The Coast Guard has posted signs on the way into town that say that the lake is closed. And we hear that the local law enforcement has ruled the area on the Texas side from Marker 14 to marker 9 as off limits. There are many houses right at water level right now and they do not want boat wakes pushing any un-needed water into the homes along the shore..

And BTW.. The ramp at the Burro requires four wheel drive.. Found out the hard way..

July 17, 2010: Part Two.. OK class.. Here's your assignment for today.. Find a place to get your boat in the water.

The official word is that the lake is off limits between the 14 marker and the 10 marker on the Texas side of the lake. And the Game Wardens and the County Police are covering all the public access ramps. Power lines are just a few feet above the water where they parallel the bridge on 83. And that is a major concern for safety, and rightly so.

No launching available to the public except for the Burros ramp, and he is charging $5 a boat.. Put your $ in the mailbox on the porch if no one is around..

There are a lot of private ramps in Zapata.. But your on your own making it to the Mexican side before the Coppers get you..

Spinner baits are tearing them up in the creeks where there is clear water. Look for intersections of creek channels and senderos.. Fence lines and break lines in the brush are putting out a lot of fish and I have heard that there are piles of fish in certain areas. Shallow water fish whackin.. My kinda fishin..

The water is very clear in the backs of many creeks. And I expect that it will be crystal in the flooded green bushes as things settle out.

My assignment, and I have decided to accept it, is to get a pic or two of the church in Guerrero Viejo. I am sure that the water level is right about at the roof or very near.. I will post a snap of it when I get back.. But I do not have a specific ETA for that pic.. Hopefully tomorrow..

If you've got a bit of an adventuresome spirit.. Might be a fun time to come see the lake.. There is not a ton of debris in the river..But a floater could be most anywhere.. Be careful out there!

July 17, 2010: We repositioned the Shadnick to get a few aerial shots over Zapata.. And you can see that our new lens has really paid off big time.. We had a few refraction problems in the beginning but new advances in our telemetry distillation process have really allowed us to get some pics where you'd think that we were in an airplane..

We are at a record high this morning, sitting at 309.27, and we have risen about 3" in the last 24.. Hoping to see it level off today as so many people are right at the brink of having water in their places. And many have it already..

Veleno Bridge..

Lakefront Point..

Paradise Point..

Water Station..

Redwood just across bridge..

Hwy 83..

Thanks Rogelio for the Pics..

July 16, 2010: Have you ever had a beer on Bourbon Street?

Here's the bridge this AM at lake level 309.

Here's a brand new house in the subdivision right behind our store.

Water is still rising slowly.. We'll see where it stops..

July 16, 2010: I'm back in Z town, and what a difference from when I left nine days ago. Currently there are no public ramps open. The state park is closed, and the county ramp here in Zapata is also closed. There are still a few private ramps that can be utilized, but they are minimal. And the county wants no one on the lake. Word is that they don't have time to chase any problems on the lake as they have their hands full with just the problems surrounding the lake. There are a lot of places on the water that are now IN the water.

We are in record territory as far as water levels go, and have been for the last 24 hours or so. As of this morning, we are sitting at 308.98, up .65 in the last 24. Amistad is slowly dropping, and they are sitting at 1124.97, down .28 in the last 24. Word is that the lake could crest today, but I would not bet on it.

To give you an idea of how high the water is, you cannot get a boat under the Veleno bridge. I have a ton of pics to process and will be posting many more.

When I came back thru Laredo yesterday I took several pics of the creeks that cross Hwy 83, and of course I have never seen the water that high. Nor has anyone else. I just pray that the crest is in our near future.

It is reported that Falcon Dam is releasing 60,000 cubic feet a second.. Doing the math, that equals to 450,000 gallons a second. That is hard to wrap your mind around. Flooding in The Valley of course is horrible.

The river at the overlook just North of San Ygnacio.

The Dolores.. Hwy 83.

The Burro.

Supposed to look like this..

Looks like this..

July 14, 2010: 3:00 PM. I just got an e-mail informing us that the March of Dimes tourney for this weekend has been postponed.. Good Idea.. Hate to see it, but it is better to be safe than sorry. I am sure there is a lot of debris in the lake.

Here are a few pics of current conditions in Zapata.

Beacon Point.

Redwood Ramp.

County Ramp.

Hwy 83 Bridge.

Like I said.. Hope this passes quickly.. But it is not likely to.. We'll keep you posted..

Of course we could always have this.. Beacon at a slightly dryer time.

July 14, 2010: Here I am in Hawaii missing out on all the disaster in Zapata and all up and down the lake. I am headed home tonight. I just got off the phone with Tommy, and he said there is a rumor going around that they may be closing the 83 bridge over the Veleno. The lake is at 307 plus, and climbing. Sorry to all my friends that I am not there to help with whatever.

There is water in many low lying homes and cabins on the lake I am sure. I hear that the state park has been closed, and there is currently no lake access that is working for the general public. Of course unless you are sightseeing I have no idea what you'd be doing on the lake.. But I would love to get over to take some pics of the old church with the water at this level.. Maybe later in the week..

I will try to post some very current pics later, if possible. I am headed back to Texas tonight, and I am not sure what my internet connection status might be..

This is record flooding for Falcon, and certainly much damage and misery is being dealt to those with water front property. We pray for a quick crest and return to a more manageable level.

July 13, 2010: Falcon is up over 304 feet, and either the gauge is stuck, or it is flowing over the top of the gates at an even keel.. But I think the gauge has a tree stuck in it.. It is getting close to doing some damage to a lot of lakefront property.

The county ramp is all but under water, and probably is by now.

Here's the tree on the island just east of the 83 bridge.

Here's a couple of shots from Beacon.

I hear that Beacon and Lakefront low lying areas are being evacuated to some degree. And also a few other low lying areas. It is getting real around here boys.. Let's hope for the best.

And rumor has it that the gates have been heightened on the dam. I cannot confirm this. Repeat: I cannot confirm this.. But it is what I heard..

July 13,2010: Holy Cow. Falcon up 3.24 feet in the last 24 hours.. It is sitting at 303.24, and rising.. Fast.. The Salado has certainly turned out the be the wild card, and water is hitting Falcon at an incredible rate. Amistad has slowed the flow down the river, and probably will keep it slowed down till the Salado slows down.

There is not a lot more water that Falcon can hold, as water will top the flood gates around 305. Unless they stack on top of the gates. There is some real concern for folks with property on Falcon frontage. Time will tell, and shortly, what the final outcome will be.

The gates on Don Martin have all been opened I hear. And here is a link to some pics from the dam there, and a lot of pics from Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. Of course this is where the water in the Salado is coming from.

See yall in a couple of days..

July 11, 2010: Falcon is less than three feet from full and in the last 24 we have come up 2.27 feet. And we are shedding water like crazy. I don't have any hard numbers on what amount of water is coming down the Salado but it must be a lot..

Amistad has slowed its release, and has actually come up a fraction in the last day, and I can only guess that they might be trying to let the Salado calm down a bit before we get hammered with more Amistad water.

This event is going to last another few weeks as we will continue to see flooding both above and below Falcon on the Rio Grande. Falcon should be at pool no later than Tuesday Morning, and probably before.

I haven't seen it but I hear that the south end of the lake still looks good. I have not heard a lot of fishing reports lately. All I am seeing is bikinis.. And fifteen dollar hamburgers.. But hey.. I'm on vacation..

I've decided that tourism is down over here in Hawaii.. The whole time I have been here I have only seen one license plate that is not from Hawaii..

Hold down the fort for me back in Texas. And I am really looking forward to fishing some of my old spots from early 09..

I'll be back in a few days.. But for right now I have to go and shave Rosie's back..

July 9, 2010: I think..It is about noon on Friday and the lake level on Falcon is rising fast. We have caught 1.5 feet of water in the last 24 hours, and I expect that we will continue to catch a lot of water for the next few days. And this is while they are dumping out a bunch of water at the same time. We are currently at 293.73, or 7.29 feet low.

Amistad is sitting at 1127.89 or about 11 feet overfull. That's down about six inches in the last twenty four hours. Some rain is still falling in the watershed, but for right now it does not look to be too heavy.

This rain event has been a classic scenario, when it comes to Falcon catching a lot of water. You have to understand that for Falcon to catch a lot of water these days, it takes a major flood event somewhere above us. It can rain ten inches in Laredo and we will catch a foot or so. Just the way it is. A lot of it has to do with the size of the lake. A lot of it has to do with the fact that our watershed is so narrow till you get above Del Rio. But big rains in West Texas is usually what brings big water to Falcon. And that has certainly been the case again. If you read back a few weeks in my report you will see that I said that we rarely get a lot of water from the onslaught of a hurricane, but rather the remnants that settle and sit over the Del Rio area for days.. And this event is exactly what I have been talking about. And if you go back in history you will see that often times a big low pressure will develop over west Texas, that is not associated with a tropical storm, and the same thing can happen.

In any case, this will certainly be one for the record books, with some areas of the Rio Grande getting higher than any time previous, although I don't think that any of the river levels between Zapata and Del Rio will reach record stage. Hopefully there will be no loss of life, but there will undoubtedly be a lot of loss of property.

I would imagine that the IWBC will let Falcon get a little overfull, but I would suspect that Amistad will be lowered to about pool. However long that takes. We are in hurricane season, and although it is unlikely, this could happen again. You just never know about Mother Nature..

I love to see the lake full.. But I hate fishing it that way.. Looks like I need an attitude adjustment..

I'm heading to the beach.. This trip has been expensive so I took a part time job over here as a sunscreen applicator.. Wouldn't you know it.. Rosie was my first customer.. I gotta go wash my hands..

July 7, 2010: Well Boys and Girls.. I think we better get ready for the big one.. Because signs show that Falcon is about to get as big as we have ever seen it.. If they want it to.. I am sure that the IWBC is crunching the numbers and trying to figure out what to do with all of this water. And we have it coming from all directions.

The Salado is going to be running to the likes of which we have not seen in years.. Sugar, which is dumping it's water down the canal inside Mexico, is over running to the tune of three or more feet. It is a level spillway and there is no adjusting it.. Although a few years ago they tried placing a few rows of 2x12's on top of it.. And it worked fairly well.. But it was funny looking..

Amistad is letting out a LOT of water and I have not had time to calculate what volume that might bring. The local flooding is already bringing Falcon up fast, and now the water being released from the lake will be reinforcing it.

Amistad is dropping as they release a bit more than is coming in.. It is down right at a foot and it is sitting at 1128.9. It topped out at 1129.87. It is still 12 feet over full.

Falcon has gained just about 14" in the last 24 hours.. We are at 291.65, about 10.5 feet from full. And if the Salado was not a wild card in this matter I believe we could hold almost all of this water between the two lakes. I hear all sorts of stories about how much water is headed our way, as they are dumping out all they can, and they are having power problems and not able to open all the gates on Don Martin. I also hear mass evacuations on that drainage area are going on as well. I hope it is not as bad as I hear.. But it probably is. This could be one for the books.

In any case.. Falcon will be full and over very soon.. We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

But meanwhile back at the ranch.. Tommy and Lawson went out for a few hours today, and Lawson finally got his DD. He caught this 10-13 and I will have to say that he has had a heck of a last six months.. He swore me to secrecy as to where he caught it, but I guarantee you you have heard of it..

Not a lot of folks fishing, but damn it, the fishing is good. No problems reported anywhere on the lake.. Except for loosing some baits and some good fish.

It is 1:14 in the AM on Wednesday morning.. And what the hell am I doing awake you might ask.. That's a good question.. But I am about three thousand miles west of Zapata fishing a few rocky points.. And it just got dark.. I caught a few schoolies off this point this evening.. And the fishermen over here are all wearing bikinis.. Go figure.

I'll have to watch the lake fill up on the internet.. But I'll keep you posted as to what's going on.. And thanks to all the folks that have sent me pics and updates on all the aforementioned lakes.. Ever eat any Guacamole at the restaurant on Sugar lake.. They might have to mop the floor.

And here's the spillway at Sugar.. Can you say whirlpool??

If I have any typos I'll fix em later.. I have been awake for about 28 hours and I gotta get some sleep!

July 6, 2010: Haven't talked much about fishing lately have I? I guess I ought to, cause it has really been pretty fair, especially if you find some water that is fairly clear. And there is still plenty of it available in the midlake from the Veleno South. But the big push of water is just getting here. We came up 8/10 of a foot in the last 24 hours, and we are sitting at 289.85. But if there is anything you need to mark on your GPS that you need the bank or some brush to find, you better get here quick. Falcon should be full within two weeks.. Probably sooner..

Amistad is still rising, but the rate has slowed down considerably, and in the last four hours, it has gained 3/10 of a foot. That's down from over a foot every four hours a couple days ago..

There is major flooding going on along the Rio Grande from Del Rio to here, and it will continue for a while. But all this water coming down the Rio for now is not from Amistad. It has been from local rainfall. They have held back the water as best they can. And I see this AM that the river level at Del Rio has dropped a bunch. But I am sure before long that they will be dumping a lot of water down the ditch.

As far as levels go, Amistad is sitting at 1129.85 as of this morning. And if you are wondering about records; well we're not there just yet. In September of 1974, Amistad rose to a height of 1135.66. So they're still about six feet below the historic high, and I don't think they'll get there.. And we don't need to either.. But if Rosie and Oprah decided to go for a swim at the Big A.. It would probably put the water over the top of the riprap..

But I hear that the gates on Amistad are still closed..

Back to the fishing. Falcon fish love shallow water, and these fish dig the grassy bank that is newly flooded. Try a spinnerbait or a frog if it's early. The Buzzbait is also catching some fish along the banks. Several of the guides here are still fishing deeper humps, and doing quite well. Same old baits are still working well. Big soft plastics and some Jigs..

If I were fishing tomorrow I would be throwing stuff at the bank all day long.. But I am a self professed bank beater.. But I also have a good memory.. The last summer when the water was rising we murdered em' on the banks.. Can't see this opportunity as being any different. And we have been doing it some with the slow rise we have been experiencing.

South end of the lake still has excellent water quality.. Top a lot muddy, especially up the river..

Adam and Julie Cartright came from Cali on their honeymoon to do some fishing.. I told Adam she's a keeper.. They fished with Tommy Law and whacked em pretty good. Not sure when they're heading back to the Ponderosa..

Come see us.. And bring your Floaties!

July 5, 2010: I hope you liked fishing Falcon at full pool or above last year. Cause here it comes again.. Amistad is at 1126 plus and still rising about a foot every three hours. And yes that 1126 is not a typo.. It is nine feet over pool level. And they have started dumping water in a big way.. Flooding will be occurring all along the Rio Grande I can assure you.

We are sitting at 288.99, which is essentially 12 feet low. So we can hold a lot of this water that is coming.. But no one knows for sure just how much longer this rain event in northern Mexico and west Texas is going to go on.. It was still giving it hell last night. But it will be pretty safe to say that both lakes will be over pool in a few days. Unless they decide to flush a lot of water into the gulf.. Some of that will probably happen I am sure..

In Mexico, Lake Cuchillo (China) is overflowing and that water is on its way to Sugar lake.. Preparations are being made to flush this water down Mexico's canal system that parallels the river. Sugar was at about 66% of capacity yesterday, but it will be running over soon it appears.. None of this water ends up in Falcon.

I still do not know how much water is coming down the Salado.. But it is muddy down to the point of the Elephant Rocks. If there is a lot of water coming down from El Cuchillo, then odds are that there will be some water coming down from Don Martin via the Salado.

Long story short, Falcon should be full in a week or so.. That's my guess.. Stay tuned.. This is going to get ugly along the Rio Grande..

July 4, 2010: Happy Fourth of July! I'm about to put my weenies on the grill..

In the last 24 hours Falcon has come up another 4", which is about what I expected.. But here's the stunner. In the last 24 hours Amistad is up 4.93 feet, and in the last 48, they are up 7.18.. Told you it was coming.. But that's quicker than I expected it..

They have started releasing some water but it is not a whole lot just yet. But it is likely that they will increase the flow once they warn people on the river below the lake.. Of course this is purely speculation on my part.. But Amistad could get way up there.. Hell.. It already is.. I've only said about a hundred times that Amistad should be held at at least six or eight feet low this time of year.. It is currently sitting at 1121.7 feet.. And rising..

Stay tuned.. This is going to get interesting.. And it is still raining just above Amistad..

P.S. Survived the wedding.. Another good man bites the dust..

July 3, 2010: 9:45 AM. Amistad has caught a foot of water in the last five hours.. Here it comes..

July 3, 2010: Falcon has caught a bit of water overnight, and in the last 24 hours, we have come up 6/10 of a foot. We are sitting at 288.33, or 12.69 feet low. And I expect about the same rise for the next 24 hours, and then a slowdown in the rise.. But there is always that unknown that could sneak up on you.. (Like the Salado)

The Rio Grande above Amistad at the Foster Ranch gauge, is right at major flood stage, and it is predicted to get to a new record high, according to the NWS. The rise is predicted to be short lived, but that is still a lot of water in the pipe.. Amistad has caught a foot of water in the last 24.. It is up to 1115.41, or 1.59 feet low. And currently (7:00 AM) there is very little water being released from Amistad. I am not sure that I understand why.. Other than the fact that they do it every time.. Odds are that they'll be putting the Rio Grande at flood stage under the lake. And that will benefit us, but I hope it does not cause problems along the river.. Again..

And if this happens then my theory on where Falcon will settle is out the window.. We'll see in a few days.

Enjoy the Holiday!

July 2, 2010: In the last twenty four hours we have only received an additional 3/10 of rain. And if we get anymore it will be just some heat generated showers, or a few sprinkles from the remnants of Alex.

The lake has continued its slow rise, gaining about 3.5 inches in the last twenty four. The creeks are still flowing into the lake, but they are starting to slow. The Big Tiger was running pretty good I hear, as were a lot of the smaller feeder creeks. And the Veleno had a lot of water coming down it as well. The rains were pretty general, according to my sources, and six to eight inches was the norm across Zapata county.

We are sitting at 288.04, or 12.98 feet low. I still don't think we will get to within ten feet from full. But the Salado could be bringing us a surprise in a couple of days. The last I heard was that Don Martin was not too far from full. It is the lake on the Salado river above us and between us and the mountains in Mexico.

The fishing in between storms has been a bit hit and miss I hear. Seems it is all about spots. And probably timing..

A few months ago some fellers who fished the BassBlast! won a trip with Jim Edwards.. Looks like they had a good time..

And I know that several other guides who gave away trips have also taken their winners out. And once again, let me thank all of you guides who gave away trips.

These guys caught some nice fish fishing with Tommy Law..

And Danelo Gonzalez caught another 10-2 this week before the storm.. Looks like a lot of rocks in the background to me..

And I want to remind you one more time that FLT will be closed tomorrow from midday till Sunday midday. Tommy's son is getting married and I can't miss this one.. Of course, neither can he.. But I'll be here in the morning to get you whatever you need till I get back on Sunday. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Better order your T-shirt soon.. They're going fast.. Limited Quantities.. (Till I order some more..)

Have fun celebrating our country's birthday. Party safely.. And don't burn your wieners.. Or your buns..

July 1, 2010: The bulk of the rain has come and gone, and we got 5.80" from yesterday evening till this morning. That gives us a total of 8.20 in the last three days. The creeks around here are all running, and that includes the big creeks from Laredo to the Dam. There is still rain falling in our watershed around Eagle Pass, and it is headed towards Del Rio.

The Rio Grande is a bit swollen in Laredo and just north, but it does not look like a major flooding event is going to occur. Falcon has come up .32 feet in the last twenty four hours. I look for Falcon to catch a couple of feet overall from this event.

It is always possible that the storm center could settle above us as a low and bring us more water, but it doesn't look like it. It takes a lot of water to raise the lake at this level, and I just don't see a four or five foot rise looking at the river. Future rains could change my opinion.

I did say the other day that I would not be surprised if the storm turned into northern Mexico.. Seen it too many times. It is rare to see a storm cross the Yucatan and enter the Bay of Campechi and ever turn to the East.. Not saying it never happens. Just rare.. But when the scenario works out as stated above, the I will bet on La Pesca, Mexico every time.. Bulls eye..

I did not expect us to get as much rain as we did, and I was surprised when I looked at the gauge this AM.. But I'll take it any way we can get it.. We have been living the charmed life here at Falcon for the last few years when it comes to water levels.

Looks like the weekend will not be a total washout after all..

June 30, Numero Tres: O Tay Panky.. It's Raining now.. It's about 1:50 and we are getting a hurricane Gussy.. Not pouring.. But a good rain.. O Tay.. Now it's pouring.. Glad I finished that damn carport.. When you can't hear the phone ring around here then you know it is raining.. I might have to rethink my 4" prediction.. We have had about 3/4 inch so far, but the brunt of the rain has not gotten here yet.. Is "gotten" really a word..

But for now it is on.. T-shirt sales have been brisk so far.. Order yours soon..

As you might imagine, the fishing reports are a bit slow around here.

If, however, you are in town on Sunday night, there is going to be a Fireworks Display of sorts here in Zapata. I don't believe it will rival the one in DC, but if you drink a few beers first it might look pretty good. I hear the launch zone is going to be from the island just east of the bridge in the Veleno. Sounds like the place to be... If it ain't raining straight down I'll be anchored in the creek.. See you there!

June 30, Part Two! 10:00 AM. The first of the rain bands hit us a little while ago, and we got about a half inch in a hurry. Brownsville is getting hammered, and we'll see how much rain climbs the Rio Grande.

We have seen a few boats exit the lake, post haste..

Seems like there is a T-shirt for everything these days, and I reckon you either gotta get on the bandwagon or get run over by it. Be the first kid on your block to wear the latest in fashion.. The FLT Pirate Hunters T... Designed by Pirate Hunters, for Pirate Hunters.. In Black of Course. Call and order yours now.. Available in L-XL-2XL.. Fifteen bucks at the store, or mailed anywhere in the 48 for $22.50.. AAArrrgggg!

Front left.

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June 30, 2010: It's the calm before the storm here in Zapata, and so far we have not received much rain or any wind associated with Hurricane Alex. We have had a NE wind, which is pretty unusual for late June. And to date, we have rec'd very little rain here at the shop. Some parts of town have gotten a better shower and water is standing on the North side. But so far we have gotten less than a quarter of an inch. I am quite sure that will change later today.

There are some big rain bands that are just coming ashore, and it looks like it will be an hour or or two before we get hammered. It is 6:30 AM as I write this.

It looks like the storm is taking a more westerly route and is headed into northern Mexico. And if you were paying attention you know that the Shadnick Satellite Network already mentioned that likelihood in our last report. When you have high pressure sitting over Texas, not too many storms make the turn to the east.

Odds are that here in Zapata we will get some decent rains, but we'll have to see if we get enough to do the lake any good. We have a very skinny watershed around the lake, and I am not sure how far north the big rains will make it. If the storm heads due west, a lot of this rain will get caught up against the mountains in Mexico and go the other direction. And the last few frames on the radar look like it is headed a lot more west than north. But it is a hurricane and anything can happen.

I think some parts of the Valley will get a lot of rain, but the likelihood of us getting a foot is pretty low. I figure we will get a few inches, and some winds in the 30 mile per hour range. That's my guess.

Looks like spotty showers for the weekend, as once it is wet and the heat is this high we can cook up some thunderstorms in a hurry. Gonna be steamy.

If your in town over the weekend, don't forget that we will be closed from Saturday at Noon till Sunday at Noon. We have a wedding in the Family that neither of us can miss.

P.S. The fishing is pretty good.. But not a lot of takers.. Some big fish caught yesterday.. Pics to follow..

June 28, 2010: We're on Hurricane watch down here in Zapata, and according to the Shadnick infrared images, intensification of the storm is currently underway. A convective eyewall will probably form later this afternoon, and a lowering of pressure in the center axis will also help this storm develop. We will be flying a reconnaissance mission into it this afternoon. And we don't use no wussy style equipment to test the power of the storms either. We parachute right into the middle that SOB and put the thermometer where the sun don't shine. And that my friends, is how you get accurate info. I'm still trying to get this parachute strapped on Tommy but he keeps crawling under the desk..

The predicted path of the storm seems to keep moving to the North, but it is hard to tell what it is going to do. That's why I think that they should have stuck with all women's names..

The are some big thunderstorms that have developed along a cool front in west Texas, and Del Rio (Amistad) got some decent rains and also in the watershed above. Currently there is a big storm sitting on Eagle Pass, and that will equate to a little water for us. Amistad has not risen measurably from the rains just yet. And it may not. But those rocks don't absorb a lot of water..

The last thing Texas needs is a bad ass hurricane, but a lot of south Texas could use some rain. There are spotty areas that have had all they need, but a lot of SW Texas could use a good drenching. And let's pray that that is just what we get. But I have seen lots of these storms turn into Northern Mexico at the last second, and deliver damn little rain in our desert. We'll know in a day or two..

Meanwhile, the fishing remains good overall here on Falcon. There have been some great sacks caught by several groups of fishermen, and several over forty pounds. What I have noted as of late, is that spots where you know there are fish, or have been lately, may be devoid of fish at any given time of the day. But they will have fish on them sooner or later during the day.

With the full moon as of late, the fish seem to be biting better in the mid-day or late afternoon. And that is not unusual here on Falcon, and I am sure at a lot of other lakes as well.

The crankbait bite has definitely picked up as of late, with more and more folks catching fish on them.

If I went fishing today I would absolutely have to have some 10-12" Power Worms in Blue Fleck, a W/M Red Mag Fluke and Lizard, and a crankbait in the Sexy Shad pattern. Of course the Ol Monster in Plum for darker water conditions is also a must.

Carolina rigging some deep rocks and ledge tops has been working well for me. I also caught several fish yesterday flipping the bushes in eight or so feet of water. I fished the Mexican Chapote, and caught mostly small fish there. The Hedieona has been a good spot for me, and those deep ridges and humps can have the motherload on them. The points on the South side of the Salado have produced a lot of fish lately, with some quality fish mixed in. The points and ledges on the North side have been a bit of a disappointment, and normally that is some of my favorite water on the lake. But it is just probably that I have not been there when the fish are. I hear that the Benavides is full of fish, but I have not ventured to the south lately. Next trip..

That sounds sounds like a lot of Mexican water reports and nothing on the Texas side. But I have not fished Texas my last three trips. This is what I hear.. Pierces cove has a lot of fish on the mouth, and on the points on either side back in the cove. The Tigers has been hot and cold, but it is not as prolific as it was a few weeks back. The Veleno continues to put out the fish, and some good ones. And no you can't go too far back up the creek. But big points where they drop into the channel can catch you some good fish.

The topwater bite has slowed for me, and I hear the same from a few others. But if you are out early I would certainly throw one on some rocks at dawn. It sounds like the hits on the topwater are a bit more tentative than in the past few weeks, and a lot of the fish are just bitch slappin' it.. (Sorry for the use of that word again, but that's what they are doing.)

Get your bad self down here and help me catch these fish.. Somebody's gotta do it..

June 24, 2010: I looked at the weather forecast for the next three days, and highest predicted winds are supposed to be around 15-18 MPH. That is hard to believe. But if you got lucky enough to be here during this spell, then just consider yourself blessed. It don't happen that often. Of course we will have some high temps around 100°.. But that's just the way I like it.. And so do the fish.

There have been some big fish caught here lately, and not necessarily in deep water. It has been very common to catch some fish in the eight pound range in less that five feet of water. But if I was targeting big fish only, then I would concentrate on water that was around ten feet deep, with some deeper water near by. It ain't rocket science. And you will catch a bunch of small fish mixed in. Sure as Rosie uses Burma-Shave..

The lake has dropped just a bit in the last few days, and we are sitting at 287.51, or 13.51 feet low. And the water temps in the backs of creeks are as high as 87°. I see this slow drop continuing for the immediate future. Of course if this little tropical disturbance that's hanging around the Yucatan makes it our way, things could change. And as of this morning this storm has been named the first Tropical Storm of the Atlantic season. It is called Alex.

I wonder what the reasoning is behind naming hurricanes and storms anyway. The West Indies used to name them after the nearest Saint's day. The US started using only women's names during WW II. Then they went to Phonetic Names like Able, Baker, Charlie etc. in the fifties for a few years. Women's names were solely used till 1978. And then men finally started getting some equal rights and the use of both gender names became the norm.

Have you ever heard of hurricane Gussie? If you have not, ask me about it next time you are in the store..

Hurricanes are mean, nasty, disgusting and destructive. So I think that names that are more fitting should be used. The name "Daisy" should never be used for describing a hurricane. And "Charity" would also be another poor choice. But then there are a few names that seem so obvious.. Of course "Rosie" would be near the top of the list, probably followed closely by "Nancy." "Dick" would be good. Ahkmed or Mohammed would be good choices and with all the PC in the country then these are shoe-ins to follow soon. But I digress..

In any case let's hope for gentle storms with a minimum of destruction, and beneficial rains. We could sure use some down here.

There have been a few folks venturing back into Mexico and Sugar Lake. And I hear that the fishing over there has been phenomenal. I was scheduled to go last Wednesday, but life once again got in the way.. I am planning on going this week if it works out. Lots of fish have been reported and lots of big fish too.

I am not giving the "All Clear" signal for areas inside Mexico. And I am not recommending that you go. We are all grown boys and girls here.. (I did not mention maturity) And you can decide for yourself about fishing Sugar, fishing the Mexican side of Falcon, or fishing Falcon at all for that matter. I personally believe that there are no problems with fishing anywhere on Falcon. And I have put myself in the backs of several creeks in Mexico during my last few outings, and a lot of time in the Salado, where the TWO incidents occurred six weeks ago. We have seen and heard of NO problems on the lake. And there have been a lot of locals fishing the Mexican side as well. These are the facts as we know them. If anything gets reported I will be the first to let you know. I want you to be informed and to be safe. But things seem to be back to the old Falcon that we all know and love. And once again, if you hear of ANYTHING please let me know so we can check it out.

Jay Greishaw caught a PB yesterday afternoon with this 10-2 beauty.. Pierces cove.

And in the immortal words of Curly Bill Brocious.. "Come get you some, Boys!"

See you on the water!

June 23, 2010: Sometimes it is hard to keep your mouth shut. Or at least for me it is.. But you probably have noticed that already.. But I have kept a secret for a while, not that it is a big deal. But yesterday the FLW came out with its Tour schedule for 2011. And Falcon is on it for the first time. This will be a Tour event, not one of the Opens. It is scheduled for March Second thru the Fifth. From what I understand the first two days of weigh-ins will be held here in Zapata, and the finals at the Laredo Entertainment Center. We'll see how it all works out.. Thought you would want to know.. If you didn't already.. Make your reservations now..

June 22, 2010: The humidity has finally lightened up a bit, and it is fairly bearable out there today.. Of course I am not digging a ditch either.

I was trying to come up with a new rating number for the fishing right now, but I am having some trouble with my calculations. If I look at the results from last weekends tournaments, I would have to say that it is pretty fair. But after talking to some of the visiting fishermen, I would have to say it is a little tough. There is definitely a home court advantage on Falcon. The wind is not helping of course, but it does keep you a bit cooler. And it is manageable today.

So I am just gonna take a stab at it and and rate it at about a 7.5. Although I could argue either way..

The lake is still holding steady, and this is a comfortable level to fish. No real hazards.. It's all good. Water temps at around 83 degrees, and we're right at 13 feet low. And very few boats on the water.

I saw a report today that said that France is out of the World Cup.. They never won a game.. Well you coulda knocked me over with a feather.. Who'da ever thought that could happen.. Just in case you hadn't heard.

The Fish For Life tourney is coming up next month here on Falcon, as it is scheduled for the 17 of July. Money raised will benefit the March of Dimes. And as I understand it, there is going to be some serious prize money awarded. It will be hot, but the month of July always puts out some big fish.

And speaking of the month of July. We have a family wedding on the 3rd, and FLT will be closed from Saturday at about Noon till Sunday about Noon. That is the evening of the 3rd and the morning of the 4th. I should be back here by Noon, but I just never know how many of those Five Dollar Boob Shots I might have.. So plan accordingly if you need Mexican Licence's or such that weekend. But we won't be gone long.

And I told you we are working on a tournament for the third weekend in October.. Not a done deal by any means just yet but you might want to mark it on your calendar in pencil for now. That would be the weekend of the 16th and 17th. I'll let you know when to use the red Marks-a-Lot.

I was watching TV again.. I don't know why. But I see that the Obamma administration is pretty much riding herd on BP making sure that they pay for all the cleanup (rightly so) and for all the lost wages and damages to the people affected by the oil spill. That is only fair.

I wonder if the administration is going to force the government of Mexico to reimburse all of us down here along the border for all the business we have lost due to their Pirate Spill.. Bet not..

Some of the commercials I see also make me wonder.. Like the ones where they are advertising the safest car on the planet.. They have a professional driver on a closed course. They have Crumple Zones and Airbags and Side Air Curtains and Anti lock brakes. They have computerized Crash Avoidance. Anti Roll-Over devices.. Seatbelts and Shoulder belts. Hands free phones. Why in the hell is the driver always wearing a helmet? Are yall noticing this stuff? Maybe it's just me..

June 21, 2010: Hope all of you Daddy's had a great Fathers Day, and got to spend some time with your kids.. This was my first Fathers Day since my Dad passed away.. It was kind of strange.. Call your Dad if you haven't..

The South Texas Five tourney was held here yesterday, and there was not a big turnout. I would imagine that it being on Fathers Day did not help.. I believe there were sixteen or so teams.

But the results were pretty dang good, at least for the people in the top ranks. Tim Griffin weighed in an amazing 39.85 pounds to win, beating out second place by about ten pounds. There were a couple of 28 pound stringers and several in the mid twenties.. I'll post a full report in the tourney area when I get the final results.

I also fished yesterday, although I have not been able to do much research lately. But it was damn nice to get out and compete (if you can call what we did competing). We caught a boat load of fish, but we never caught one that weighed five pounds. And some of it was our own fault. But it is hard to go and look for something else when you are catching a fish every two minutes. Problem was that they were all between two and three pounds.

We fished the Veleno the first hour of the day with nothing to show for our efforts. My topwater fish have seen that Chug-Bug too many times.. So we headed to the Salado and fished the rocky points and humps on the left side going in, all the way past the shiny roof Palapa. We did not fish every point, but quite a few of them. And we had a limit of fish that was small. I had heard that there had been some good fish coming off a lot of the main points on that south bank.

I went to the North bank and fished a few of my old spots where there were some rocky points and ridges, but we just did not catch much on the north side.. But it has some awesome structure and I know there will be fish there sooner or later this summer.

So we got out of there and headed to the Hedieona and fished some of my favorite water on the lake. And did we catch fish.. Problem was that even though we tried to sort thru them, they never got any bigger.. But we damn sure educated a bunch of em.. We ended up with eighteen pounds and change.. I've had worse days..

We also fished a couple of creeks up the river. The Mexican Chapote had some fish in it but they were all small too. We also fished Oscars' with no luck, and some main river water that is too muddy to suit me.. The river is very off color due to the water that has been released from Amistad. Back in the creeks it clears up, but you do have to get off the channel a good ways. And after fishing the south end for so long the river is hard on the eyes and the mind.. I do like that clear water..

Watermelon Red anything worked well for us, and those little fish loved the Lizard.. Also a 10" Blue Fleck Power Worm was good. And of course we caught a few on the flukes.. I know that some of the better stringers came on jigs, in deeper water than I was fishing. Most of what we fished was twelve or so on top, dropping to twenty or twenty five on the edges.

And I know what you are thinking.. Sounds like he fished a lot of Mexico.. We did.. Along with a bunch of other people. We had no issues and saw few Mexican boats. Sunday is slow day for most of the netters as they mostly take the day off.. There have been no reported incidents of any trouble on the lake.

The scuttlebutt is that the "Pirates" have been dealt with, but I told you that a month ago. I have heard it from several other sources since then. Do I think that all is well, Jaws is dead, and it is safe to go back into the water?? I dunno.. But I am back to fishing Mexico. Maybe a bit more cautious than in the past, but back none the less. And I am enjoying the solitude.. You will have to decide for yourself when you are ready.. But a lot of locals have been fishing it everyday.. And that includes me.

The water temps were up to about 84° yesterday, but we had no trouble keeping our fish alive. I am crazy about fish care in the boat. I don't want to sound like a commercial, but I believe that Charger's Pro Air system is about as good as it gets for factory livewells. It has copper coils that run through your ice chest and the water that it recirculates it cools. I tend to add a little ice to the wells as well during the really hot summer days. And I believe that Catch And Release is a great product. Please take care of your fish, especially during these hot weather tournaments.

Water level holding steady.. It's hot.. The wind is blowing. The fish are biting.. Must be Summer..

June 18, 2010: The Dog Days are starting to bark around Zapata county, and this year the dogs brought a friend with them. Mr Humidity. And while Mr Humidity does not actually have a home here, this year he has decided to be with us for a while. And with temps in the middle and upper nineties, it can get fairly uncomfortable. We are supposed to be in a desert down here..

The lake is holding level right now, and we are sitting right at 13 feet low. Amistad has slowed its release rates, and they have it sitting at about 2.5 feet low. Both lakes are in pretty good shape for this time of year.

Falcon has been on a good run of water since the fall of 2008. In July of 08, were were sitting at 272.70, or 28.32 feet low. We caught no water in August, but in September we jumped up eight feet. We had about 14" of rain during the last half of the month of August. But it only put about four feet of water in the lake. The big influx came from the Rio Conchos in Northern Mexico. And it continued during September, as we climbed to 281. And by the middle of October, we were up to 296.35, or 4.7 feet low. We topped out in December, at 303.47, or 2.5 feet overfull. And that was the first time since 1993 that the lake had maxed out the gauge.

We had a couple of great spawns in the spring of 2005 and 2006, due to water levels that had a lot of cover newly flooded. And those spawns have provided a lot of the seven to eight pounders we are catching right now.

We had a tremendous spawn and great survival rate of the fry last year, and this year, with a lot of cover still in the water, was also fabulous. So for the near future, the fishing at Falcon should remain strong.. If not insane..

But let's get down to brass tacks.. Where the hell is my new lake record. We have not broken the record since 1991. And it was a queer fish with a bloated belly and about as ugly a fish as I have ever seen. But it is the lake record and with that title it is due that respect.

We have heard of several fourteen pounders.. Several were caught this year, three that I heard about and one was turned in to Sharelunker. TPWD found a 14.7 in a gill net last summer. That could have easily been a lake record if full of eggs..

I know they are out there, and I'm not talking about a state record, I'm talking about a lake record. Although it would not surprise me in the least if a state record was caught here. What would surprise me is that they got it in the boat.

So why in the hell haven't we caught a fish over 15.12 pounds in nearly 20 years? There are several possibilities.

The first glaring possibility is that there just ain't one in the lake. I don't believe that, but it is a possibility..

Another possibility is that these monsters live where few fishermen fish. In the deepest water along the river channel.

But here's what I do think. I think that Falcon Bass are the meanest, strongest, fightingest, and most pissed off fish on the planet. I have not fished everywhere, but these are the most jacked up fish I have ever caught. I'm used to it but they still amaze me. I have caught my share of ten pounders, (well.. that ain't true..) and it is a crap shoot when you get one on. Because you do not have the fish for the first fifteen seconds.. She has you. And I will say that the odds are no better than 50-50 that you land that fish. They will test your skill and your equipment.

The second reason I think that a monster has not been landed is the fact that we are fishing inside a jungle.. Covered by a brush pile. And these fish know where every twig is.

And when you combine the incredible power of these big fish, and the dense thicket you are trying to get them out of, the odds are kind of stacked against you. I believe there have been some lake records hooked.. Probably several. But getting them in the boat is a whole nother story.

And you might think that I am blowing smoke about the strength of the fish down here. I'm telling you they are incredible.. I have had two fish literally (almost) pull me out of the boat. One mangled a spinnerbait and straightened the hook. I did not get to see that one.. And yeah.. You could say it was a gar.. But it didn't swim like one..

And the other close encounter I had with an alien I will never forget. I was fishing the Salado a few years back, when the lake was much lower. And there was a beaver pile on a mud ridge in the middle of the river just starting to stick out of the water.. And I wanted to go over and mark it on my GPS.. When I was about 30 yards from it I started plowing mud with the trolling motor and I decided that there was just no way I'd make it that far. And while I was stuck in the mud, I noticed there was a laydown about ten feet from the boat. So I felt obligated to to flip a worm in it. (Plum Ol Monster) Now before I tell you the rest of the story let me tell you that I had just put new 65 pound braid on the day before, and I had a monster hook tied to it. And I had recently retied.. I had the prep work done right anyway..

But anyhow, I flipped the worm in that laydown, and before I could click the reel this fish started swimming off with it. Well I engaged the reel an hammered her. And you're never ready for this stuff but that sow took off like a cat whose ass was just rubbed with turpentine. And that fish literally pulled me to my knees. She came to the top and jumped about ten feet on the other side of that bush with my line under just one small branch of the laydown. And she was hauling ass towards a fence line about another twenty feet away. And I thought to myself, "No you don't bitch.." (Sorry for the use of that word but that's what I thinking) "I've got brand new 65 pound Power Pro on here and you ain't going there."

I clamped my thumb down on the spool and leaned back as best I could. I was about to go over the side when the line snapped. The line breaking may have saved my life.. Cause she'd have probably come back and eaten me. I stood there in disbelief for a minute or two.. That did not just happen.. But it did..

I have no idea what that fish weighed.. But she was about the size of your kitchen trash can. And her mouth was about the same diameter.. Biggest bass I ever saw.

I am sure there are a lot of people with similar stories, and I have heard a few here in the store. And I look forward to hearing some more..

But there is no doubt that we are getting closer to breaking the lake record every day.. Maybe I'll get her this weekend..

See you on the water..

June 17, 2010: Did I mention the wind has been blowing down here? I tried to sail around the lake, but half way thru the trip I got my mast snapped and I had to deploy my emergency beacons. Not that I was in any danger, but I was running low on provisions. (Beer and cigars.) I was waiting for the French to rescue me.. But they never showed.. I remember in college this girl almost snapped my mast off.. But that is a whole nother story..

Fishing remains good, for the few fishermen that are down here. And with the low number of fishermen, I am also getting a low number of reports. But I have heard of some good fish being caught.

Don Hooks caught this 10.97 the other day.. Sorry bout the pic.. I tried..

Several of our local guides have been whacking the snot out of them lately, and they have been catching some big stringers. Most of the bigger fish are coming from deeper rock piles I hear. And they are catching a good number of them on jigs. And a heavy jig, and ounce or more, is what it takes on these windy days. Greens and reddish brown have been the best I hear, and our crawfish are pretty dark red right now.

I have not personally thrown a jig much as of late. But I know it will probably work as good as the fluke that I am addicted to. I have also been doing well on the 10" blue fleck power worm. And the Sour Grape has also been a good choice.

Fact is that these fish are not seeing a lot of baits here lately. But I am trying to show them all I can.

We get a lot of phone call during the year asking about the OPEC tourney that used to be held every October. Fact is that OPEC is finished. But we are working on putting together a tournament for that same time frame, the third weekend in October. Hopefully we will have something together in the next month, and we will actually schedule it. But preliminary plans are for a similar contest, a two day team event with a three fish limit per day. Of course we are working on a lot of the details, and there are many. A few years back there were a few tourneys held under the name of "Legends" and we would like to recognize a few more people who had a big impact on the local area when it came to fishing. So there is your outline. Look for more details in the not to distant future.

I haven't talked too much about the "Pirate" situation here lately, as I have nothing new to tell you. There have been no confirmed confrontations with any thieves in the last six weeks. If you have any bona fide reports of any I would like to hear them. And you can bet that if I hear of anyone being confronted by them I will pass it along to you.

I hear that a serious sweep is going on just across the border. And this is mostly bad guys killing bad guys. And I guess this is not a bad thing. I have been running a few reconnaissance missions into Mexico, and I have nothing to report. Many locals have returned to fishing the Mexican side of the lake. And all of them are being observant of their surroundings I guarantee. So am I. And I hate to fish while looking over my shoulder all the time. All I can say is that like any wound, this will take time to heal. But if you fish Falcon I can tell you that there have been NO problems on the Texas side of the lake. And I don't look for any either.

The South Texas Five is scheduled for this weekend. And we should have some reports on what is happening with the fish. From someone other than me and a few guides. There are some good sticks that fish that little circuit. And I have no doubt that they will whack em.

Now if we could just get a break from the wind..

June 14, 2010: The wind has been blowing for the last three or four days, and I mean blowing. And taking an extra set of batteries is starting to sound like a real option. And to go along with the high winds, we have also had some high temperatures, and our heat index has been up there as well. And to top it all off, the fish are biting.

Winds are predicted to back off a bit in the next few days, as this giant low over the four corners area finally moves out. But for the short term, it is going to continue sucking the winds up from the gulf. And with that we are going to remain in this humid air.. This is supposed to be a desert down here.

There have not been a lot of people out fishing much open water as of late. And all for the reasons stated above. And any bank that is not exposed to the wind is less likely to have fish on it, than its counterpart on the other side of the cove. If you can find a rocky bank that is a bit protected, and still has some waves breaking on it, you may find a great number of fish.

There were a couple of bass clubs in town this weekend, and on Saturday Atascosa bass club had two stringers over 28 pounds for the top spots. Will post results later today. And I know a bunch of those fish were caught on Mag Flukes in water a bit deeper than I have been fishing.

There are still a lot of fish in the shallows, and the early morning top water bite is still strong. These fish are very near the bank. And the bank does not have to be rock, but it seems that there are a lot more fish on the rock than the dirt banks. Any popper will catch you some fish. But the Chug-Bug is still my personal favorite. Several people I have talked to said that a buzzbait is working better for them. And I will admit that I throw the Bug a lot more.

But it is summer and bigger fish are starting to collect on the deeper rockpiles and ledges. The only problem with that is that most of them are not right behind a high bank. Most of them are in open water and I don't have to tell you what that means.

The Fish For Life tournament, benefiting the March Of Dimes is coming up next month on the 17th and 18th. It is going to be a team tourney and I believe the entry fee is $200. It will be a three fish format, and the weigh in will be at Oso Blanco. Contact info or an entry form can be obtained from the Chamber of Commerce. Their number is 956-765-4871. Farmers Insurance has underwritten this tournament and is the lead sponsor. For sponsor info or to help out call Juan Gamez at 956-753-6879. This tourney will raise money for a great cause, and will give you an excuse to get out of the house for the weekend. And I am sure you will be able to work on your tan while you are down here.

This weekend the South Texas Five circuit returns to Falcon for the second stop of the year. Falcon is also on tap to host the championship for the STX 5 this October. You can fish this team event this weekend if you are looking to get out. It is a one dayer on Sunday. That is Fathers Day by the way. And going fishing is not a bad way to spend a day with your son or daughter. You can get them to pay the entry fee.. Good Luck.. Registration will be here at FLT on Saturday evening, about 5:00.. Or you can call Bill Stipp at 361-318-9205.

Falcon has caught six inches of water in the last week, and for the time being it is still just ever so slowly coming up. We are sitting at 287.63, or 13.39 feet low. Water temps are still in the low to middle eighties, depending on where you are.

There is a big area of low pressure out in the Atlantic that came off the African coast, and it looks promising for development into a tropical storm. Yes folks it is that time of year when hurricanes start to show up. Let's hope for gentle storms and no more rain than we need to fill the lake. It has been a long time since we have received any beneficial rain (from the lakes perspective) from a tropical storm that came across the gulf. Our water shed is narrow, until you get above Amistad. The water we got in late 08 was from a couple of Pacific storms that flooded the Conchos basin in Mexico. And that is often where we get some water. And it seems that Pacific storms, at least in the last few years, have given us more water than the gulf. It is common for a Pacific storm to come across from the Baja and settle down as a low over west Texas. I guess we'll see what this thing turns into in the next few days.

The fishing is good.. When you can fish.. See you on the water..

June 12, 2010: Seems like there is always a huge tragedy going on somewhere in the world. And after a while your mind seems to get numb to it.. Earthquakes.. Floods.. Volcanoes.. The World Cup..

I turned on the computer this morning and was surprised to see that there were no reports of anyone trampled to death on opening day. Usually getting into one of these exhibitions makes running with the bulls in Spain look like a game of musical chairs.

What I was not surprised to see were the results after day one.. Two "Thrilling" matches took place place yesterday, or whatever the hell time it is over there.

Uruguay held off the French as they battled to a mesmerizing tie at Zero to Zero.. Zero to Zero.. Are you kidding me?? This the World Cup for heavens sake. You come to the World Cup and not bring your A game?? And Uruguay.. What the Hell?? You were playing the French.. The Freaking French.. They have never won at anything.. I'm surprised when the game started that they didn't call the USA to come fight it.. errr....play it for them.. If you can't beat France you suck.. Maybe you should try another sport.. Like Twister..

And in another thrilling game that had you glued to the edge of your seat, the home team of South Africa played our neighbors from Mexico.. And the excitement was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.. And when it comes to Soccer, oh excuse me, Football, Mexico is supposed to be the real deal.. Evidently their soccer team plays with the same precision as their government.. Maybe these two countries should have battled to see who would be the first to have clean water.. Or indoor plumbing.. It would have been just as exciting to watch.. You guessed it. A One to One tie.. What do they say about a tie.. Something about doing your sister??

Yes folks soccer is nothing but hockey on grass. And I know a lot of you Yankees like hockey.. Save the hate mail.. I'll still never watch it..

But let's look at the deeper issue, of why soccer is so popular in the USA. Bill Clinton liked it cause he could meet a lot of potential girlfriends... errr.. voters there at the games on Saturday morning. And Moms like the sport. Cause it is a girlie sport and their little boys would not have to be subjected to the physicality of real Football.. A continuation of the feminization of America.. And it was a great place to drop off your kids on Saturday morning so you could go boink your boyfriend while your husband was mowing the grass..

And look how good "professional" Soccer has worked in the US.. What did that team from California pay that Beckham dude to play over there? "Bend it like Beckham??" He bent em over all right.. He made more money off soccer that Jesse Jackson made off Toyota..

And what kind of concession stands do they have at the world cup? Here in America you would find some munchies, some memorabilia, some souvenirs..

At the cup, and I am just guessing, but you can probably buy some prepackaged baggies of urine or feces to throw at the opposing team and fans. Some brass knuckles are probably available, and some steel toed Nikes to kick ass..

And I would hope that there would be some Glade stick ups or some Febreeze available in case you are sitting next to some Euro with poor hygiene habits.. And of course some first aid kits should be available at any stop. I think the tickets are printed on giant Band-Aids.

Any "game" that regularly ends in a tie is not a sport.. A "game" is played till there is a winner. Why did they quit playing?? It was so thrilling.. Sooner or later one of them guys would have kicked the ball into that chicken cage at the end of the field..

I could fix soccer too.. If they can't use their hands they might as well have boxing gloves on.. Might make it worth watching during a commercial while watching a fishing show.

Who can think of fishing while "The Cup" is on?

June 11, 2010: There have been a bunch of rogue thunderstorms around south Texas this spring and early summer. Two weeks ago a spot just west of San Antonio got 12" in six hours, and two days ago the area just below Canyon Lake got 10-12 inches in a very short span. Both storms caused severe flooding in the immediate areas and downstream. There have been quite a few storms above Amistad, and seems here lately that every other evening or so some big stuff is popping up off the mountains in Mexico. Looks like a rainy pattern for the near future. We have been trying to cut hay for three weeks..

I think it would be best if about four or five feet of water was released from Amistad.. Just in case. Safety first I always say..

On Tuesday TPWD brought a small surprise to Falcon Lake. About 3000 fingerlings from this years Sharelunker hatch were delivered and released in the Veleno.. Only two of us know where they were released.. One guy ain't talkin, but I can probably be bought. These fish were about three inches long and looked to be in great shape.

And you know I am not a big SL fan, but I'll never turn down some fish. In seven or eight years the Veleno should be crawling with monsters..

John and Randy of TPWD delivering the goods..

Dropping the babies of at their new home.. Hope they like the neighborhood.

I started this report at 10:00 this AM.. It is now 6:30.. And I haven't even covered the World Cup yet.. I can't wait till the riots start.. I'll have to work on that tomorrow..

Falcon has caught about 5" of water in the last week.. We're about 13.5 feet low.. Water at 83 degrees.. Fish going crazy..

June 9, 2010: A man can fish a long time and fish with a lot of people.. But in a mans life there are usually only a handful that you could say you could fish with every day. And enjoy every day. You probably did not know Rick Romane, but I know many of you did. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. And he was damn good at both.

Rick was Tommy's neighbor when we lived near San Antonio, and they both lived in Pebble Beach on Medina Lake. And it did not take long for all of us to become good friends.

You never met a nicer guy, and he could never do enough for you. He and I fished team tournaments together for the last four or five years, and he always had his half of the entry fee.. And more. If you fished any of our FLT Bass Blast! events then you saw him.. Serving food, picking up plates, weighing fish, and just plain TCB.. You could count on him for whatever you needed.

And he was a tackle freak.. You name it, he had it.. I remember one day while we were fishing I said if I only had a 6" craw that was black with orange pinchers, white polka dots and a bit of chartreuse on the tail, with a rattle chamber I knew I could kill em.. He started digging thru one of his tackle bags and a few minutes later he said "Do you mind if the white dots are a little faded?"

He had it all.. And he wasn't afraid to throw it either.. From Beavers with real rabbit hair attached, to spinnerbaits that some would consider a large mobile.. And he would catch fish on all of em..

We are at a loss in trying to describe what his friendship meant to us.

We will miss you Rick Romane. See you on the other side..

Read his obit and see funeral arrangements here.

June 7, 2010: It was a busy weekend for me and a lot of other folks here in Zapata. And I did not even get a boat in the water.. But my hands look like I have been fishing for a week. These fish have the sharpest teeth..

FLT was a sponsor at the API tourney over the weekend, and setting up the weigh in and fish care was our assigned duty.. But I guess when you volunteer it's not really an assigned duty.. Speedy Collett and Jim Edwards ran the scales.. I took care of the fish tank, and I had a lot of help that I can't begin to name. Thanks..

We had several teams that did not weigh in yesterday, in the interest of the fish. And I applaud them.. When you are out of the hunt there is no need to subject any fish to the weigh in process. We had five or six dead fish yesterday, which wasn't too bad for the conditions. It was smoking hot again.

I'll have a full report a little later today in the Tourney section..

Alamo Bass Club from San Antonio was also here this weekend, and their two day heavy stringer went 44.28. I'll post their results later also.

All in all I will have to say that the fishing is pretty damn good, especially if you know the lake a bit. We saw a lot of good fish over the weekend, and I am sure the average weight of fish weighed in at the API was near four pounds. But I don't have the final numbers just yet.

The deeper bite is starting to pick up, as some fish are showing up on those rockpiles out in twenty five to thirty feet of water. Seems that we are still a month behind in everything down here. But there are still a lot of shallow fish.

We sold a lot of Senkos, Flukes, and Ol Monsters over the weekend, and Watermelon Red is probably back in its usual place on top of the pack in most popular color of bait sold. And with the deeper bite coming into play, Jigs and Big Cranks are also catching some fish.

There were no reported issues that I heard of on the lake this weekend, and a lot of folks have been fishing in Mexican waters. And a lot of people have been fishing up the river.. Although it is a bit muddy up there from recent rains.

I would love to give the "All Clear" sign for Falcon, but it may be a bit pre-mature. We'll let things sit at Defcon two for the next little while. I will tell you that you have no problems fishing the Texas side of the lake.

We get a lot of hearsay around here, and I do not put too much stock in any of it. But I hear that the small band of "Pirates" has been "dealt with.." Time will tell. Let me reiterate.. I Do Not Know This As Fact.. But it is what I hear.

But use of common sense should always prevail. And your comfort level should always be taken into consideration. If you are too nervous to tie a knot, odds are that you will not catch too many fish. If you are concerned about your safety on Falcon, I understand. We are concerned about it to. And we are doing everything in our power to help keep you safe. If there is any new news on Falcon, good or bad, you can bet that I will post it before your beer gets hot.

Falcon is sitting at 287.03, or right at 14 feet low. Amistad is releasing a decent amount of water, and that has stabilized us for the last day or two. I think they need to let a few feet out of Amistad as it looks like we are going to have a rainy summer.. (Naw.. That's not the reason..) But it could happen..

I saw W. and Slick Willie on TV together still asking for donations to help out all the people in Haiti. And don't get me wrong, I feel very bad for them. That place is a mess. And it will take decades to get past this the way that things move there.

But it made me wonder, how many country's are collecting money to help us out with the oil leak in the gulf. I've got a guess.. And it is probably the same as yours.. And I'm just wondering which leak is worse..

June 6, 2010: Yesterday's high temperatures in Zapata were right around 100, but the heat index had us somewhere around 115.. Enter Mister Humidity.. We're supposed to be in a desert.. And that is what makes the high temps bearable down here.. And we were sweating like Rosie watching an exercise video..

I worked the weigh in at the API tourney yesterday, and will again today. And it's a good thing that the weigh in today is at 1:00.. Not sure if I could take another three O' Clocker.. I'm telling you it's hot! Supposed to have a heat index today of around 117..

There were some pretty impressive stringers brought to the scales yesterday, and 24 and change is leading it. There are three or four stringers over twenty, and a bunch in the high teens. This is a three fish tourney..

There are 34 teams participating, and I will have full results tomorrow posted in the tourney section. I believe there were a few nines weighed, but not sure if a ten made it to the scales. I handled every fish and I did not see any whoppers.. We lost 7 fish and that is a 7.1% death rate.. I still don't like it but that's not too bad for 84 degree water and the killer air temps. The fishermen made a good effort to keep their fish alive.. And so did we.. We fizzed about a dozen or so, but most were jumping out of the tank..

All is well.. Come and get you some..

June 4, 2010: Fishermen's bodies are floating up on the bank everywhere along the banks of the Rio Grande, from San Ygnacio to where the dam used to be. Bullet riddled corpses are being devoured by coyotes and vultures, as the carnage continues. After blowing up the dam, and a three hour mortar barrage, the cartels easily drove their tanks across the semi dry river bed, and now they have control of Zapata County and are marching northward towards San Antonio. It is likely that they will be in Houston before next weekend. Run for your lives!

Everybody else is doing it...

June 2, 2010: I don't have anything new to say about the fishing.. Other than I kicked their..Errr.. I caught em good on a Chug Bug this morning in the Veleno.. Nice cloudy morning.. Bueno for top water.. I was off the lake by 9:30.. Still working on that damn carport.. So those of you who get pissed at me for picking on people (who need or deserve it) just click on the X in the top right corner of your screen now and save your self the frustration..

Had some buddies wear them out yesterday in the Tigers.. They had a 10.97 and a 9.30, and mixed in a few sixes and sevens.. But all I am catching is threes and fours.. The big fish came out of three feet of water.. I love summer.. Look for pics soon.. Last Warning..

But the real reason I signed on today is to report the sad news that Al Gore is planning to divorce his wife. Since he lost to W. in the election (because the Supreme Court said so) his life has been in a downward spiral.. The only thing going up is his weight.. Oh yeah.. And the temperature of the globe. Seems like after he rammed his tongue down Tippers throat on TV during the election campaign, she would have hung around..

I remember having my throat swabbed by the doctor when I was a kid.. Every time I got tonsillitis Doctor Bobby Donald (she) would take this three foot long closet rod, wrap a bale of cotton around the end of it, dunk it in a five gallon bucket of methiolate, and go Rembrandt on my tonsils. She would stick it so far down my throat that I think she was also trying to cure any hemmoridal problems I might have.. But I digress..

I just can't get that picture of Big Al and Tipper out of my mind..

How the hell did she come up with a moniker like Tipper anyway. Was it because she ate out a lot and was famous with the waitresses?? Did she grow up on a farm and take out her vengeance on sleeping cows?? Or maybe she was an informant at the Horse Track.. Hell.. I dunno..

But I can only see her life improving in the near future. I am sure they will divide the Carbon Credits equally between them and they can both run all over the planet spreading pollution and BS.. Good thing neither of them vacation in Zapata.. I am sure they would have a hard time fitting in with our elitist culture down here.

I am sure that Al will be fine.. All he has to do is create another masterpiece.. But it will be hard to come up with anything as brilliant as his last flick.. And I love the way that he so masterfully intertwined a fact into the film. The part about him being Al Gore.. But when you're smart enough to invent the internet, there is not too much you can't do.. But what scares me with his politics is that he may go Terminator on us.. "I'll be back.."

"Gore in 2024!" If we elected Obamma, anything could happen.. But this one sounds more like a horror movie to me..

See you on the water.. Or at the box office..

June 1, 2010: Ahhh Summer.. The time when a young mans fancy turns to.. Fishing of course.. This IS a family program.. And the summer time fishing here on Falcon is tough to beat. Giant fish have been a bit slow to show here lately, with most of the big fish being reported in the seven to nine pound range. However numbers of fish have been pretty awesome. Of course some are doing better than others.. It is fishing..

I am still hammering them in the shallows. A lot of folks I have talked to said they were fishing deep, and not catching too many fish. What can I say.. But if I was looking for one big bite, I would probably be fishing deep too.. (But I'm not.)

I was just looking at one of the things that I love to hate.. The season wrap up of the sharelunker program. And what a year it was.. Thirty-three fish were turned in that weighed thirteen pounds or more, the biggest number in quite a while I think. And two fish over sixteen pounds were caught. The first time since 92-93 that anyone caught a sixteen. That's eighteen years since a sixteen pounder was caught.. This system is working quite well..

So back to the facts.. 33 fish were turned in.. 29 have been returned to their lakes.. 4 died.. And only 4 spawned.. What?? Only four spawned?? What?? Are you kidding me?? A billion dollars spent on this program and we spawned four fish?? Four stinking fish?? How many of them would have spawned in the wild? I bet a lot more than stinking four! So we cost ourselves a lot of fry with good genes.. A LOT.

So let's say that each fish hatches 100,000 eggs (No Way).. So we have a total of 400,000 babies. And let's say that 90% of these hatchlings survive to fingerling size. (No Way). So they get delivered to some private or experimental pond, not your lake.. But if they were stocked in your lake, let's be generous and say that 5% make it to maturity. Maturity meaning that they are old enough to reproduce, one and a half to three years, depending on the lake in question. That number would be 18,000..

So let's do the math.. Four fish times who the hell knows how many fry, (4xWTHKHMF) minus the non survival rate (-NSR) divided by the deaths incurred during transportation, (DDT), extrapolated out a time frame to adult survival rate, (ASR) which is usually about 2-5 %..

So then 4 x WTHKHMF - NSR ÷ DDT x ASR ÷ 365/730 = 18,000

Quite Simple.. That means that those fish cost more than Beluga caviar per pound. And what percentage of those fish will live in a environment that can grow them to 18.18 pounds if they don't get dead before they make it??

Folks.. As good as they make it sound, the sharelunker program is a huge waste of resources and money, and we can do a lot more good by just stocking PURE FLORIDA bass in our lakes. That's all a SL fish is anyway. And they are cheap to produce..

I have no problem with recognizing folks who catch a big fish. It's every fisherman's dream to catch a whopper. But the circus that is sharelunker needs to fold the tents, and set the elephants free.. And let Mother Nature take care of the fish.. She knows best.. And always will. And when that freak of nature fish stretches the spring to over 18.18 pounds, it won't be because of anything SL did.. It will just be that freak of nature..

See you later.. I gotta go whack em..

May 31, 2010: As we get ready to flip the calendar to a new month, the first real month of Summer, we find ourselves in pretty fair shape for this time of year. We caught about five inches of water this week, but it looks like most of it will be gone in the next. Release rates are still higher than I expected. Amistad is less than a foot from full, and they are releasing about half as much as us.

Yesterday we got about 3/4 of an inch of rain, from an early morning shower and a heck of a storm yesterday evening. And that storm had about 6" of lightning in it. Some places just northeast of us got hammered.. Made for a beautiful cool morning today. It's a great day for fishing.. Light winds and clear skies.

I fished yesterday afternoon, and we whacked them pretty good. Didn't kill em.. But had a good time. We caught two a bit over six, but no whoppers. It is amazing to see the fish in such shallow water in some places. But I am digging it..

My buddy was throwing a Sour Grape Carolina rigged Power Worm, and he caught all the big fish.. But I was having fun lipping em.. I caught a lot of fish on the Mag Fluke.. But no whoppers.

There are a quite a few folks in town this weekend, and most of them we talked to were catching some good numbers and a few good fish.

The Border Chapter API tournament is this coming weekend, and it looks like there may be a decent turnout for the event. It is a bit exclusive though, as at least one member of the team has to be employed in the oil or gas related industry. For details you can call us or the number posted on our tournament page. These guys raise a lot of money each year that is given away in the local area.

It's a fairly quiet morning around here, as most folks that are fishing are on the water. And there is a holiday feeling to the day. Rightfully so. And I'd like you to take the time to remember all of those who gave their lives and futures to provide the freedom that you enjoy today. No matter your political views, these guys are all heroes. God rest their souls.

Gary Harlan's clients had a good day this week and caught a several good fish including this 9-2. Sorry I lost the name..

And Mason Watkins caught his PB with a nice fish that went 8-9..

That's a Rosie..

Enjoy your day off.. I'm going to light the pit..

May 27, 2010: We are starting to see a small influx of water hitting the lake, but I don't think that we will catch but about six inches to a foot from what I am seeing in the river. The Rio Grande has crested in Laredo, and it is pretty big from that point to San Ygnacio. We are sitting at 287.35, or 13.67 low. Up about a tenth of a foot in the last eight hours. But some of that is due to the fact that the south wind has quit howling. Today is a poster day to fish. Partly cloudy, light winds, and temps are headed for 95 or so. Water temps are hovering around 82 degrees, perfect for active fish.

And active they are. Food is being devoured like at an after party on the Oprah set. Keep your hands and feet clear. There are still a ton of shallow fish on the rocky wind blown points and banks, and on those long rocky banks, any type of jut out or rock ledge that protrudes from them the fish can be stacked up. It's not rocket science boys and girls.. It's just fish whackin time..

I have had more fun throwing chugging baits and buzzbaits than you can imagine.. Well.. Maybe not. But it is a blast. But if you come to Falcon and don't throw one.. Well that would be as silly as giving a bag of chips to Rosie with a re-sealable top.

A lot of the fish I have caught lately are long and a bit narrow. And I believe that they are working on putting some weight back on that they lost during the spawn. It is very common to have a fish spewing shad all over the place while you are fetching them to the boat. The feed bag is on..

We have received a ton of phone calls asking about the fishing and the perils of fishing Falcon. And I'll tell you again that fishing the Texas side of the lake is as safe as it has ever been. The last time I fished I didn't burn three gallons of fuel and wore my self out catching fish. The Veleno is as hot as I have ever seen it, with some giant stringers coming from right here in the middle of town. So if you are still a little paranoid about the situation, and don't want to run the main lake, you can fish right here close to home..

And don't forget why you may be getting an extra day off this weekend.. A lot of good men died so you can enjoy what we have here today. Happy Memorial Day.

May 25, 2010: We have been hearing a lot of news from Mexico.. But most of it is hard to verify. And it is not like anyone over there is sending me updates on the daily progress of getting rid of the bad guys. And when things get back to "Normal" I am sure there will be no signing of surrender or treaty on the deck of a bass boat.

And here's my theory on what has happened on the lake. Some is pure conjecture.. Some is fact.. But mostly well based theory..

The Zetas have controlled the areas just across the lake for a long time, and have operated with little resistance from either the Mexican or the American branches of law enforcement. But in the last few years, their increasing violence has brought a lot more attention to them, resulting in increased pressure from Mexico's army and the Federales. And the pressure is being applied to all the cartels in Mexico. And this has pissed off the other cartels.

And we understand that the Gulf Coast cartel has pledged to remove the Zetas from the area, and take over the business (drug trafficking) in this neighborhood, but to do it in a more civilized fashion. Flying under the radar for the most part, and not trying to draw a lot of attention. Because killing hundreds, or thousands of people tends to get noticed.

And the pressure has been turned up.. The Mexican Army has moved several thousand troops to the area, and along with the competing cartels, the Zetas are are being forced out of the cities, off the highways and into the countryside to survive as they may. And not being able to do business has caused a handful of them to take to shaking down a few fishermen. This is not a concerted pre-planned and organized theft ring. These are people trying to survive. And I am not being sympathetic, anything but, just trying to explain what is going on.

And not being able to travel the highways has them using the lake and river for a way to traverse the area from San Ygnacio and above to the dam. Only makes sense.. I do not believe that any of them want to kill an American fisherman. Repercussions from that would have to get the US forces involved. And I believe that it could start a vigilante response.

I hear a lot of stories from Mexico.. A Lot. But I don't write about stories..

I personally believe from the "stories" I hear that this situation is improving and will hopefully "Work itself out" in the next month or so. But make no mistake. There is a war going on in Mexico. I just pray that it ends soon, and some civil way of life can return to the towns across the border.

Now with all that being said, I have heard of no problems on the Texas side of the lake. We have had a lot of fishermen here the last two weekends. I heard of one incident where a fisherman sped off from an approaching boat that was carrying some men with guns. But I have no other details. I do not know where he was when this incident occurred. But here is what I recommend to you when fishing Falcon in the near future.

Fish from marker 14 south. The river is narrow in many places and could allow any boat to cross the channel in a hurry. Just makes sense. Fish the Texas side only. There are a lot of boats on the Texas side of the lake, and Border Patrol and Game Warden patrols have been increased in the last few weeks. Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. Be observant. And if you see any net boat in Texas waters report it to the Texas Game Wardens with coordinates ASAP.

There are still people fishing the Mexican side of the lake. And I took a boat ride the other day in the Coyotes to look for someone who broke down. And things looked about like they always do.

I do not know what is going to happen in the short term. And just because some TV stations finally caught on to the fact that there have been some gangsters on the lake does not change a thing. We have been talking about this for months. Anyone who leaves the confines of the Good Ol USA knows that the rules change whenever you cross that line. And that's not just in Mexico, that's anywhere.

I had no intention of spending that much ink on that.. I just signed on to post a few pics of the fish stocking that we did last week.

All the fish were stocked in the Tigers and Goose Bay.

Survival rate to the lake was excellent with only a handfull of dead fish. Of course your tax dollars have bought some pretty nice equipment.

Jimmie Cordova of TPWD delivers another scoop of bass to the stock boat.

These might look like PVC pipes from an onboard stocking tank, but they are really torpedo tubes to sink the Pirates! Aaarrrgggg!

The fishing remains somewhere between awesome and "I can't believe this S&!#!" I have caught so many fish on a topwater here lately that I can't believe it. Any rocky wind blown point has fish on it. And the wind has been the only limiting factor as to where you can fish. It is certainly lighter today than the last few.. And it's cloudy.. Where the hell did I put my Chug-Bugs??

May 24, 2010: If you like breezy and warm, then Falcon was the place to be over the weekend. And throw in a passel of biting fish and you got yourself a party..

But at every party there's always that one obnoxious element. And usually it's from someone who wasn't even invited.. Enter Mr. wind.. We have had four days in a row of wind that makes your back hurt. And your beer foamy..

But the wind has not deterred the fish from biting. As a matter of fact, the fish have been very active, and if you can get to em, you can catch em.

I fished Friday and yesterday, (Sunday) and had a blast both days. I have not caught this many fish on a topwater in years. It is primarily an early morning bite, but it will go on as long as you want it to. But it does slow down after the sun gets up a bit. Cloudy skies will prolong the top water action considerably.

On Friday, we launched in the Tigers and fished inside the three bay system. And the North or West side of it was damn hard to fish. But we found some rocky points that the wind was blowing across, and the fish were stacked up on the rocks. These are more of the slasher type fish, and we did not catch anything over five pounds. But the cool thing about it was that I had not fished this area in years. I think they are everywhere.

I was fishing the big fluke, but decided to throw a Chug Bug cause I had one tied on in the box. And being I caught one on the first cast, it was hard to put it down. I caught at least ten fish on it in forty-five minutes.

On Friday evening, I talked to one of my buddies, and he said they wore them out on buzzbaits on main lake rocks from marker nine to the Tigers. And some god fish were in the mix too.. And another fellow came in and said that they were fishing the Veleno, near the county ramp, and tearing them up on Yellow Magics. I think the topwater bite is on.

So yesterday, instead of running all over the lake in the big waves, we decided to fish right here close to home, and try the topwater on em in the early morning. I caught nine fish on it in the first hour, one of them weighing 7-1, and another that was over five, but less than ten, that managed to untie my knot from the lure.. Ain't had that happen in ten years.. I bet that fish was one of them that can tie a cherry stem in a knot with his tongue..

There were also some other great stringers caught on topwater in the Veleno yesterday, including a 24 pound three fish bag, all caught on a Spook. The topwater bite is hot.. And so is the Veleno..

Rebel Bass Club was in town and I will have their results posted later today in the tourney section.

I was throwing a Chrome-Blue Chug Bug in the 3" size, but I don't think that the bait is all that critical. Just get out there and throw it.. But I know that one works.

I personally believe that the fishing will remain very similar to this for the rest of the summer, provided we do not get ant surprises from Mother Nature. I love Summer..

The API tourney is coming up in a couple of weeks, and it is going to be held out of Beacon Lodge. It is a team tourney, with a three fish limit, and at least one of the members from each team must work in an oilfield related job. These folks raise a lot of money for local charities, and they also put on a good time with lots of food and fellowship. Fish it if you can.

And coming up later in June is the second Falcon stop of the South Texas Five circuit. That's an open team event if you are looking for some competition this summer. See out Tournament Page for info on either of these events.

The lake has pretty much leveled off, as last weeks rains that came thru here coated the Valley in an inch or two of water, and I am hoping that this will be enough water to complete the crops for this summer. We are sitting at 287.36 as of this morning, and that equates to 13.66 feet low. Water temps are in the 82 degree range.

We have only hit 100 degrees a couple of days so far this year, and fishing till two or three has been pretty pleasant. The wind is the only thing that can mess up your day.. But if you're not working, how bad can it be?

May 21, 2010: I find it ironic that in the midst of all the media coverage of the Banditos on Falcon lake, that the King of Mexico was in Washington to visit the King of America and discuss relations between the countrys and to just plain have a neighborly visit. And of course while he was on our turf he took time out to insult most of the working men and women in America. And he generally told us that we need to support Mexico, and not try and keep his people out of the US. I guess we should just close all the guard houses at the borders, and let whomever wants to, come in. Hell, we're not stopping any of them anyway..

But the part that really pisses me off is that during his sanctimonious reign, hundreds of people are being murdered just across the border from where I live and work. And he is doing nothing about it. There is ZERO enforcement by any Mexican authority on Falcon Lake. All of their towns across the border are ghost towns, due to the violence of the drug gangs and the pathetic non-response by the Mexican Government.

And now we have these A-holes running around on the lake threatening American citizens who are doing no more than fishing.

I think Mexico needs to look after their own disaster before they give us advice on how to handle ours. And if Mexico had anything going, all their people wouldn't be trying to come over here..

Think that US immigration laws are too tough? Check out Mexico's immigration policy. Makes ours look like the first grade..

And the biggest thing that pisses me off is that I can't go into Mexico hunting or fishing any longer. Two of my favorite places to fish are Sugar Lake and Las Blancas. But the towns on the way there look like Baghdad. And it is not worth your life to catch a few fish.

I love Mexico.. The people, the food, the culture.. The humbleness that is exhibited, especially by the older generations, is amazing.

Mexico has an insane amount of natural resources. Their hunting and fishing opportunities are among the best in the world. They have two of the most beautiful coastlines on the planet. They have a giant and talented workforce. And all of that is not enough to overcome the corruption that pervades their government. And Calderon is telling us how to run a country.. Give me a break..

And he says we need a ban on guns.. I see it has worked real well in Mexico. No one has guns there..

I promise I'll write about fishing tomorrow..

May 20, 2110: Welll Gaaawww Leee, Sarge.. I didn't know there was some bad guys on Falcon.. Shazam..

It is funny to me that all of a sudden we have a host of news reporters in town, who just discovered that there is some bad stuff going on in Mexico and right here on Falcon lake. But I guess I must excuse them.. I just found out today that there is a Rosie radio station on satellite.. Hell if she can get on the air I'm bound to be able to.. Definitely proves that it takes no talent to get some air time. But hell.. Stern already proved that..

I have done two TV interviews in the last 24 hours.. And while I will be the first to admit that I have a face made for radio, these folks wanted my opinion anyway. And I gave it to them. For those of you in SA you can watch channel 5 this evening and tonight, as they are doing a live broadcast from Zapata this evening.

But while all this is going on, the fish don't care.. They are going crazy in the shallows.

Tremendous numbers of fish are being caught by a lot of anglers, and you don't have to go too far or go to Mexico to catch them. Any shallow bait, including most top waters will catch fish. We have had reports of good numbers on Buzzbaits and poppers, like the Yellow Magic. The big fluke is still kickin' ass too.. I love that bait.

I will be posting some pics of the bass stocking trip we took yesterday. We installed 237,000 Florida fingerlings yesterday, mostly in the Tigers. And I told every one of them to remember me and that I wanted to see them in eight years. That's not a lot of fish in the big picture, but it can't hurt a thing. And these fish have the right attitude as several of them had exhibited cannibalistic tendencies in the tank. Unfortunately none of them survived. Make that 236,996 fish delivered.. But they looked good..

More tomorrow.. Lots of stuff going on around here as you can guess..

P.S. Another 13 was caught the day before yesterday.. Details forthcoming..

May 18, 2010: It's raining Ocelots and Chihuahuas down here this morning, and it is good to see.. Hopefully this line of storms will hold together and get the valley as well and we can back off on the irrigation water running out in the ocean. Cause it has been running hard. There were also a few storms yesterday evening in the valley, but they did not amount to much.

We hit a high water mark of about 292.31, or about 8.7 feet low around April 26th, and since then we have been going down like a five dollar hooker. This morning we are sitting at 287.92, or 13.1 feet low. That is a loss of 4.39 feet of water in about 22 days. I've seen it drop a lot faster, and there would certainly have been a lot more vertical drop if this had started when we were twenty feet low. That's a lot of water. Maybe Rosie is getting ready for her annual washdown, and they were filling her bathtub.. I dunno..

The fishing is going well, and one of the hottest creeks on the lake is the Veleno. I had a couple of guys just leave the store that told me they caught too many to count, but probably a hundred fish yesterday. And lots of them were caught behind the bridge. We also received several other reports that were very good as well. And I'm building a carport..

There were also some good quality fish caught yesterday, including a 13-10. Several tens were reported and a truckload of fives and sixes. The bite is on..

It has stopped raining here and the gauge says 1.75.. And it looks like the rain has held up all the way thru the valley and this should slow down the drop.. I hope..

Wayne Tauer caught this ten plus last weekend..

Malcom Kitchen caught this ten pounder last weekend as well.

This whopper was shot yesterday.. Not sure what it weighed, but an easy 200..

There have been some monsters killed recently, including a new lake record that was 8'1" long, and weighed 285 pounds.. If you take your dog fishing with you, keep him in the boat..

And yesterday Charlie Haralson caught this 13-10.. Biggest we have see in a while..

The summer pattern is in full effect, and chasing fish are all over the lake. As the fellows that I talked to that said they caught a hunnert said that most of the fish were schoolers that were on the Kirstie Alley diet.. If you see it, eat it.. I love it..

Bigger fish are often mixed in with these slashers, but most of them are in the 2-4 pound range. If you goal is to only catch some bigger fish, then staying deeper is probably your best bet. Several of the boats that did well yesterday said that they fished midlake on the Mexican side. And no problems have been reported on the lake with bad guys from Mexico. Hopefully these events are over, as a lot of fishermen are returning to the other side of the lake. We'll keep you posted.

We are supposed to get a stocking tomorrow of some bass fingerlings, and we have been invited to help in the dispersal of the fish. And as of right now, I am not sure how many we are going to get. The estimate was 250,000, but we'll see what shows up. But I will tell you that I am not planing on counting every one of them. I gotta get naked to count to twenty one.. And that's really only twenty and a half..

Bass Champs is at Choke this weekend.. Sounds like a good time to be at Falcon..

May 14, 2010: It's becoming more evident as to why a lot of the folks here in Zapata look a little chunky over all.. And no it's not the super sized plates of food that are available at all the local restaurants.. It's because all the skinny folks have been blown away. We had to rescue two out of the top wires of some deer proof fences yesterday. And we got there just in time too.. A few Fat Kids thought they were Pinatas' and they were beating the hell out of them with some broomsticks.. It has been too windy to haul rocks..

And with the high winds there have been few fishermen on the lake. And I would bet that the mid lake has not seen many boats this week. But it is going to see one more tomorrow..

We are supposed to get a reprieve from the big blow tomorrow, with winds predicted to be in the nine to fourteen range. Seems like they'd just come out and say ten to fifteen.. But you now how accurate those weathermen can be..

And while Amistad is holding pretty steady, we are dropping fast. About 3" a day for the last two weeks.

I don't think there is a bad bait to throw right now. Your favorite will catch fish. All you gotta do is get out there and show it to them.

Water temps remain around the 80 degree range, maybe a little higher in a few protected spots.

There are a few bass clubs in town this weekend, and I should have a bit more info to pass along. But good stringers have been reported by the folks that have braved the elements.

I hear that the US is bailing out some of the European markets. And I haven't done a bunch of research as to how we can afford it, or how it is going to work. But I guess we can borrow the money to give to them. So that means that you will have to work even harder to pay for some more of the worlds problems. We are, after all, responsible for all the worlds problems. And a lot of the same bastards that hate the US will gladly take our money. And crap on us in return.

I remember when I was a kid, hearing and reading about all the bad folks that FDR, JFK, and Herbert Hoover, just to name a few, kept on watch lists. People who demonstrated disdain for America, and were thought to be subversive, or who would knowingly do damage to the Good Ol USA. And I was thinking of starting my own watchlist.. But it would just be redundant. You can find a list of Senators and Congressmen anywhere.

Used to be that the threat was only outside our borders. Can't say that anymore..

And another problem that the global economic crisis has created. How is China going to keep lending us money if we quit buying all their cheesy lead infested crap? I hear that their unemployment rate for nine year olds is up to 11%..

There are some things you just can't get that are made in the States. I understand that. But I'm reading the labels more every day.. If it's made in the USA it's my first choice. We need to help ourselves.. And worry about the rest of the world after we can take care of our own. And the idea that we can spend ourselves into prosperity is ludicrous.

I gotta go.. I hear that Rosie, Oporah, and Ellen are going to address the National Association of Atomic Physicists and brief them on the evolution of Quark theory.. You guessed it.. It's on the SciFy Channel..

See you on the Water!

May 12, 2010: The wind is blowing this morning. And I mean blowing. I am sure that on the big water there are some seven to eight footers. And it makes it pretty easy to leave the tarp on the boat. And a lot of other fishermen down here feel the same way by the looks of it. The shop needs a good cleaning anyway.

It is not unusual for us to get these windy stretches this time of year, but no one likes them. And it really stinks if you have driven a long way down here to fish, and any open water is off limits.

But those who did brave the elements yesterday caught a lot of fish. And they didn't run too far from any boat ramp. But the wind is worse today than yesterday.

Falcon is supposed to be getting a few LMB fingerlings in the next week or so I hear. Amistad, Choke, and Ivie are getting fish this week. I know, I know. We're always last.. I heard earlier that we were supposed to be getting 250,000 pure Floridas.. We'll see what gets delivered.

And in the big picture, that is not a lot of fish, but it can't hurt anything. I am sure that a lot of them will get eaten by other fish. A lot of them will get eaten by cormorants. And a small percentage of them will make it to adult size. But all that is the same weather they were born here, or delivered here.

I believe that it is time to address the cormorant problem that we have here in south Texas. And I see fishermen from all over the country, and they tell me that cormorants are a problem for fish in most every state. We have thousands of them here on Falcon, and I have to imagine that they all eat a fish or two a day. I hear that their favorite flavor is fish.. Any kind, as long as it is fairly slender, up to eight inches long. They say that an adult cormorant eats about a half pound of fish a day. And juvenile bass are the perfectly shaped meal for these vermin. I have seen numerous fish that have strike marks on them, and I assume that much of that is from these critters. Of course bigger fish are rarely attacked by the birds.

I was hoping that a lot of these birds would head for Florida for the summer on vacation, get covered in oil, and succumb. Kinda brings a tear to your eye, don't it.

I am not for the extinction of any animals, (Maybe mosquitoes, rattlesnakes, fleas, scorpions, cockroaches, and liberals) but it time to acknowledge that these birds are out of control. It is time to start killing a few hundred thousand a year. And Falcon would make a good place to start. I would personally volunteer to spearhead the attack. And if I see one more video of them wiping oil off one of them I'm gonna puke. Just break their neck and get it over with. And we'll send you some replacements for those you loose..

The fishing is pretty damn good if you can get on the water.. We are supposed to get a reprieve from the wind and the heat this weekend, as this front that is headed down the plains arrives in Central Texas. And I am sure that it is what is sucking all this air out of the gulf. It's a Lewinsky all right!

May 10, 2010: The lake is dropping like a Frenchman's rifle, and I'm not sure where it will stop. But I guess I should just be happy that we have the water we have.. I know we have been living on borrowed time.. Or water..

And there is no doubt that we are in the best shape we have been in for a long time. I just like to bitch I guess..

The fishing remains very good, if the wind will let you on the water. It has been blowing the last few days.. Hard.

The shallow bite is the numbers bite, but the bigger fish still remain on long points and deep rock piles. A quick depth change anywhere close to where you are fishing is a plus.. Same ol Same old..

We have dropped to 290.48, or 10.54 feet low. That's down over three inches in the last 24 hours. And we're down over a foot and a half from the high point a few weeks ago.

There is no bad way to fish, as long as you have a bait in the water. Seems we have gotten reports of people catching fish on everything from an Arbogast to a Xylophone. But the big fluke is still putting the smackdown on a lot of fish. Deep or shallow.

We have not heard of any more "incidents" on the lake, but we are still not lowering our guard. And I don't suggest that you do either. But there is a lot of stuff in the rumormill.. And if something DOES happen, we will tell you about it.

But here are a few thing I have gotten from a good source..

The Mexican Army has moved a thousand troops into our area across the lake. And we hear that a major assault is underway on the gangs. Local law enforcement has been notified, and they are on alert, for lack of a better term. Border Patrol presence has been stepped up on the water, and hopefully their presence will serve as a deterrent to the Pirates. All the law enforcement agencies around here are keeping an eye on the situation. Lots of Game Wardens on the water as well. Hopefully this crap will be behind us in the very near future and we'll get back to worrying about what to throw, instead of where to go.

We'll keep you up on the situation. The internet is swarming with rumors and hearsay. But I won't print anything unless I am confident that it was at least founded in fact.

Clayton Milam caught this Rosie style bass this week, plus a few others.

Alan Smith caught this 10-4 last week.. They also had a bunch of nice fish to go with her.

I got to spend the weekend at the ranch, but it wasn't all about the Mothers Day party. We still have a lot of shreddin' and sprayin' to do. But you do get a lot of time to think when you are sitting on a tractor for hours.

And I was thinking of all the campaign promises I heard a year or so ago. And I am glad to see that they have all come true. No more back room deals. No bribing senators and congressmen with pork to get them to vote one way or another.. Wonder what they gave Murtha this time.. He already got an International Airport for his town and I hear they are up to three flights a day.. One of them is a Piper Cub..

And when you heard them talking about the health care bill, and they were saying that they were "Working this thing right now, and we'll be working it through the night. And by the morning we'll have enough votes to ram it down your throat..errr.. Get it passed.." Let me translate that for you.. "We're buying the politicians needed to get us over the hump." Go figure..

And another thing I was thinking of when I was on the tractor.. Seems that White and Out have a common last name. It's house.. Both of them stink.. And from the same cause.. They're full of crap.. My Grandpa had an outhouse when I was a kid and we used to shake a little lye on the fresh pile to keep the odor down. These guys make a pile and then shake a lie on it.. But the smell is getting stronger every day..

If you need some cheering up, then go back in time to 2006 before the Democrats took control of the house and Senate. The stock market was above 14,000, and unemployment was under 5%.. I sure miss George.. I'm sure looking forward to the mid terms..

May 7, 2010: The fishing remains good here on Falcon, as the mercury climbs the thermometer and the wind makes those little thingies on the roof spin.. Like crazy..

But the fishing is not what is making news the last couple of days. Yesterday there was a boat fishing just across the border near marker 14, on the mouth of the Salado. The three fishermen were minding their own business when a large net style boat ran up on them. They asked if they had any drugs or guns. Of course the answered no that they were just fishing. They searched the boat, and as an after thought they relieved them of their cash. These fellows were carrying automatic weapons. And while they never pointed them at the fishermen, I'd still call it armed robbery..

I have given you a couple of warnings. Stay away from populated areas in Mexico. As a matter of fact, I'd stay out of Mexico altogether till this situation gets resolved.

More on the water law enforcement is headed our way. And we need it. To date there have been no incidents on the Texas side that I am aware of. And we have plenty of fish and water on our side of the lake.

And I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but I don't want something to happen to you. And I really don't want someone who cary's a gun in their boat to run into these guys. As I doubt that anything good will come from it. Like I said.. Your Beretta 9mm ain't much good against some automatic rifles..

I called the white house about this crap, but they said Obamma was busy fixing the stock market..

Happy Mothers Day to you all.. Be safe out there!

May 5, 2010: Water releases from Falcon have been increased to over 5000 CFS, and Falcon is dropping about an inch a day, and we have lost 7" of water in the last five.

But beautiful it has been and yesterday was about as nice as it gets. Light variable winds and pleasant temps till late in the day. We had about a 45 degree temperature swing from daylight till five in the evening. Aaaaah that desert air..

And these fish seem to like it as well. Must be that desert water.. I again found active feeding fish on the rocky points in and around the Tigers. Not every point has fish on them, but it should not take too long to find you some green meanies..

There are a couple of other species that are on the bite as well. The catfish are going wild according to what we hear, with easy limits being caught in the trees, and often times pretty darn shallow. The crappie are growing and spreading across the lake, and I can say that I have heard of them being caught in most every corner of the lake. And if you're into eating fish, it don't get much better. Yesterday we found one of them "How many do you want" trees..

We also fished some deep rock piles, and a jig or a big soft plastic caught a few. We did not find them stacked up on any of them. And that is why I am still recommending the points.. And that is not to say that your results may be different. But I know that will be there more and more as the summer comes along.

I really don't think that there is a bad way to fish right now. Your favorite way of fishing will catch fish. But I would have a few rods on the deck. A Texas rig, a Carolina rig, a spinnerbait, and a shallow running crank, either a square bill, or a lipless crankbait. Any shad imitator in the hard bait is a good choice.

I am still crazy over the Mag Fluke, and I don't think the color is as big a factor as the style. But they are eating it. Any dark or watermelon based fluke is working.

A spinnerbait in white or Tilapia color is also catching a lot of fish. Throw it at a chasing fish, or chunk it out, let it sink to the bottom, and wind her back. Oh yeah.. And hold on. Some of the strikes on the spinnerbait could be considered an assault.

I hear that before long they are supposed to break ground on the new park here at the county ramp. Of course any time the government is involved it takes too long and costs too much. And nothing out of the ordinary is happening with this one. But I do have a copy of the final, final, final plans, and it does look like something we can use. It will have some restrooms, some covered picnic areas, and two pavilions, one a big one that is supposed to be 60x120. But if it was me I'd have made a road to it.. But that's just my silly thinking. I guess if you need anything under it you'll have to carry it. Sometimes I just don't understand.. But I hope it will be a nice place to bring the Family.

And here's another Family Affair.. Good to get the kids on the water..

May 3, 2010: I don't think we have officially hit 100 degrees yet, but we have been knocking on the door. And it looks like we'll crack the 100 mark this week. And you may think that's hot, but the fish love it. I still have not seen 80 degree water, but a few folks have told me they have seen some. It was 78 where I was fishing in the Tigers on Saturday.

And speaking of the Tigers, that area is one of the hottest on the lake. All the little brush points with gravel on them are holding some fish. Some more than others. We were fishing just inside the mouth on a rocky point/ledge, and not getting bit. But I kept noticing a lot of slashers a couple of hundred yards away on a long point. And I am dumb but not stupid. We motored over to the point and went to whacking em.. Not a big fish in the crowd, but a couple that would go five or better.

And this was some more of that beer pole fishing. Lean on the seat with a beer in one hand, and your rod in the other. And when you would see one chasing bait, you could just chunk most anything at them and get bit. And the good thing about it was that you had just enough time to set your beer down and then it was time to set the hook. Pretty awesome way to kill an afternoon.

But this schooling and gorging activity is going on most all over the lake. It's not like if you spilled a bushel of Snickers Bars on the floor of the set of "The View," but it can be pretty impressive. And once in a while you will get surprised by a big fish.

They have opened the gates on the dam farther than I like to see, and we have been releasing about 3200 CFS the last few days. And we have lost an inch or two of water. I guess someone's watering something somewhere in the valley. Or maybe Obamma ordered the opening of the gates to try and flush all that crude oil out of the gulf. Wouldn't be surprised. I can't believe he let this happen on his watch. I am sure he is down there negotiating with the oil and trying to get it to go back in the pipe. And I am sure everyone is relieved that he is in Louisiana handling the situation himself. But maybe he better call in Big Al for some backup. Might as well get someone there who knows everything. But that might not be a good thing.. What if there was an catastrophe and we lost the two smartest people in the world. In two years time we'd probably back to hunting Woolly Mammoths with spears and rocks, and asking for a date with a club.. Wait a minute.. I forgot.. The Republicans let the Woolly Mammoths go extinct.. Guess we'd have to live on Saber Tooth Tiger.. Tastes a lot like chicken.

I saw that another genius tried to blow up New York City. Sorry Son of a Bitch. When they catch him they need to hang him by his balls from that TV screen in the town square. I'll bring the rope.

I think these idiots have it all wrong anyway. The city of New York is one of the most liberal, people accepting, pacifist cities in the nation. Half of them probably do think that the US is the bad guy, when it comes to international relations. And if they saw a gun on the sidewalk they would call in the bomb squad.

If these so called "terrorists" had any sense, they'd be trying to blow up us rednecks. Cause you know sooner or later it is going to be us that kicks their ass anyway..

Back to the fishing..

The Mag Fluke is still a killer, and it is about all I am throwing. But a lot of other folks have told me that a lot of other stuff is killer.. Like a jig, or a big worm or a spinnerbait. Simple fact is that you can catch fish on whatever you like to throw. I still believe the better fish are in ten to twenty feet of water. But you can catch some quality fish deeper and shallower. The post spawn feed bag is on, and the fish are biting.

There's also a lot less people down here than in the first quarter, and getting a room is not as tricky as it was a month or two ago. So if you have a little time off and a kitchen pass, it's a good time to hit the lake. Don't forget your sunblock, lots of water, and a good hat. Summer is almost here.. And I like it..

April 30, 2010: It's funny how things go.. Just yesterday we got a phone call from someone who heard of someone being shot at on the lake. And the problem with these stories is that someone always heard from someone and the stories just never seem to get substantiated. And to date, I am unable to verify that this did happen. If you have been shot at lately I would like to hear about it. But here is a story that I can substantiate.

Yesterday evening some local fisherman were in the Salado close to sundown, as they wanted to take some pictures of the old Church in Guerrero Viejo. There were two boats of fishermen. They got out of the boat and took some photographs. After returning to the water, they were stopped by a group of boats, three Pangas, and two bass boats. The fellows in the boats identified themselves at Federales. They questioned the fishermen repeatedly about what they were doing in Mexico, and asked them if they had any guns or drugs in the boats. Fortunately they had neither. But the "Federales" did a thorough search of their boats. And after a long and grinding thirty to forty minute interrogation, with quite a language barrier, they were allowed to leave. With all their equipment and money intact. And they told the fishermen to tell anyone they knew that was fishing in the area that they will be stopping and searching their boats. I do not plan to give them the opportunity.

But from hearing the story, it does not sound like something I would have wanted to be a party to. And yes, these fellows were heavily armed.. Sounds like there was quite a pucker effect.. And I can't say that I want anything to do with it.

A couple of months ago I posted a warning of sorts on the site. I wish to reiterate it now. Stay away from areas on the lake where you are likely to run into people. The Salanaias and the back of the Salado are places to avoid. And I have read on the internet that a lot of you carry guns with you in your boat. DO NOT take a gun to Mexico. Your Glock against five guys with automatic weapons is a no win situation. And at the least you will be going to jail. And not a swanky one like we have here in America.

I am not trying to alarm anybody here. But you need to know that there is a gang war going on just across the border. And until one side wins there is a possibility that you could end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you do fish Mexican waters it is probably best to stay near the main lake, and if you see anything that makes you uncomfortable, leave.

There is a LOT of Border Patrol presence on the lake, and no incidents on the Texas side have been reported to me.

There is plenty of good fishing on the Texas side of the lake and for now I recommend that you fish it. And we will let you know when anything changes, for the better or worse.

April 29, 2010: It's a beautiful morning here in Zapata, but the wind is supposed to be bad this afternoon. As one old timer put it, "It makes the water real wrinkly." Gusts to 30 plus are predicted for later in the day. Yesterday was a great day to be on the water, although it was a bit windy early on. And I spent the day soaking up some sun.. And I whacked a few.. My best was a 7-14 from six feet of water while flipping a W/M red brush hog in the back of Goose Bay.. But I did not catch a lot of fish there.

I have been fishing for a long time, and I know I have still not seen it all. But I got one step closer yesterday. About lunch time I hit the Tigers and I stopped on a rocky little bluff with about eight feet of water on top of it. It was pretty windy and I backlashed my Carolina Rig all to be damned and I was throwing a Texas rigged Mag Fluke in W/M Magic. I love that thing..

But anyway, on my first cast I had a hit and missed the fish.. And by the time I got my bait straightened out I had drifted a few yards and couldn't reach the spot where I had gotten bit. But on my third cast I hit the sweet spot again and instantly there was a jump in my line. I set the hook and sure enough I had a fish on.. And it was a long way out there but when it came to the top I could see another fish swimming with it. Which in itself is not that unusual. So anyway the fish went back down and the other fish disappeared and I continued to bring him towards the boat. Now by this time the fish was about twenty feet from the boat, and I could see that he was about a fourteen inch fish. And the other fish with him was a big fat Rosie... Over ten.. Easy..

And what was happening was that my fluke had slid up the line about fifteen inches, and I am sure that big fish was thinking that the little fish was chasing that fluke. And so was she.. The little fish went back down and a second later I felt a big "Doink" on my line and when the little fish came back up the fluke was gone off my string.. And I was thinking to my self that that was a pretty neat thing to see. I was not, however ready for what happened next.

I had the fish about ten feet away from the boat, and was getting close to lifting it out of the water. And all of a sudden this huge mouth appeared under that fish and gobbled up this little bass.. At least the last ten inches of it. And for about two to three seconds I had some serious topwater action going on..

Of course there was never any hook in the big fish and she turned loose and hauled ass. And I was standing there saying to myself "Did that really just happen?" It was over in a flash. I took off the little fish and threw him back in the lake. He jumped back in the boat three times before he decided it was OK to go back in the water.. (Ok.. I'm making that part up but the rest is Gospel.)

I'm sure that kind of thing has happened to other folks but it has not happened to me before. I know there have been a lot of huge bass caught by crappie fishermen while reeling a fish in. I think there was even a sharelunker fish caught that way.

And speaking of sharelunker, there are only two days left in this years debacle. And it looks like we will get out with only two of our fish being hauled away. But I think I heard that one of them was already returned to the lake because it wasn't a good enough fish. And the new Caddo lake record, a 16.17 pound fish was returned to the lake cause she wasn't good enough either.

My point being that sharelunker is whack. The first fish in a decade that weighed 16 pounds and it is not good enough to be in the program. I am not sure what they are looking for, but I would say the genes from a 16 would be just fine.

Actually I know exactly what they are looking for. They want 100% pure Florida Strain fish, that have demonstrated the ability to grow to a teenage weight.

Of course they also need to have the ability to live in a food rich environment, have a long growing season, not be eaten by another predator, and probably be released a few times in their lives, while breaking some fishing line a time or two, along with a few hearts. Sounds like a lot of luck needed to get to Rosie status..

And I believe that any 100% Florida has the potential to make it to 13.. Of course to do it, see the rules above..

Fact is folks that hauling a 13 out of Falcon is detrimental to the lake. It may help yours, but no one can prove that. But it ain't gonna help Falcon.

I thank all of you who have put our big fish back in the water, and I ain't just talking about the 13's.

In another 48 hours we can throw dirt on another sharelunker season.. None too soon..

April 26, 2010: Falcon has pretty much stabilized in the water level department, and this morning we are sitting at 292.31, or 8.71 feet low. And the river is getting back to normal flow rates, if there is such a thing. Amistad has leveled off at 115.3, or 1.69 feet low. Release rates from Amistad are back to the 1000 CFS plus or minus which is fairly normal for this time of year.

The new water has the shallow fish all excited, and the spinner bait bite is really coming on. And we have seen a big jump in blade sales the last week. There must be something to it.

But any bait you are comfortable throwing in the shallows is working. We have a lot of bait busting fish in most of the shallows areas on the lake. And I hate to be that vague, but I have heard from lots of people fishing lots of places that the slashers and crashers are everywhere. I have personally caught a lot of shallow fish on all of my recent trips. It is a good idea to have something you can cast a good distance lying on the deck, because you cannot go fishing here without running into areas of chasing fish. Typical summertime fishing here on Falcon.

Bass as small as six inches are being caught, no doubt future lunkers that were hatched in the fall and winter. And we have produced another awesome crop this year. And I believe that acre for acre, there is no lake that can recruit as many babies each year when we have water over the cover. The next couple of years should be incredible here on Falcon.

If it hasn't been already.

A lot of people ask me when the fishing got so good here on Falcon. And after giving it a lot of thought, I am gonna have to say somewhere around 1956.. Of course we did not have Florida bass in the lake back then, so the size of the fish was not what it is today.

If you have fished Falcon for years, then you already know this. Of course we have had cycles of low water, that were followed by a few years of poor fishing. Mostly due to the inability of the fry to survive.. No cover equals few bass that survive to legal size. But while the water was down, the trees and brush jumped up. And that is why we have the brooder house we have today. And who knows when, but it is a surety that we will have low water here again. We still have fairly heavy brush in the lake down to about the 270 level, but below that, only the original hardwoods remain. And these are serious hardwoods. I brought in a piece one time, and I was actually able to run a bead of weld on it..

Water temps are getting very close to the eighty degree range. And these fish love hot water. And they will remain very active till it cools off again. So if you have never fished Falcon in the summer, you are missing out. It is the easiest fishing of the year. And it's hard to complain about how hot it is when you are whacking them.

We have another invasive species here on Falcon, and this is the third one of these fish I have heard of lately.. But the first picture that I got.

Wally Watts caught this Smallie last week on a rocky bank. The others I have heard of were caught in the Veleno. I guess a few of them leaked out of Amistad. More proof that Global Warming is a hoax..

I've been at the ranch for a few days, and spent a lot of time sitting on a tractor. I think I prefer the steering wheel in the boat better..

See you on the water!

April 20, 2010: The lake has risen another four inches in the last twenty four hours, and it will probably do the same for the next couple of days. And my guess is that we will probably level off about eight feet from full. There is a lot of dirty water in the river, and stretching down to about marker 10. The mouths of creeks on top of the lake are a bit muddy also, but when you get back in them a bit most are fairly clear. Or our version of it anyway.

I guess I pissed a bunch of you off a few days ago with my comments about the fisherman from Louisiana, who kept all the fish they could manage. And yes it does piss me off when people take advantage of what seems like an endless supply of fish. But I can tell you, It Ain't. And while it appeared that I was picking on Louisianans as a whole, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Any of you who know me also know that I love the people, the culture, the food, and even the Saints. And I have kinfolks in LA, and it is not like I have never been there. And maybe my perception is wrong, but the taking of as much game as you can seemed fairly common to me on the trips I have made.

I only got e-mails from conscientious fishermen, who respect the law, rarely keep a bass, and value the tremendous fishing we have here in Texas, and especially Falcon. And by no means am I picking on you. I need YOU on MY side. Peer pressure will do tremendously more to get Poachers to quit what they are doing than any law. Report violations when you see them. I guarantee you I will.

There are also plenty of idiots from Texas, Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, (I could go on and on about the people in DC) Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Marianas Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming who also keep illegal fish. I hold them in the same regard. I hope I didn't leave anyone out.

And let me reiterate my position one more time. It does my business no good to run anyone off from coming into our store. Duh... But I want to be clear. We do everything in our power to help make your voyage to Falcon a fun and successful trip. We share spots, best baits, time of day to fish where, where to eat, where to stay, and places to avoid. We care for your safety. We will get you off the lake if you need help, one way or another. If something breaks we will try and help you get going again. We will do everything we can to the best of our ability to help you have a good trip.

But if you come here to take home a freezer full of illegal fish, I ain't your friend.

Coming to Falcon is like going to Disneyland. I can't tell you how many people in the last year caught their personal best fish ever here. Hundreds. And going to either place you can have a wonderful time. But when you leave Disneyland I don't think it is acceptable to take a torch and cut down the roller coasters. Seems like a good analogy to me..

Please help us protect the God Given Amusement Park we have here.

April 19, 2020: Better bring the cattle out of the flats along the lake.. Falcon has risen six inches in the last 24 hours, and it is my belief that we will catch another eighteen or so before this thing is over. In the last five days we have caught 1.5 feet of water. We are sitting at 291.43 or 9.59 feet low.

And I believe that the big push of water is hitting the lake right now, as the high water mark in Laredo was early yesterday morning. The river is flowing big and muddy on the top of the lake, and while I was at Four Seasons yesterday, you could really see the dirty water influence from a long way off. The south end of the lake may be the better place to fish in the next few days.

We heard of a lot of big fish caught yesterday, and I did real well on Saturday myself. Of course I still whacked them on the Mag Fluke. But the 7" Dinger seems to be the choice of a lot of guides and a lot of other folks as well. Anything in a Watermelon or Green Pumpkin based bait seems to be working well.

Deep fish are stacking up on rockpiles in water from twenty to thirty feet. But there are scads of fish in the shallows. And in many areas you can just lean on the butt seat, and wait for something to smack the surface. And if you can throw anything in the general area within a few seconds, odds are that you are going to get bit.

The Egret pattern is also working well. The shad are thick on the banks in many areas, and you can catch fish by casting at the birds feet. Literally. Look for windblown rocky banks. Doesn't have to be deep water along the bank either. That makes for some fun fishing..

I see that Choke has also caught about five feet of water, and that it is pretty muddy as well. It looks like Amistad has about topped out, and it is sitting at 1115.28. I thought it might catch a bit more.

Pamela Keisler caught this whopper this week. But you already know the Gals catch em here on Falcon too..

Ted Wayland caught this 10.77 while fishing with Jim Edwards. That's a whopper..

Dennis Lee Caught this 10.97 With Jim Edwards too. Same Trip.. Maybe Jim will catch one some day..

I'll keep you abreast of the rising water levels.. Have a great week..

April 16, 2010: All of a sudden South Texas is wetter than a Black Lab at a duck hunt, and there is no sign of it stopping for the next couple of days. And I ain't bitchin'..

I have been watching the water flows on a lot of south Texas rivers this morning, and I got to say, things are looking good for several lakes that need the water.

A small low has been sitting over Del Rio and parts westward, and it had dumped some serious rains in the watershed of Amistad and Falcon. For those of you who do not like the lakes at a high level, you're not gonna like what's happening. Odds are that Amistad will be back at pool level in a few days, and Falcon is going to catch a foot or two from what I can guess looking at the Rio Grande from a computer screen.

The Frio is on a terror and odds are that Choke Canyon will catch a bunch of water.. It may fill up if we get lucky. It has been around ten feet low, give or take for the last year, and it can certainly use the water. It has certainly been fishing small for the last year..

Mathis is around six feet low, but it is liable to be at full pool in a few days as well. But I am not an expert on Mathis. But it is bound to catch a good bit of water.

And Medina Lake, just west of San Antonio, is getting bigger as we speak. It has been way down for a year or more, and there are a lot of folks glad to see it catch some water, especially right before the summer recreation season. I'd love to get over there and catch some of those 12" bullets..

Falcon is sitting at 290.13, up about 2.5 inches in the last couple of days. Amistad is is at 1114.57, up about 6" in the last week. Things are looking good, water wise.

Falcon is still putting out the great numbers of fish, especially if you get on a flipping bite in the shallows. It is my time of year. And don't be surprised if Miss Piggie is laying in the shade of one of those shallow bushes. I've seen it all too often.. Is that possible?

The Texas Bass Federation Nation will be holding a one day affair here tomorrow, and we will be hosting registration here this evening. I hear that they are going to a three fish format and I commend them for that. The water is getting warm. As a matter of fact, I think that all tourneys scheduled after March should go to a three fish limit. We need to police ourselves, if we want to protect the great fishery that Falcon is.

And speaking of tourneys, I just got off the phone with Bill Stipp who ramrods the South Texas Five circuit. Their June event here on Falcon has been moved to the weekend of June 20th. It was originally scheduled for June 6th. Just so you know.

I tickled me to see in the paper that a bunch of "Fishermen" were ticketed at the south end of the lake for having way too many fish in the iceboxes. Bout time.. It is a common occurrence here on Falcon. And it has to stop. These folks were from Louisiana.. Go figure..

I do not understand the mentality of some folks that habitually abuse the limits. I guess there is just not enough food where they come from. And I'm not pointing a finger.. Well Hell Yeah I am.. At those of you that do it! Stop raping our lakes. Limits are generous enough, and they are in place to preserve the fishing for the future. But I guess you guys do not care about that. And if you need to keep that many fish to feed your family then I suggest that you stay at home and sell your new truck and boat and buy hot dogs with the money. You are ignorant.

And you can bet if we hear of any abuse we'll sic the law on you ASAP. And I hope the judge plucks every hair off your ass.

I make my living selling fishing supplies. We pass out info to to help you catch fish freely. In short, we do everything in our power to help you come here and catch fish. But if you come here to abuse our fishery then I would just as soon not have you in our store. I hope we're clear.

Well I've gotta go and get the Aquastick data system updated and reload the new protocols for data transmission to the Shadnick. Looks like we might need to put the system on alert.

April 15, 2010: Holy Cow! Are my taxes due today? And to quote some of the funniest stuff Richard Pryor ever did.. "But your Honor... I forgot!" Judge to Pryor.. "You'll remember next time Mother....."

That was one funny SOB.. But this is supposed to be a fishing report..

On a scale of one to ten, I am going to have to give the fishing an 7.75 or and 8.. But some trips have been a little better or a bit worse.. Now you gotta remember that I am going by Falcon standards. And what I consider good may be great compared to your local standards.. Or it could suck.. I dunno..

Most folks that have fished here a couple of days are doing very well, and most of the fish are being caught in water shallower than eight feet. We went out on Monday evening can caught em good in four feet of water, and caught several in two feet of water.. And I am hearing that from a lot of the guides as well. And if you see a line of egrets sitting on the bank, here's a clue for you.. They ain't there to watch the boats go by. And this is the kind of area that I'm talking about throwing a shallow running crankbait. The shad are piled up in the shallows in a lot of these areas and the bass aren't far away.

But locals who fish the lake all the time are whacking them pretty good. It has not been unusual to hear stories of forty fish in an easy day of fishing. And the numbers bite has been shallow. If you are looking for a monster, I would probably be fishing a little deeper, like ten to twenty, on rocky points and ledges.

The hard bait bite is certainly picking up, and anything in a sexy shad color is in vogue this week. We have a ton of shad in the shallows, and like I said, the fish are up there eating like a fat kid at a carnival. It is post spawn, after all. And just like that fat kid, it is not unusual for them to spew a bit when you get them in or near the boat. I don't see how they can hold another bite but they just keep on eating.. I guess that's how they get to 14" in 14 months.

Do you think Rosie ever went to a carnival?

The flipping bite is very good in a lot of areas, and I hear from most fishermen that have hit the shallows hard that they are catching a lot of fish. And I believe this pattern will put the most fish in the boat right now.

The last few days have been overcast and rainy, and darker colored flipping baits are doing best. Candy bug, Junebug, and Redbug are doing well in the brush hog and big worms. Green Pumpkin Neon Dingers are also catching a lot of fish.

The bite is still pretty light, and any time your line feels slack or mushy it is best to set the hook. Rarely have I been whacked while fishing a soft bait as of late. Jerks are free.

There are a couple of tournaments coming up this summer that you may want to fish. The first is the Border Chapter API tournament, and it is held most years here on Falcon. But there is a stipulation that at least one member of the team be affiliated with the oil and gas industry. Most any connection will work. These folks raise a lot of money for charity in the Zapata and Webb County areas. It has been scheduled for the weekend of June 4-6, and will HQ at Beacon Lodge. Should be a fun event.

The second is a fundraiser for the March of Dimes, and it is called "Fish for Life." It is sponsored by Farmers Insurance Company out of Laredo, and it will be an open tourney. Registration and weigh-in will be at Oso Blanco for this event. But check the rules for eligibility and off limits. I am not sure if guides are allowed to fish either contest.

Both of these tourneys will be team events, with a three fish limit. And that's always a good thing in the summer months. Contact info for both tourneys can be found on our Tourney page.

I must apologize to a few of you that have sent me pics in the last couple of weeks. I have been so busy with our tourney that I have had damn little time to get them posted. But here's a few.

Ralph Celedon's son caught his personal best a few weeks ago. And with Ralph as a guide, I am sure this record won't last long.

10-5

Brad Beasley caught this Rosie a week or so ago..

Here's another Miss Piggie from last week.

And Mr. Paulin caught this beauty a while back. Either they got up early or stayed out late. Either way it looks like Miller time to me..

We have had over 3.5 inches of rain in the last five days, and it is good to get the ground wet around here. It has rained in the valley below us and hopefully we will see the dam plugged up here any second. I did talk to some farmer customers here this week, and they said it was too wet to water and too wet to plow.. Music to my ears. And last night it rained like a cow pissin' on a flat rock north of us and the river is on a bit of a rise between us and Amistad. And good rains are falling as I write in the Amistad watershed. This all bodes well for us here at Falcon. We have had a very unusual sequence of events that has kept us with water that we usually see leave for the valley.

We'll take it any way we can get it..

I hope you have a little money left after paying your taxes, and you can budget a little of it for a trip to Falcon before too long. Because the fishing should not disappoint.

I am ready for the Succession effort for The Great State of Texas to get underway. And when it happens we will welcome all God loving, hard working folks to move to Texas. The rest of you can stay put. As a matter of fact, we will be glad to send you a few new neighbors. I read this article on how a country should be run, and it sounds like a damn fine plan to me. And I can't say that there is anything in there I disagree with. You should read it too. And it's easy to find. Just Google "US Constitution"

You know.. Now that I think about it, Rosie might have been the bearded lady..

See you on the water!

April 13, 2010: Well the chair folding, pot cleaning, trailer hauling, and cleaning up is about over here at FLT. Thank goodness. And I have finally had time to plug in the camera and see what's on here..

So here's a few pics of what happened at the weigh in. Besides wind and a little rain. But it really wasn't too bad..

The all important Captains Meeting.. And prize give away..

Ryan Green accepts $1500 payday for first place. Yep.. That's a grin..

Weigh in at County Ramp.. This would be a good place for a park..

Gary Kaehler with the event's big bass.. 11.24.

Hard not to smile with a little jingle in your pocket.

The Gonzalez boys strike again!

Tom Haralson. Second place for last years winners.. Not too shabby..

The Kempf Brothers.. There's a pair to draw to..

And a special Thanks! to the crew that made it all look so easy..

We'll be back with your regularly scheduled fishing reports very soon.. Thanks to all who fished with us and we had a great time having you here. See you next year.. But hopefully before..

April 12, 2010: Sorry for the delay in getting results posted folks.. But I took the evening off.. Believe me.. I earned it..

The 2010 Bass Blast! is in the books, and it turned out to be a decent day to fish, if you could remove any given hour of the day, depending on which end of the lake you were on . Light rain. Hard rain, and high winds and big waves were all accounted for. But most of them were related to small storm cells and they were not long lasting. And at weigh in time it was about as nice as you could want it. Cloudy but comfy.

Fifty six teams participated this year, up five from the previous. We fed em up good on Saturday night and gave away about sixty five door prizes. I hear the food was good..

Jerry and Ryan Green, a father and son duo, took top honors in this years event, with an three fish sack that weighed in at 27.75 pounds. In case you flunked remedial math, that over a nine pound average. That's pretty salty.

In second was last years winners, Tom Haralson and Mike Bauer, with three fish that weighed 24.17. That's still over an eight pound average, but I guess that won't get it here at Falcon for a three fish event.

And in third by only a few hundredths was the team of James and Tim Griffin. They had 24.14.

In fourth was the team of Jarod Hawkes and Daniel Brock. They had 22.20.

In fifth place was another father and son team. Bubba and Charlie Haralson brought 21.67 to the scales, and that still over a seven pound average for fifth place.

In short , you better pull your panties up if you are going to fish this tournament. And you better be on some Hoss'es if your gonna have a shot at winning it.

I'll be posting the full results later if I can figure this spreadsheet thingy out..

Oh yeah.. I almost forgot. There was a big bass caught yesterday.. Or two. The team of Gary Kaehler and Ryan Walser brought in the biggest fish of the day, and it squashed the scale till it said 11.24. They were awarded a cool $500 for the big fish of the day. That'll buy a new net..

Second big bass was caught by Green and Green.. it was a 10.48.

There were twelve fish weighed that were over eight pounds, by my quick count. And there were a bunch of sevens, some weighed, but most mixed in the bags that did not get weighed individually. It is actually pretty easy to tell the difference between a seven pounder and an eleven.. So we pretty much quit the BB thing after the eleven was weighed..

I'll be posting some pics as soon as I get then out of the camera and processed.

April 9, 2010: Holy Cow! I just looked at the calendar.. The Bass Blast! is only two days away.

But never fear, We're on it.. As a matter of fact, we have a test batch of brisket on the pit.

From the looks of it we should have a good turn out, and the weather just might cooperate. I do see a chance of showers in the forecast, but winds are predicted to be fishable. Depends on which site you look at, but national weather service says east winds at 9 to 11 MPH. That would be a hell of a lot better than last year.. But I would throw my rain gear in the boat. And when you come to registration there will be plenty of parking behind the shop if you find none in front.

I do have a few fish pics to post, but we have been about as busy as we can get with cleaning this place up and taking care of all the last minute details. Hope to see you this weekend! Come Hungry!

April 7, 2010: We are but four days away from the Second Annual FLT Bass Blast!, and it looks like we may get this thing off the ground yet. We have had quite a few of you e-mail and call telling us that you are planning on attending, and I thank you for that. I know there are a lot of you who are still watching the weather, or waiting for your kitchen pass to be issued. I know all about it..

But like I have said in the past, It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.. And I may have said in the past that there are a lot of lawyers out there if you can't get either.. And they need to make a living too. I have a buddy that keeps a divorce attorney on retainer.. Gotta love him..

We have been the 90's this week here in Zapata, and the wind has been a bit of a problem on a few days. But it has been fishable. This afternoon we got the latest of cool fronts thru town, but it is more wind than cool. I was looking at Weather Underground's long range forecast for the weekend, and it looks good from this far off. I guess we'll see. But they are saying that Sunday there is a slight chance of showers, with winds in the eight to thirteen range from the SE. That would be a Godsend. I don't want to look at any other site after reading that. So I am just gonna run with the belief that we are going to have light winds on Sunday. But this is South Texas and things are subject to change.

The door prizes are piling up around here, and we have some good stuff to give away. We should have about sixty door prizes to pass out so be sure and get your name in the hat when you register. If you can't make it to registration on Saturday evening, we will let you enter on Sunday morning starting at six AM. If you don't prepay, you cannot fish. We WILL NOT accept Credit Cards for your entry. This is a 100% payback and cash will be appreciated for your entry.

You can enter whenever you hit town, or at the Registration/Meal/Captains Meeting on Saturday evening. We expect courtesy to be displayed between all contestants, both on and off the lake. This is not The Classic, but we do have a few rules to follow. We will discuss them on Saturday evening. But here's a few of the most important. Anyone caught cheating will be Disqualified, and slandered on this website. No running on plane before safe light. No fishing before 6:30 am. Weigh in will commence at 2:30. If you are not standing in front of me at 3:00 your fish WILL NOT Be Weighed. No Exceptions.

If you have a big fish you want to get back in the lake, call us and we will weigh it for you anytime. We are all about the fish. Please take precautions that will keep your fish alive for a healthy release. And please put plenty of water in your bag when you bring them to the scale. If you see that the line is long ahead of you, please keep your fish in the livewell till we catch up. We will have two scales running so we should handle the weigh in lickety split. And no I am not going to do a five minute interview with you while your fish flop around in the bag. Common sense should get us by. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have. Just ask.

In short, this is a good time tourney, with a little $$ on the line, and some bragging rights. Nothing else. So bring your manners, and leave the Macho at home..

Amistad is releasing about 1200 CFS down the Rio Grande, and Falcon has started to let out a significant amount of water, as release rates are up to 3400 CFS. And we have dropped eight to nine inches in the last couple of weeks. I look for the drop to continue, as the ground is drying out in the valley and in Mexico. Irrigation is underway..

The fish have been very active in the shallows, but some folks are doing better than others, which I guess is about normal. Lots of shallow flipping fish are being caught, but the better fish are still deeper.. Starting to sound like a broken record ain't it?

W/M Red Dingers in the six and seven inch variety's have been doing well. Your favorite brush hog, as long as it is W/M based is doing well when flipped in the shallow bushes. I like the red or the magic.

The Mag Fluke is still my favorite bait on rocky points, but a crankbait will catch them there also. If you see a fish chase a baitfish, and can get you offering there in a few seconds, odds are good that you will catch that fish. I did it the other day and to my surprise the fish was a six plus.. Throw at the splash..

Well I gotta get back outside and finish cleaning up under the Big Top. It's good to clean up once a year.

April 5, 2010: We hope you had a great Easter, and got to spend some quality time with your family and friends. And I hope sometime in the day you gave a bit of thought to what the day means. Cause none of us are going to get out of here alive.. Not in body anyway.

Zapataians love Easter, and it kind of kicks off the local lake use season. And yesterday the Veleno was full of every watercraft known to man.. And the county ramp area was packed with partygoers. And the locals burnt more chicken than Colonel Sanders, and more rubber than Tiger Woods.. These folks love taking off in a hurry..

Fishing remains very good here on Falcon, and numbers of fish caught are on the rise. Water temps yesterday during the cloudy morning were in the 70 degree range, and that bodes well for the activity of the fish. And finally, we are seeing a lot of bait fish in the shallows. Now might just be a good time to chunk that lipless crankbait.. Sexy shad could be a good color..

Most of these chasing fish are in the two to three pound range but what they may lack in size, they make up for in mean. And it is big fun to catch them on the moving bait. But I am still not throwing one. They can also be caught on a variety of soft baits, and that is what I prefer. But the guy with me yesterday wore them out pretty good on a hard bait.

These fish can be found on a lot of main lake and big secondary points, most anywhere there is rock.. If the wind is blowing on it, it is mucho mas better.. These same areas can also be fished with a Carolina rig, or with any bait you can drag along the bottom. A jig will get em' too.

We also flipped a lot of brush in the back of some major creeks and caught the hell out of them there on fence lines and isolated trees. A cluster of brush and hardwoods, and or fenceposts were key to locating the fish in the shallow water. I just love yanking them out of the trees.. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.. It is finally my time of year here on Falcon.

I like it so much I wrote poem abut it..

I think that I will never see,

A thing as lovely as a tree.

Surrounded by water,

and all wrapped in brush,

A super dense thicket,

It creates such a rush.

When you pitch in your worm,

and feel that subtle tick,

It makes certain parts of me,

Get hard as a brick.

And a split second later,

In the blink of an eye,

Your rod is bent double,

That sow's on the fly!

And you look at your partner,

And you let out a yell,

"Get the net, you Moron!

This one's bigger than hell!"

And of course this fish knows,

Where every twig lies,

As she weaves you a blanket,

and says "Try that for size!"

And it's over so quickly,

You can hardly believe,

That your fifty pound's broken,

That's hard to conceive.

So you turn to you partner,

He's Laughing, holding the net.

And he says something smart like,

"Do you need this thing yet?"

So you get out you hook box,

And start to retie,

And you see the next bush

Out of the corner of your eye.

And you know that it's risky,

And that you might not win,

But you know you can't help,

Droppin' it in there again.

I better quit.. I could go on forever.. But my Iambic Pentameter may melt down and I'd start talking about the fishing tax or something.

We are starting to drop a bit in water level, and we have lost about five inches of water the way I read it. My water reports from the IWBC have spotty here lately, but I know the lake has lost some water. We are sitting at 290.40 as of this afternoon.

I still caught a good number of fish on the Mag Fluke on my last two trips, and it is my favorite open water bait right now. The Brush Hog is My number one flipping bait.

Strike King is coming out with a new Rage Craw, and it is called the Falcon Special. We had a few prototypes and we flipped with it yesterday.. Wish I had some more.. Supposed to have some by this weekend. It's got a crazy coffee/sweet smell and fish seem to dig it. And hopefully we will have some to give away this weekend at the Bass Blast!.

And while yall think we are goofing off over here, we are diligently working to get everything ready for your visit. But a man gotta fish sometime..

Fishing is good! Get your self down here!

April 1, 2010: There has been more wind around here than we like.. And if you are here, or were here, you probably didn't like it either. Thought maybe the democrats were in Laredo giving a speech or something.

The daytime highs are getting nice though, and we have had some temps in the eighties lately. And by three O'Clock yesterday, we had water temps in the 70 degree range. They were in the neighborhood of 66-67 in the AM. But finding an area to fish was a bit interesting, as a solid fifteen MPH wind was blowing, with some hat removal gusts every now and then. Welcome to spring in South Texas.

When I was a kid, I did a lot of fishing out of an aluminum Lone Star fourteen footer. With a fifteen horse Evinrude.. That was a fish catching rig, let me tell you. But in my adult years I have found that a boat that is fast enough to blow your hat off, usually will. I guess I am in my adult years.. I dunno...

But back to the matters at hand. The fishing remains strong here at the pond. Most all fishermen are doing quite well, and some are really whacking them. Yesterday was a little tougher on the open water fishermen, and today is going to be no different. But those who have toughed it out are doing pretty darn good.

I continue to get reports of a good crankbait bite, but I am still not throwing one. I am in love with the Mag Fluke. I threw the Baby Bass yesterday, and it worked well for me. We spent the day in the Salado and the Mexican Chapote, as these are some of the most protected areas from a South East gale. And we caught a good number of fish in both places. I did fish the W/M Brush hog in the bushes in the Chapote.. That is a fish catching bait.. Don't leave home without it.. We had a 7-2 and a 6 even for the two biggest fish, and our best five were only about 26-27 pounds. But it is fun to whack them out of the bushes.. But we did not catch any hogs.

Speaking of hogs, I saw Kirstie Alley on a promo on TV the other day. And I think she has been buying her clothes at a tent sale. And I don't mean that she bought normal apparel there.. I think she was wearing the tent. Maybe she is just retaining water.. I don't know.. I don't think "Mayday" Malone would hit on her anymore.. Whatever happened to good, wholesome TV shows like 'Cheers'? I guess they went out of vogue cause all the characters were straight..

I hear that the Federal Government is going to reform the Porta-Pottie industry next. Finally something they know something about. And it will have a two-fold benefit, as they will be able to suck up all the $&@! they are spreading..

All right.. Back to fishing..

Rodney Berger Whacked this Whopper.

Nice fish Brett.

Another nice fish..

Most of the better fish are still coming from deeper water, or at least water that is close to deep water. And there is definitely a wave of big fish hitting the spawning grounds right now. Think rock when you are fishing..

Don't forget to e-mail me if you are planning on fishing the tournament next weekend. Things are taking shape as the date approaches. I only have about one thousand details to finish up... See you soon!

March 30, 2010: Things are a little out of control around here. In the last day we have gotten reports of six stringers over forty pounds, and seen numerous pictures of some serious pigs.. And I'm not talkin about no talk show hosts.. Pics will be posted soon.

The big bite is on and with this full moon I believe we finally have the water temps to support a big movement of late spawners out of the deep water to the shallows.. And I believe it is in full bloom right now. EVERYONE I talked to caught fish yesterday. Several of them said they had the best day of their lives.. I believe it.. I have been whacking them too.. And If I can catch them, you can too.

Any rocky point or ledge can be holding some quality fish right now. But rock with a few mixed in bushes on a main lake or major creek bank can be awesome.. I'm not kidding..

I have been doing very well with a Carolina rigged Mag fluke, you pick the color. But W/M Magic is my favorite. Baby Bass and W/M Red will work just as well. I have caught them from three feet to fifteen feet deep, but the common denominator is rock.

The bite is light, and fishing it slow is a good idea. After hearing all the hoopla from all the early in fishermen yesterday, I decided to go out about 4:30. Didn't go far.. I took Lawson with me again, and we were back by 7:30. We had 32-10 for our best five.. I had a 7-13, and Lawson shattered his two week old PB with a fish that went 9-13.. I gotta start charging this kid.. I better at least get my truck waxed..

The lake is holding steady more or less, at 10.33 feet low. Water temps are up to 70-72 in the afternoons, and the fish like it. We are at least a month behind in maintaining a 70 degree water temperature.

Most of the fish I have caught in the last week have not spawned yet. As was the case with all the bigger fish we caught yesterday. And these fish were in 12 to 16 feet of water on top of rocky ridges. Most were beat up and several of the tails were worn to the quick.. The fish in the pic above was still full of eggs..

I don't know how long this spell of big fish will last. We'll see.

The shallow flipping bite is still doing fine, and any thicket that makes a shadow on these sunny days can hold fish. Most of these fish are running in the two to four pound range, but occasionally there will be a fattie mixed in. Brush Hogs and Lizards will catch these fish, and I hear that the Plum Mag Lizard is a good choice. Lizards are always good this time of year.

The FLT Bass Blast! is less than two weeks away, and it appears that we might have a few folks that want to fish it. You should join us if you can. It looks like the fishing should be good. Please let me know if you plan to attend so I can get a handle on how many of you we need to feed. Just drop me an e-mail if it looks like you are heading our way. I'd rather give away a few briskets than run out.. We will have some good door prizes and you can register any time here at the store between now and then. The meal will be served from 5-7 on Saturday evening, and we will have an informal captains meeting and give away the goodies around 6:00.

It's up to 65 degrees... I'm outta here..

March 27, 2010: There was a little chop on the water this morning, due to a light SE wind, but it wore off about 10:30 and the conditions were near perfect. Till the North wind kicked in.. But it remained light till the time I got off the water. Which was a little after three..

I left the shop at at about 9:30 and hit the water for a while. I needed some sun.. I don't want to be no pasty skinned Texan..

After beating a few fillings lose on the way to OPEC, I got in some protected water, near the roadbed that runs from School Bus to OPEC. And I caught a few on the road between the bridges. But they were 2-3 pounders. One on a brush hog, and one on a fluke. I had not fished that area in a while, but I heard that there were some fish coming from the flats in that area. It was So-So for me. So I decided to head for a rockpile near marker seven. But someone decided to head there before me.. And I headed farther south.

There were a lot of boats sitting on the famous rockpiles and ledges out around marker nine too. Must be some fish on them. I have not fished them lately. But I would if I did not have to take a number.

I stopped in the flats across from marker six on the Mexican side, and flipped a bunch of bushes in the five to eight foot range with no success. I had fished there a couple of weeks ago with good luck, but today was a bust.

So I headed farther south, to a point across from the Tigers on the Mexican side, where there was a lot of rock and bushes on the main lake. On my second cast I caught a 6-4, on a Carolina rigged Mag Fluke in W/M Magic. I love that bait. On my second cast to the same place I missed one on the hookset. On my third cast I caught a 7-2. I was starting to think I was on to something. I will be the first to admit that I suck when it comes to fishing a rig, as I missed the next two not getting them stuck. But by then I knew I WAS on to something. I cast back to the same area and immediately got bit. Landed a 8-14. I was sure she was a ten, but that damn scale thing got in the way. About two casts later, I got a hit before I clicked the reel on a long cast. And she took off swimming with it before I could set the hook. I told you I suck at fishing a C-Rig. Anyway, this fish about 20 pounds jumped out of the water and spit the bait.. Ok.. She was at least seven or eight.. But definitely a quality fish.

So after some cussing and whining, and rebaiting, I was ready to go again. And about that time the wind switched to the North. And I was kind of drifting in a different direction all of a sudden and I had a lot of slack in my line. And of course I had a fish swimming with the bait.. That I couldn't catch up with.. And of course she spit the hook on top while I was trying to overcome a lot of slack.. Dammit.. Another good fish..

So I fished for fifteen minutes without a bite. Damn North wind.. And then I saw a fish chasing a shad a little shallower on the point. So I headed that way.. And I caught one about three, one about four, and a 5-2, that I did weigh. On three consecutive casts. But then the shallow bite quit. And I moved back to the end of the point. On my second cast on the end of the point I caught a monster.. A ten for sure.. But the damn scale said 9-2..

I was getting a bit giddy by this time so I got a beer to calm my nerves. It was crazy.. I caught two or three more fish in the next twenty minutes, but nothing over four pounds. So I opened another beer an cruised back to the Veleno at beer speed.. But right now.. It is still hard to keep a smile off my face.. Thank you Lord for the wonderful day..

So my best five went 38-14.. Still short of that 40 pound bag I have been chasing.. But I think I had a 40 pound bag on.. Did I tell you I suck at fishing a rig??

I have been blessed in the last two weeks to have caught two of the best stringers I have ever caught in my life.

I love this lake..

March 26, 2010: It's a beautiful day here in Zapata, and the warmer weather yesterday got the fish moving again. Of course the warm afternoon was accompanied by a lot of wind. But a lot of folks toughed it out and were rewarded for their efforts. Good numbers of fish were reported yesterday evening, and the last week or so, the better fishing has seemed to occur in the late afternoon. And fishing from four till dark has been very productive.

Water temps were reported by many to be in the 69-72 degree range, depending on where you were. Some protected pockets are even warmer. And with the higher water temps, there is definitely a higher activity level from the fish. We are pretty much holding steady in the water level department, and we are right at 10 feet from full. Water clarity is excellent on the lower and middle half of the lake, and a bit darker on the top and in the river. The Salado has some clear areas, but a lot of it is a bit dirty.

The W/M Senko, in most any size has outsold any other bait the last week. The Brush Hog is still doing very well, and the crankbait bite is most definitely improving. With the warming water, we are just starting to see some schooling activity on points and rocky banks. The shad are just starting to make their pilgrimage to the shallows. I believe that if the water stays up around 70 degrees, we will see a lot of bait in the shallows very soon.

Most of the better fish are still deeper than eight feet, but occasionally you will catch a good one in the shallow bushes. The bite on flipping baits has still been very light, so if it feels like your bait is stuck in a mushy pile of Pelosi, then set the hook. It is very likely that a fish has a hold of it. Jerks are free..

I hear that Lake Casa Blanca in Laredo put out a 14 plus a day or two ago. But I have not heard of a lot of DD fish caught here in the last couple of days. But good numbers have been reported. I do have some pics to post and will at the first opportunity.

Fishing is good.. Get down here this weekend if you can.. And hopefully this cool front on the way will not be too bad.. But this Pelosi is getting old..

See you on the water!

March 24, 2010: Maybe I'm getting to old to fish hard two days in a row.. Cause I'm tired.. Or at least I was after we got off the water yesterday. But I am back in the shop and back to work.. If you can call it that.

In the last two days I fished from the back of the Goose Bay to the Oxbow in the river. And anything that looked good in between. With mixed results.

Most of the fish we caught were caught flipping the shallow bushes, in about six feet of water. The better fish we caught, save one, came from ridge tops in about 12-14 feet of water, with a drop very near..

The Berkley blue fleck power worm in the seven incher worked for my partner, but I did about the same with the Ol Monster and the Brush Hog.

The lake had cooled to about 63 degrees on Monday morning, but it was a beautiful day to fish, and that's the day we ran most of the lake. Yesterday was a beautiful day... If you own a wind farm. And a lot of the water I wanted to fish was in unprotected areas, or the boat ride to them was more than I was wiling to endure.. I told you I am getting old.. We did fair both days, and probably could have caught more numbers if we would have stayed in the shallow bushes, but I was after something bigger than three pounders. Still haven't gotten my buddy his first ten pounder either.. My tip was poor..

The lake water today is back in the 70 degree range, so I believe we should see more activity from the fish. There is still not a lot of shad in water less than ten feet deep, so there has been little schooling and chasing activity that I have seen. And I still have not witnessed and kind of shad spawn. Please let me know if you have.. When these shad get on the bank, you will see egrets and cranes lining the bank like for the free buffet like people lining up for their free government handouts. I'm still waiting on my stimulus check..

And I was so glad to see the Health Care Bill get passed. Because it is bound to be the answer to all of our problems here in the USA. Here's how I see it..

All the people who cannot, or who do not want to purchase health care insurance, are the same people who do not have it now. Some by choice. Some because they simply cannot afford it. And some because they are just too lazy to work.

Those who are just too lazy to work, are already on welfare and food stamps. And that is a hell of a lot of people. And that is the crowd that will fix the system.. Because the law says that if you do not buy insurance, you are going to be fined $750. And being that these people don't have the money to pay the fine, they will have to be incarcerated. Bang! Suddenly all our construction companies are swamped building new jails to hold all the criminals. And all the suppliers of materials will instantly get a boost. And we will have a shortage of jailers and cafeteria cooks. And the trickle down effect will kick in and the economy will be fixed in a jiffy.. And not to mention that many of the people who do not want to work are living in Government free housing and when they go to jail that will be a big savings too. And we won't have to have the police at all the government housing and that alone will be enough savings to reduce the road use tax on each gallon of gasoline, giving the people more money to spend on all other kinds of Chinese crap and that will keep Wal-Mart strong and the stock market will be back to 12,000 in no time..

And you thought Obamma didn't know what he is doing..

Truthfully, I think this thing is a farce; unconstitutional, and one of the most insulting ideas that has come down the pike. But I guess that they will do at least as good a job with it as they have with, Social Security, Medicare, Medicade, and the Postal Service.. They're all broke.. But I am sure they'll do better this time..

I started this report this AM at 9:00.. It is now 5:45.. Been a bit busy.. Will actually give you a fishing report in the am.. Better fishing reported this PM.. W/M Red anything.. Go Figure..

March 21, 2010: Just about the time I say that the fishing is awesome, we get a couple of back to back cold fronts and here we go into the cold water syndrome again. The 72 degree water we saw a few days ago has disappeared into the past and our water has turned back into something a little cooler. Water temps are around 64 degrees this morning, and I hope the warmer forecast will come to be and the water temps will climb the ladder accordingly.

But all that being said, the fishing has still been decent. Of course you had to deal with a steady 25-30 mile per hour wind ALL DAY yesterday. And many did not have the desire to go for the ride in the mix-master. Can't say I blame them. Yesterday you got shaken and stirred. Oh yeah.. And wet.. We had the same squall line blow thru Zapata in the morning, and it poured for a few minutes. But it did relent about 11:00. We saw a lot of wet folks midday. But it was beautiful before the front hit about 10:00. And the fish were biting.

The Good Times tournament fished yesterday here on Falcon, with about 40 participants. And the results were surprisingly good for the conditions. There were two stringers over twenty eight pounds, a couple of twenty sevens, and a bunch of twenties. It was a team event.

Today is beautiful with high skies and light SW winds. This week is looking good, according to the weather guessers. We are supposed to be in the Eighties this week, and we should return to an active fish pattern.

We are still catching a bit of water, and we have climbed to 290.9, or 10.12 feet low.

Spring Break is winding down, and a lot of folks are putting it on the trailer for the last time this AM. And some of the travelers did real good, and a few of them struggled. But that sounds like fishing to me.

I am not sure what state of the spawn we are in around here. I have gotten a lot of reports about spawned out fish, and reports of deeper fish that are still egg laden. But it is certainly still going on. I have caught a few of both.

I have a buddy coming into town the next few days, and we are going to be on the water like a hen on a cricket. So I will have a bit more first hand info to pass along. And the odds are that I just might go visit a few ledges where I caught a few fish last week. I do have a theory or two.. Of course if we do any good we will have a few 8x10 glossys with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back describing the alleged incident. I look forward to getting out. And the nice weather.

Ian Leybas Caught this 10-2 this week.

Brian Choate caught this big nine a couple of days ago.

Senkos and Lizards are doing very well, and the Mag Fluke is still a big fish bait. A Carolina rigged anything caught a lot of fish over the weekend, and it will day in and day out. I'm still not throwing one. And I know I sound like a broken record, but Watermelon Red is still the king. I have heard that the Ol monster in a variety of colors is catching fish. But I have been hung up on the Fluke lately. If the water warms back up a bit, I am confident that the shallow flipping bite will be on again like it was last week. If we can keep the fronts off us for a while it should be nuts.. We were, by the way, in the very low forties this morning.

The FLT Bass Blast! is approaching rapidly, and it sounds like there is some interest to fish it out there. It is three weeks from today.. We are taking care of the details, and we will give it our best effort to make it fun for all. And the door prizes are still rolling in and we will have some nice goodies to give away. Come join us if you can. Check out our sponsors on the link above. Thanks to all of them by the way! We are still working with ABC to have the weigh in Televised live. But we are still arguing over who will pay for the liquor for the event.. We could be at an impasse.

Rosie is checking her calendar to see if she can make it to the event to model her new line of string Bikinis. We will try and have something for everyone..

March 16, 2010: It was a little rainy and cool yesterday, and of course the wind blew pretty good most of the day. But that did not stop the fish from biting, I hear. But it did lower the water temps back down to 66 or so. I personally believe that when we hold 70 the fishing will be strong. So far today I have gotten mixed results. It is 3:30 as I type.

I was surprised, although I don't know why, that it is this busy here this week. It is after all, spring break for a lot of schools, and we are seeing a lot of families here enjoying the time off and the good fishing. Lots of Moms and kids here, not just the hairy legs. And no, I'm not talking about French women.. I did date a French girl once.. But it didn't work out.. She kept leaving hair on my stick deodorant. But I digress..

Falcon is still inching up ever so slowly, and we are just below 10 feet low. And for a visual, the island on the east side of the Veleno bridge is just about covered up, with just about no rock out of the water. It's the ultimate natural 10' low water gauge. It has been a long time since we have gained water in the spring, or at least the early spring. And nobody is happier to see it than me.

There are bass fry in the lake in a lot of places. A lot of places. And with the constant water levels and cover that we have in the water our survival of the hatch should be fantastic.

Bait fish are just starting to inhabit the shallows, and I plan on starting my cast net survey the first week in April. Not too scientific.. But effective. It is interesting to see the size and growth rate of the baby bass. And I'll keep you updated on their progress. Of course they do not have born on dating like Budweisers, but it is good fun to watch them grow.

The FLT Bass Blast is drawing nearer, and I am hard at work collecting goodies to give away. Should be fun, and the prize list is growing every day. Let me know if you are planing on attending so I can plan to feed you. I'd hate to have to give you a Cole slaw sandwich if you got here late..

We are looking forward to seeing you here..

Brian Anderson

Yep.. That's a Rosie all right.. Ervin Davis caught this 10-12 this week.

Here's a nice 11-8 caught by Len Larson.

And Phyllis Davis caught this beautiful fish that went 10-6.. Yep... Another Rosie..

It's nor 6:43 and the reports for today have been fair. Both boat ramps are crowded on either end of the lake.

I was just thinking.. If you got Rosie at Center, and Big O and Wynona at the guards, you'd have the makings of a damn good interior line. Are you listening Jerry?? Just thinking out loud..

Just saw the weather and I see another bad front is headed our way this weekend.. Windy and Cold.. Global warming huh.. I was just about to buy a Prius.. But screw it.. I'm getting the Excursion with the V-10..

See you on the water..

March 14, 2010: What could possibly be keeping you from coming to Falcon? Because the fish are going berserk. At least they have for the last week or so. Are you worried about losing your job? Hell half the country is unemployed.. And Obamma is gonna print you some more money anyway.. Scared of getting divorced?? Hell, there's lawyers everywhere.. Get yourself down here.. The time is now..

Last time we talked I said I was going to get out and sample the fishing.. And I did .. Three days in a row. Or at least three afternoons in a row. On Thursday, I got the wife to watch the store for a bit, and I left at 12:30 and was back by 4:00. I had twenty bites, got sixteen in the boat, and missed the other ones due to phone calls. A couple of em anyway. I fished in Blanco.. Shallow.. Lots of smaller fish, with the best one going about five pounds.

On Friday evening, a couple of Buddys came into town, and I felt obliged to take them out for a quickie and get their line stretched. We went back to Blanco and whacked them pretty good. But a Hoover don't pick up as much on the second pass as it does on the first. And after we moved a bit we got on em pretty fair. But our biggest fish was still about four pounds.

On Saturday I was delayed in getting on the water till about two O'Clock. FLT had a float in the parade here at the Zapata County Fair. I watched the store. My parade wave is not that good, and they did not want ugly people scaring the children. I hear it was pretty wild.. It took me an hour to get all the decorations off the boat, but after that was done, my nephew Lawson and I put her on the water.

And on a hunch, our first stop was on a deeper ledge, with about fourteen feet of water on top, dropping to about thirty on the edge. And it got a little crazy. I was out of position on the first cast, but on the second, I caught a Fat four pounder. On the third, I caught a six. On the fourth, I caught a five and a half. Lawson was doing a good job of lippin em'.. And he finally figured the bite out and caught a five pounder.. We move to another rocky deep point, and we caught a few more, but nothing over three pounds. So we headed to the shallows and flipped a few bushes and caught a few fish. But nothing to brag about.

About 4:30, I thought it would be a good idea to try that first ridge again. So we headed back and set up on the same spot. Lawson missed a couple while I was fooling with re-tying. And then he caught a fish about six. I got re-rigged and chunked it out there. And I caught one about seven on the first cast. We started looking at each other like is this really happening? And then we went on a terror.. In the next thirty minutes we caught three eights, several six to sevens, and a ten pounder to top it off. We quit weighing and taking pictures.. It was awesome. And it was the heaviest stringer I have ever caught on Falcon by myself. Between thirty eight and nine pounds. Lawson also had a personal best fish and personal best heavy stringer.. I didn't even charge him.. But maybe I can get my truck washed..

8-2

I knew all those guys that had been telling me all those fishing stories were smiling too much to be lying to me. It is "ON" here at Falcon.

In one week, our water temps have come up ten degrees. And currently surface water temps are running right around seventy degrees. Higher in a few spots.

And the lake is still climbing the banks as we are up to 290.87, or 10.15 feet low.

Shallow fish seem to be everywhere, and fishing main lake or big creek brush lines is producing a lot of fish. The flats across from Beacon, and the flats in Opec are loaded with fish in the three pound range. But consistent big fish are still a bit deeper it seems, and a lot of the guides are fishing somewhat deeper. Of course there are some fishing the shallows as well. If I was guiding, I would take you out there in the shallows till you had a sore spot on your belly, and then we'd go sit on some deeper points and drop offs looking for a toad.

There has been no reported violence on the lake, either on the Texas or the Mexico sides. But there is still a lot of Chaos and Killing going on in Mexico. And we still do not recommend that you venture into Mexico by land.

I don't think you could have a bad trip right now. The fishing has really been that good. And I don't say that all that often. We are supposed to get a little cool front thru here tonight, and highs are supposed to dip a bit. But it should be short lived. Late in the week looks good.

Watermelon red is still a great bait.. I don't care what bait as long as it is watermelon red. Plum is also working well. But if you had a new bait out and wanted to make a video of fish eating it, now would be the time to bring it to Falcon..

Are you starting to get my drift??

But the day we were whacking them on the ledge, we were throwing the Mag Fluke. Ran out of W/W Magic, so we went to the Mardi Gras.. Till we ran out.. Then The Baby Bass got em too.. Did I tell you that the fish are biting here on Falcon?

10-1. Some folks had to wait longer than others to catch their first ten pounder.. Congrats.

Andrew Claymon caught a bunch of nice fatties while he was at Falcon.. I think he wants to come back..

Chad Brantley caught this Rosie Style Bass this week.. There's been a lot of them caught.

Well.. I gotta go.. Oprah is going to have Ellen Degenerate on today and I don't want to miss out on finding out who proposed to who.. And there's always the possibility that O could eat one of her guests.. Don't want to see that on no rerun..

March 11, 2010: I know it has been a while since I wrote, but I have had a bit of Ranch work to get done. If it has four legs, then it takes some time to feed it, fence it, doctor it, and haul it.. And I ain't talking about no piano.. And my nephew asked why it was necessary to castrate young bull calves.. As my Dad used to say, "It takes their mind off ass, and puts it on grass." But I digress.. this is supposed to be a fishing report..

And there's plenty to report. When I left town last Sunday, our water temps were about 60 degrees. Today most water you will find in the middle of the creeks is in the mid to upper sixties. And there are pockets of seventy degree water in lots of spots in the afternoons. And the fish have responded.

Yesterday evening most everyone I talked to said they had better fishing the last two days than in the last two months. Yes Margaret, spring has sprung. Lots of fish in the shallows, albeit most of them are under five pounds. But occasionally a giant is coming from the knee deep water. This IS Falcon..

The lake continues it rise, and as of this morning, we are sitting at 290.66, or 10.36 low. Amistad is at 1116.66, or 2.34 feet low. Amistad is still releasing a lot of water, at over 4000 CFS, and we are gaining about an inch a day, give or take. There is a lot of water in the Rio Conchos chain, but nothing that has motivated the Mexicans to release water from Luis Leon. It is at 108% of pool, but that is not uncommon. They are releasing some water from Boquilla into Luis Leon.. I'm sure these crafty rascals have a game plan.. But who the hell knows what it is.. But we'll take the water, as I am sure it will not have a long life in Falcon.

What is awesome is that we got skipped on the major drawdown in January and February this year, as the valley was soaking wet. Many of the farmers I talk with say that it was too wet to plant in a lot of areas. And I am sure that a lot of them are just now getting in the fields. So we should not see a big water drop for a little while.

And that equals good survival of the fry again this year, as we still have a lot of thick cover in the lake. We did loose a whole lot of great brood fish this year, due to the morons who are killing fish over three pounds. I hear they are emptying the gut barrels at the state park twice a day.. And lots of five and up fish are being killed. And I have personally heard of several groups cleaning way over their limits every time they can. And I have passed on what info I can to the Game Wardens. This has to stop. If you see someone throwing every fish in the box, or cleaning more than he should. Call Me. I'll get the wardens there..

I hear the the shallows are gaining numbers of bait fish too, and that there are some schooling fish in spots. Crankbaits have caught a lot of these fish and should continue to do so. Flipping bushes in the area of six feet is producing a lot of fish. I heard from several boats yesterday that they easily caught thirty to forty fish. And a few boats reportedly did better.

Watermelon Red Senko style baits, you name the brand, are catching a lot of fish. As are the brush hog and the lizard. Baits with gold fleck are also still doing very well. And the spinner bait bite is definitely picking up.

In short, the water has warmed to the point where the fish are actually comfortable in the shallows, and it is about to go nuts I believe. But it is surely better fishing today, than any time in the last few weeks.

We are supposed to have a beautiful stretch of weather headed thru this weekend, with highs in the eighties, and no chance of rain. Today is awesome. Wish I was out there. Tomorrow looks the same. Think I will be out there.

Roy Berger caught this beauty this week. And it ain't the first whopper he has caught..

11-11 Pounds..

Gerald Stevens caught this 10-15 earlier this week as well..

And Gordon Vest caught this strange looking fish. I didn't know fish liked paintball..

Better get yourself down here and get you some.. Fishing a little extra is a good thing, if you can get away with it. Hell, golfing a little extra is a good thing.. But don't be like Tiger.. I think he was playing a few too many extra holes..

March 6, 2010: Holy Crap! I was just looking at the weather forecast for the coming week and I can't believe what I saw.. Highs in the eighties? Sunshine?? No way.. It's only a month or more late.

But today is another winner down here, with light mist and rain but fishable winds. Long as you don't mind getting a little wet. And I hear the fish are biting. I'll wait till next week when the sun is out to go and beat on em..

Things have slowed down a bit here this weekend, but there are still a lot of fishermen in town. We heard some stories of fifty fish boats yesterday, but ten to twenty was more the average. And we did weigh a couple of tens for some folks whose scales did not work. And we heard of a few more.

The 7" Dinger or Senko in W/M Red seems to be the hot seller right now, but anything W/W Red is still catching fish. If I was fishing this dark day I would be throwing the OL Monster in Plum. Can't beat it on Falcon on a dark day. Most fish in the five to seven feet of water range are in the two to four pound range, but more and more of them are showing up shallow. And the bigger fish are still a bit deeper in most areas. But this is Falcon in the spring, and any cast in any depth or cover could produce a whopper.

We got this new brush hog in last week, and we gave a few buddies an assignment to test it. And it appears to be showing some promise. It is called Smoke Purple Glitter, and I believe it is the most Tilapia looking color of any soft plastic I have seen.. You might want to pick up a bag and give em a try. I haven't got one wet yet, but I am going to have to, given the reports I have gotten.

Did I tell you it is supposed to get up into the eighties this coming week? Here's what I'm thinking. Our lows are supposed to be in the sixties. It is going to be cloudy and wet thru Tuesday, but highs in the upper seventies. On Wednesday the sun is going to be out and as well on Thursday and Friday. I'm getting goose bumps.. If this scenario holds true, we should have surface water temps in the middle to upper Sixties by next weekend. And I believe it could be Katie Bar the Door when that happens. (So if you show up at FLT and the door is barred you will know I put Katie to work..)

I am really looking forward to my first sunburn of the year.

Things are shaping up for the Second Annual FLT Bass Blast! Tourney, and the door prizes are rolling in. We will again have a lot of goodies, to include tackle bags, rods, baits, and accessories. We will also have a bunch of two night motel stays in Zapata, gift certificates from local restaurants, and a bunch of guided fishing trips to give away.. And I don't mean you have to fish with me.. I am talking about guides you have heard of. Who actually catch fish. Anyone who enters the tournament will be eligible to win. But you must be at the Registration/Captains meeting for the drawing..

And of course we will be feeding you some good groceries during the registration hours. Talk to your partners and try and make it down to fish with us. And if you are pretty much planning on being here shoot me an e-mail so we can try to plan on how many of you we need to feed. My e-mail address is James@FalconLakeTackle.com

The weigh in will be at the County Ramp from 2:30 till 3:00. If you're not standing in front of me at 3:00 I will not weigh your fish. It's a simple rule.. And one that will not be broken. Of course we take the health of the fish very seriously. If I ask you to wait a minute or two to bring your fish up, please be patient. But we will have two scales running and we will get you in and out in a jiffy. And we will weigh a giant any time of the day if you need to bring her in. We will give you a contact number at registration to call if you need to get a big bass back in the water.

Call us if we can help you in any way!

March 4, 2010: It's Thursday and here we go headed into the weekend already. If you are planning a weekend trip you might as well just leave now because you aren't going to get anything done anyway. I wonder what the time lost factor due to an upcoming fishing trip is.. Gotta be phenomenal.. Two hour lunch breaks spent at Academy or Bass Pro looking for that secret bait.. Keeping that spread sheet minimized and surfing the net for the latest fishing and weather reports.. Telling the boss you have a dentist appointment on Friday afternoon... Yeah.. Right.. Never seen anybody in such a good mood that was going to the dentist.. And when you smoked the tires leaving the office parking lot it was pretty much a dead give away that you're not headed to get a root canal..

Winds for today were predicted to be 10-15 from the SE.. They got the SE part right.. But add ten to the high number.. It's an easy 15 steady with some nice gusts.. I was just looking at some of my recent reports and I seem to bitch about the weather a lot.. Must be old age setting in..

We heard of some good and some bad yesterday, but most everyone is catching fish. The wind is controlling where you might fish on most days. Today being no exception.

Watermelon red is still hotter than a Three Peckered Billy Goat, and I guess it is no surprise. It is a standard here on Falcon and most of south Texas. The Brush Hog, Senko, and Lizard all seem to be working well. Watermelon Candy and Green pumpkin baits are also working well.

I did talk to a couple of groups that did well with crankbaits, and the Tilapia pattern, or Slick in the Norman seem to be working well also on deep tree lines on long points and edges of channels.. Sounds like Bass Fishin 101..

I do believe that if you get your favorite bait and get out there and show it to them you will catch some fish. I keep thinking the spinner bait bite is about to take off but I can't say that it is the best way to fish just yet. Of course that is just my opinion and there might be a few folks that disagree with me. Some folks are doing OK on Spinners.. But it ain't me..

Falcon is still gaining some water, and we are up to just about 11 feet from full.. Water temps are still in the very low 60's in the PM, and we just can't seem to get it up.. I guess you could call our water temps pretty limp right now.. Just hanging around.. The river is swelling a bit though, as water continues to make its way down from Amistad. We'll see how long it can keep it up. Hopefully soon it will come to a head and we will shoot up to a firm 70 degrees.. Then watch out as the shad will charge the shallows and it will be on..

The FLT Bass Blast! is approaching rapidly, and we are working on all the details. I'm a little anal when it comes to taking care of details, as I don't like things going wrong due to poor preparation. We plan on having the most efficient weigh in on record. Again.. We will have at least two scales, and we'll go thru sacks of fish like Oprah thru a box of twinkies..

We are going to hold the Weigh-in at the County Ramp, mostly because there is just more room. There is also a lot of room to beach your boat on the west side of the lot and that is where we plan to set up camp. We will have a fish care tank to take care of any fish that might need help. We will also show anyone who is interested how to properly "Fizz" a fish that needs it. We will be only be weighing three fish, so with two livewells and some in the boat care we should kill a minimum number of fish. Please help us out by baby-sitting your fish to the best of your ability.

You will be able to trailer from anywhere on the lake, and we should have enough room to do an efficient job with those who trailer. We are working on a live telecast of the weigh in on ABC, and since Tiger is not on Sunday afternoons anymore we might have a chance. We've already got a Satellite..

The parade of big fish keep coming here on Falcon, and here's a few more pics that have been brought/sent in..

The big bass from the 19th annual Humpie Howie Big Bass tournament was caught by William "Snake" Franklin. It weighed in at 10.26 pounds. Second place was a 6.80..

Jim Davis Caught this 12-8 a few days ago. I am going to start teaching a photo class called "Making yours look bigger". It's all right to get on the front deck when taking the pic.. That fish slime will wipe right off the camera lens. I learned all these things back when I worked in the Porn industry..

Marcus Gunter caught this 9-15 last week also. I like the shadow effect in this pic.. Don't be late for that class I was talking about fellers.. Nice Fish though..

Gary Harlans clients, Carl and Larry caught two tens in one morning, including this 10-4. Pay no attention to that electric pole in the background..

And the Old Whack em' Master Wally Watts was at it again as he caught this 11-4 a couple days ago. He's nailed more tens than Tiger Woods..

Justin Miles caught this Rosie style fish this week. Now that's pleasingly plump.. That fish just might be part Florida..

I better quit before I bust out something that might be considered offensive. See you on the water..

March 2, 2010: Well hell.. Just when the temperatures get about half nice, the wind decides to take control. You can fish in the rain.. In the snow.. In the heat.. In the cold.. You can fish with a bad partner.. You can fish with your wife.. You can fish with a partner that forgot his wallet.. You can fish with a hangover.. But you just can't fish in forty mile an hour winds.

I hear that there were several rescues going on last night after dark. And boys and girls let me tell you it was howling down here. There was no reason to be on the lake yesterday afternoon. But some stayed out. And while the AM was beautiful, it was not made to last.

I implore you folks to please take heed of the weather forecasts before you plan your day. You might get there, but getting back is another thing. I know I am always picking on the weather forecasters, and usually they UNDER estimate the winds down here.. And the life you save might not be your own. You are also putting our Game Wardens and Border Patrol agents in harms way when they head out in those conditions to try and save your ass.

And one more thing. Texas Game Wardens and The Border Patrol have NO authority to cross the border on the lake to try and help or rescue you. As a matter of fact. They are forbidden to cross the border, except under specific conditions. And rescuing fishermen is not one of them. If you are in Mexico and have motor problems, don't wait and fish for a while before planning your exit stratagedy Call a buddy, flag down a fisherman, hire a netter, or trolling motor to the nearest channel marker and tie off. Do it sooner than later. We can usually get you some help if you cannot find any on the lake. Call early. There are still couple of boats under water this morning.

The full moon brought a lot of Big Fat Mommas to the shallows over the weekend, and many of them are still there. We heard a lot of reports of fish being caught in two to three feet of water, and some were whoppers. But for the most part just good solid, chunky, and mean spawning fish.

Saturday was a beautiful day to fish, and nice temps and low winds were the order of the day. Sunday was another thing, as the south wind blew all day, but really got bad after noon. I mean bad. And yesterday we had a new north wind that howled from noon on. This morning it has relented a bit, but we still have a north wind about 10-15..

Our water temps are still in the very low sixties, and that is not helping in moving the spawn along. And I personally believe that we will have spawning fish into April. We have caught a lot of fish that still look to be a ways off, and we have caught some that have definitely finished. It has been one screwy year. But to date, there has not been a huge wave of shallow fish move up. But I believe it is coming.

There is a lot of water in the pipe line headed for Falcon, as Amistad is releasing about 4000 CFS down the Rio Grande. Recent rains in west Texas and northern Mexico have the river running pretty good above Amistad, and they will be catching some more. They are currently sitting at 1115.37, or 1.63 feet below pool. Falcon is sitting at 289.85, or 11.35 feet low. And rising. And just for information's sake, the lakes on the Rio Conchos chain, where all this water came from last year, are still pretty high. Boquilla, the big lake is at 87% of capacity, and Luis Leon, the smaller lake, and the last stop by a dam before it hits the Rio Grande above Presidio, is at 108%. A big rain in any of these areas, or a low sitting over west Texas could put us back at full in a heartbeat. I'm not saying it's gonna happen.. I'm just saying it could. Unless Al says it won't.. But I just don't think I can trust him..

You know. Listening to Al is a lot like taking a water safety class from Ted Kennedy.. Not Advisable..

Have you ever watched the weather channel? Have you seen the shows about It could Happen Tomorrow, or the Global Warming Show with Dr. Whoever. What a crock. There is no weather to report, so we're gonna make up a story about a flood or a tornado. It could happen... And where do they get all the info that the world is burning up.. From Al? At least he did invent the internet.. And I have never seen such a group of disappointed faces that there were no monster hurricane's hitting the mainland last year. I guess that's why they have to invent their own news. But Falcon could fill up. "It Could Happen Tomorrow!"

I still do not recommend that you head across the border by land, if you come this way. Things may be settling down a bit in Mexico, but it is too soon to tell. I like fishing Sugar, but I think I'll wait till the summer bite comes on this year.. If all goes well. There have been NO reported problems on the lake while fishing Mexican waters. And over the weekend there were lots of boats on the Mexican side from the Salanaias to the Colondrina.

The bass clubs that were in town did pretty well, with a lot of stringers in the twenties on Saturday, and a few in the thirty range I hear tell. I don't have full results from any of them yet. Except Rebel. Two day weight for the winner was a bit over forty pounds. Will post results as I get them in the Tourney section as time permits. But fishing was reported pretty good, especially on Saturday during the nice conditions.

Watermelon Red is still the predominant color in any bait you might throw. A close second is most any bait with some gold flake in it. The brush hog and the lizard are ruling the roost. Crank baits and spinners are also catching a few fish, but the soft plastic bite is definitely king. Lots of fish are in the shallows as I said before, but there are still a lot of fish on the edges.. We have all stages of the spawn going on. So fish your favorite pattern till you figure them out.

Calvin The Quail Man finally got his DD fish this week.. Thanks for the birds.. 10.8 on a Plum Ol Monster.. Go figure.

Dannie Golden caught this 12-9. Gene Larew El Salto Grande worms. Him and his buddies Whacked the Snot of of them.. They also had an 11.7. Pic to follow..

Jeff Bartlett caught this 12.5 on the 27th. That's a Rosie!

T. Li caught another whopper this week.. 10.1 on a Jo Baby Jig. They also had another fish or two over ten.. That's one bad ass spot.. Where's my coordinates??

Fishing is getting good.. Get here before it's over..

February 25, 2010: Hey Folks.. Consider this a Public Service Announcement. There is a lot of unrest in the Mexican towns just across the border from us right now. I hear that the towns of Mier, and Nuevo Guerrero have had some major gun battles in the streets the last week or so, and as recently as yesterday. We hear that there have been a lot of folks killed. Of course Nuevo Guerrero is the town on the south bank of the Salanaias, just across the lake from the state park area. You're all grown boys and girls, so you can make your own decisions. But it might be prudent to avoid areas where you are more likely to run into any trouble. And I would think that populated areas would be the most likely areas where that could occur.

I am sure you have heard something about all this on the news, especially if you live in South Texas. As for me, I'm fishing the Texas side for a while. I'll keep my ear to the ground for more details and let you know what I hear.. And hopefully this will settle down very soon.

February 25, 2010: It quit snowin long enough for the wind to start blowin.. But at least the sun is shining and there are some blue bird skies predicted for the next couple of days. The SE wind is gusting to an easy twenty right now, and tomorrow it is supposed to turn out of the north at about the same speed. I can't see why we can't leave all this wind in one spot instead of moving it around all the time. Yesterday was nice, with highs in the sixties, and I reckon we are headed there again today.

The shallow water bite seems to be improving, and we are hearing more and more reports about flipping fish in the bushes in six to ten feet of water. But there are still fish in the fifteen to twenty range.

There were some absolute pigs caught yesterday, as I heard of a couple of eleven's, and one twelve.. There are however, still a lot of people fishing. And more hooks in the water equals more fish being caught.

The main lake from marker seven south still seems to be where most of the better fish are being caught, and if there is one bait that is catching more than any other, it is the brush hog. Watermelon Red is still king. Especially on the sunny days. Watermelon Candy Red is also in demand as is the Watermelon Gold or Mardi Gras. Any soft bait with some gold in it is a good thing.

Chance Hundley had the big bass of the Bass Federation tourney last weekend with this nice 9.5. Looks like she's been in a Bass Blender..

Chuck Sherman caught this 11.1 yesterday.. Brush Hog. 12 feet of water.

The lake is still catching just a bit of water, and we are sitting at 289.7. And that equates to 11.25 feet low. Release rates are still low. Water temps are still right around sixty in the mornings, but warm pockets exist in the backs of a few creeks. We did hear of some mid sixties yesterday afternoon in a spot or two.

You better get down here pretty quick before all these dumb bastards that are killing fish eat and stuff them all. It is sickening.

I was watching those Olympic things on the tube again last night, and it is good to see Yoko back up to speed. I tried ice skating a time or two. But I figure that if God wanted Texans to skate he'd of made us Minesotans.. I'll stick with Marbles or Mumblypeg.

I did see some skiing and shooting on the TV the other day much to my surprise.. And I just can't believe that they'd televise such a sport. It's terrible for kids to see anything that horrible. Don't they know that guns are responsible for all crime in the US? But I still didn't see any coyotes or hogs getting shot. Waste of ammo..

My taco on a stick idea is working out pretty good so far, but I am having a little problem with containment. Seems that gravity does affect Carne Guisada. I'm workin on it.. But you will need plenty of napkins.. It just seems that everything tastes better when served on a stick.. Look what it did for cats..

There are five bass clubs in town this weekend. And I hate to guess at all of them. UCBC, Rebel, Big Sandy, Lone Star Lunkers, and Capital Bass Clubs are all headed here. Should be a hoot..

I heard that our White Bass Fry hatched.. And then were attacked by a fungus and went belly up.. So we won't be getting any babies after all. Hatching whites is a new experience for the biologists, and they are very temperamental to keep alive. Maybe next year we will get some brood fish.. That's what's being discussed..

Fishing seems to be improving.. All we need is some sun and warm.. But don't look now.. Next week we are supposed to have another one coming..

February 22, 2010: It is a beautiful day in Z town.. But I hear it is going to turn cold tomorrow.. And maybe wet. You should be here today. Hell.. I should be out there today.. But here I sit waiting to fish till it gets nasty.. I hear the Chamber has ordered a Zambonie.. What the hell is a Zambonie??

I hear that we are supposed to get a stocking of white bass tomorrow or the next day, but as I write, they are breaking out of their shells and are looking for a teat.. Those babies are almost microscopic when they put them in..

And BTW, I heard today that Falcon was approved for a stocking of 250,000 Largemouth Florida fingerlings this year. Amistad is approved for the same, and Choke is on tap to get 500,000. Now all we gotta do is get them hatched.. They're working on it..

I was watching the Olympics again the other day, which seems to be a bad habit of mine. I was just trying to get some ideas for my new fishing leotards.. Those skiers look so stylish and sleek... And I need something to make me look sleek.. A diet might be a better idea. But anyway.. I always said that nothing good happened during the Carter administration. But I forgot about one thing.. They had a story on there about the US Hockey team beating up on the Ruskies for the gold, and that was a good thing. But it is still the only one I can think of.

See.. That was back in the good old days of national pride.. When we set out to kick their ass.. Now we're sleeping with them on a freakin space station.. I wonder if they get to watch the olympics on the space station.. What the hell else have they got to do.

And it is good to see all the Viagra commercials during the broadcast. I am sure every four year old in America knows what an erection is by now. "Mommie?? Has Daddy had an erection that lasted over four hours?"

The fishing has remained steady, if that is a good word for it. Those that have found the fish are doing very well, but newcomers to the lake are struggling to find a working pattern. Hell. So am I..

Brush Hogs are still one of the best reported baits, but five and six inch senkos are also doing well. Jigs in natural colors are also still catching good numbers of deeper fish.

I finally got one good report on Sugar, as one group of fellows that went said they caught a bunch of fish in the shallow trees. Rocky banks with Huisache trees in about four to eight feet of water.. But they said they were not everywhere.. But I believe they could be soon. I'll keep you posted.. They flipped for most of their fish. Sounds like I need to dig out my passport..

I hear that Charles Whited won the Bass Federation Nation tourney yesterday, with a 36 pound stringer. I hope to have the full results posted later..

Well I gotta go drag two claw footed bath tubs up on the deck for my old lady.. Don't know what the heck she's thinking..

February 21, 2010: Wow.. What a wild ride it has been here in Zapata this last few weeks. And we would like to thank all of you that stopped by our store. Thanks for your patience when we were swamped, and thanks for your patronage.

I have been trying to get to the computer to do a fishing report, but time has not allowed. But I did take off yesterday to fish the Bass Champs tourney. And it's all right.. You don't have to thank me for the donation.

There was a record number of entrys at Falcon, with 233 boats hitting the water. And I am not one bit surprised. And as usual Falcon did not disappoint. I am sure you have heard by now that it took over forty pounds to win, and there were three other forty pound sacks that did not get the big money.. Only on Falcon..

Mike Harmon and Kenny Clifton won the event, and we talked to them in the store yesterday evening. They said they did not have a ten pounder in in their limit. That's a bag of quality fish. Brush hogs.. Go figure..

And if there was anything in common with most of the big sacks, it was that they came out of deep water. Brushy drops and creek channel edges were the best I hear. Of course if I knew exactly where they were fishing I would have had a bit better performance.. But I can tell you that most of the bigger fish came from the south end of the lake. I fished the river..

Here's the link to Bass Champs site with all the details.

It was a beautiful day to fish, with light winds, mostly cloudy skies, and comfortable temps in the sixties. Water temps were in the low sixties most places. And a bit warmer on the south end than on the north.

I heard that this week we are expecting yet another cold front, and the San Antonio weather prognosticators say that it might snow in the hill country on Tuesday. Wonderful.

I also heard that Zapata is bidding on the 2018 winter Olympics. Now that we are a colder climate, and certainly by that time we will will be having record snowstorms down here. The frozen over Veleno will make a beautiful ice rink, and I reckon we will close off the Hwy 83 bridge over the creek, and set up grandstands overlooking the ice. I hear there are already vendors trying to make a taco on a stick. I hope to be the first one out with the invention and corner the market. I am working on the prototype. Of course we will also have a brisket stand and a beer booth. In these tough economic times you gotta learn to adapt. Of course we are already selling ice augers.

Fishing is still what it was a few weeks ago.. Some folks are whacking the fish, and some are having a tough time of it. If I had it to over again I would defiantly fish the south end of the lake, between the Coyote and the Dam. Long points and ledges. And you will need a full spool of line to get it done.

We are still catching just a bit of water, and it looks like we will be holding up thru the spawn. We are at 289.57 as of today.

The lake is absolutely getting hammered, as there is still not a pillow without a dent in it in the motels here in Zapata. And I can guarantee you that a lot of sheets got changed on Friday morning, with all the Bass Champs anglers hitting town. And a new batch of fishermen are here today.

And fish are being butchered in an unprecedented style here on the lake. If you are headed here to help destroy the fishery, please don't bother. We can't stand it any better than your lake can. Eating a bass over sixteen inches long is just plain stupid. And by the way, the limit in Texas is FIVE a day.. Not five every hour. Or twice a day.

James Graves Caught this 11.1 beauty last week. And yes, she's still swimming..

February 16, 2010: It's a beautiful day here in Zapata, albeit a bit cool. But I hear we are on our way to a fine week of weather according to the weather guessers. But I still think I need to call Amarillo and ask if the North wind is blowing.. I just can't trust them.. We are supposed to be in the middle sixties till Saturday, when the high is supposed to be around 78. Wouldn't that be nice.

Fishing for the most part is still reported to be slow, or at least not what everyone is wanting it to be. Reports of ten fish per boat are common, and I reckon those catching more are not talking too much. The lake is full of fun fishers this week, as it is off limits to Bass Champs Contestants.

Registration for Bass Champs is going to be held at the County Ramp on Friday Evening, from 6 till 8 PM. You can also register on Saturday morning starting at 5 AM. Weigh in will also be held at the County Ramp. The tournament will be flighted and I expect there will be more than two hundred teams. It should be wild.

I turned on the TV last night, and to my utter delight I saw that figure skating was on the Olympics. Nothing can make put my well worn copy of Tombstone in the DVD player faster. "Come Darlin.. Let's seek our entertainment elsewhere.."

I wonder why they call it figure skating. Can't be cause the girls have a good figure. I wouldn't wrassle one though. Bet it was on all the bigscreens in the Gay bars..

Why don't they show some good stuff.. Like the skiing down a mountain and shooting stuff.. I could really improve that sport.. I would make it like Crazy Quail.. You're hauling it down the slope and all of a sudden a Coyote is released and you gotta whack him before you get to the next gate. That would make for some good TV..

I do like the Ski Jumping contest. I can't see how those guys can fly that far with balls that big... But I could improve that sport too.. I'd let them wear those glider suits like those whackos who jump off the cliffs and fly down the edge of the mountains. Now we're talking some distance baby.. Even Eddie The Eagle would have a chance.

And you know when you go to big events, and they have booths everywhere trying to sell you a bunch of useless crap. I would have a Marijuana booth, and I would have it strategically located right next to the Snowboarders take off ramp. Gnaraly Dude..

But I think the real money maker would be in Obamma souvenirs. He just won the Noble Piece prize you know.. Gotta ride a horse while he is hot.. I'd have me one of them Obamma Chi Pet Booths.. Bet I'd make a fortune..

Think I'm making this stuff up?? Check it out..

Here's a couple of pics of some nice fish. And a mean one.

Scott Saunders caught this 12-2 this week.

Jacob Gallas had a little help but he managed to escape the giant finger and reel in this nine pounder.

Sergio Herrera with a 10.8.

Raul Chavarria with a 9.2 Rosie..

And even Bass think that Bass are tasty.. Thanks for the pic..

I'm all geeked up thinking about the coming warm weather. Come on Sunshine.. Stay tuned for more updates on the Olympics.. I gotta go meet Bodie at the bar..

February 15, 2010: We had a little front blow in last night, And I don't think that anybody under two hundred pounds that was outside is still in Zapata. They're probably somewhere in the gulf. It was a blessing that it blew in after dark or surely there would have been some people with problems on the lake. Big Problems.

I heard some crazy stories yesterday, about some big fish caught and some folks catching a lot of big fish. Mostly on the south end of the lake and mostly on the Mexican side. But everyday I hear of double digit fish being caught. And while I want these big fatties to be in the shallows eating everything in sight, it just ain't so. Most of the better fish are still coming from deeper than ten feet. And that is not to say that that some of these fish are not spawning deeper, as I am sure some are.

I was out on the lake on Sunday for a few hours, and the warmest water I saw was 61 degrees. That's a far cry from water that will get a lot of fish in the skinny stuff. Last year at this time our water was 70ish.

We are still gaining a bit of water and it is good to see the lake coming up this time of year instead of going down. Usually in February the lake is dropping faster than Obamma's approval rating. Thanks for the rain Lord.. We are sitting at 289.44, or 11.58 feet low. Amistad is at 1115.21, or 1.79 low.

Yesterday I caught several fish in water less than two feet deep, and they came on a spinner bait. And several people I talked to caught some fish on the blades in ten feet of water. And we have sold quite a few. But the predominant bait is still the soft plastic, and you name it, it is catching fish. The brush hog is in demand above all others, and the Plum Ol Monster is still catching a lot of fish. I did catch some on it yesterday. But like my brother says, if it's all you ever throw, sooner or later you are gonna catch some fish on it. I love that thing..

We have been fairly overwhelmed with the amount of people in town. As I have said, I have never seen it busier here on the lake. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a bass boat. It is nuts. And I am feeling a bit behind schedule with my fishing reports. But there hasn't been much time to sit around here and smoke cigars and wash the driveway. Two things I like to do.. And I had the choice of sitting behind this computer yesterday, or hitting the water for a few hours.. It was nice to get some sun.

It sounds like Bass Champs will have a rather large turnout, but I guess we'll see for sure in a few days. There are also a few bass clubs coming to town this weekend, so I am sure we will see record numbers of boats on the lake. Be sure to bring your patience and your manners with you when you come. It's gonna be a little nuts.

Johnathan Watts, 10-5.

Greg Ghere caught another whopper.

Russell with a 12-12.

T. Le with another nine plus. He and Russell, in the pic above, had a couple of awesome days. Over forty pounds on one day.

Tim Montz caught this Pig fishing with Tommy Law.

Foy Greene caught two more Fatties..

Here's an 11-2.. Caught last week also.

Hope to get time to get my report on the Olympics up tomorrow. I can hardly wait to see the figure skating.. And what up NASCAR? Those boys grew up driving on streets with potholes.. And yes they were driving the same speed.. As fast as the car would go.. I gotta go find out what a Triple Axle Lutz is.. And I am not sure if that pertains to NASCAR or Ice Skating..

February 13, 2010: Don't pay the ransom.. I've escaped! If only for a short while.

Sorry I haven't posted anything in some time, but Rosie had me in a Full Nelson. That chick is strong.. I was surprised to see some muscle mixed in the fat.. I had to use an old High School escape trick to get away.. Learned it in those bars at closing time..

Fishing is still a bit sporadic, but the bigger fish are definitely being caught a bit deeper, in ten to fifteen feet of water. Water temps never made it much over 62 today from most reports, and it did not get in the seventies as predicted. There was considerable cloud cover most of the day, with just some mixed in sun.

There is no shortage of fishermen however, and I can honestly say that I have never seen more boats on Falcon. I hear that manners have been in short supply in some areas on the lake.. You boys and girls play nice.. There is plenty of room for everybody.

Trailers have been parked to the corner at the production pad here at the county ramp, and I hear that the state park has been very crowded as well. The Quality Bass Club and the Frittstown Bass Club are both in town, along with the American Bass Anglers tournament that is here this weekend for a two dayer.

I hear that about 23 pounds won the ABA event for today, and that Quality had a big stringer somewhere in the same area. Biggest fish I heard of in either club was and eight plus..

Brush Hogs are still the best thing going, and W/M Red and W/M Seed are working well. And any other bait with some gold flake is also doing pretty good. Check out the Houdini color by Zoom next time you are in the store.. Could be the next killer..

I promise to write sooner than later.. And my pile of pictures is getting higher.. It's nuts here and we're running hard.. Maybe I'll get to fish someday..

February 9, 2010: All is well here in Antarctica.. You know those mountains you can see in the sunset down here? Last night I swear they had snow caps on them. And it doesn't look like its going to be melting anytime soon.

Fishing is good or bad, depending on who you ask. There have been a lot of folks hitting the water, and I mean a lot. Over the past weekend it was bumpercars at the county ramp, and the state park had rigs parked all the way to the Rec Hall. And I see no end in sight. There have been some real quality fish caught. And there have been those who are struggling. But I will have to say that everyone is catching some fish.

Pre fishing is in full swing for the Bass Champs tourney, for those who can get away, and from the looks of it, a lot of you can. I am not sure what to expect as far as weights go in this one. I know there are some locals who are on fish, but they are not picking on them right now. A lot of good fish are still deep, and we'll see if they stay there till tourney time. Normally a lot of spawning would have been done here, but this year is not an ordinary one. Don't get me wrong.. A lot of fish have spawned, but certainly not the majority.. Of course I did not poll every fish in the lake. And of course, this is my uneducated opinion.

But here are some facts. And I love dealing with facts.

The Watermelon Red Brush Hog is a great choice to flip in the bushes. The Watermelon Chartreuse, and W/M Red 8" Mag lizard is a great bait to flip in the bushes. The W/M Candy 6" senko is a great choice to flip in the bushes.. In short.. Flip the bushes.

The consensus is that the best depth seems to be around eight feet, give or take a few feet. I am sure there are fish being caught from four to forty, but somewhere around rod length is a great place to start. Fish are tight to the trees in the shallower water, and putting your bait between the bark and the sap is beneficial if you like to get bit. Do not be afraid to let your bait soak for a while. The water is cool, especially in the AM, and a slow presentation is a good thing. The bite is also still pretty subtle. So when in doubt, let em have it.. You'll catch more fish..

The lake is still holding steady, if not catching a bit of water. Amistad is still gaining a bit too, and they are continuing to release twice as much as us. Water temps were reported as high as 70 in a few protected pockets yesterday, but took a bit of a nosedive today. Most folks said they saw water in the low to mid sixties.

We have a north wind that is light, but it is predicted to get a bit stronger tomorrow, with a chance of rain for the next two days.. The weekend is predicted to be good..

I certainly hope this will be the last of the frigid air to make down here. And I know that I speak for many others that feel the same way. If we ever get the water to seventy and maintain it a few days...

I have a ton of pics to post and will tomorrow, time permitting. But like I said, it has been crazy around here. Call us if you need anything our way..

February 6, 2010: I love the smell of two stroke in the morning. Smells like.. Victory.. And you don't have to be on the lake to smell it either.. It looked foggy this AM but I think it was just exhaust fumes from all the boats. But the fog and smoke has dissipated and it is a beautiful day here in Zapata, and I am sure we are headed for the eighties.. But no good thing lasts forever and we are supposed to be headed back to the cold and wet by Tuesday.

There have been some really good fish caught lately, but like I said, there are a LOT of baits in the water. And from the sound of it there will be for the next sixty days. I was speaking with several motel owners here and the word is that they are pretty much booked up thru March. So if you are planning on coming, get on the phone now.

I would love to get on the water, but it has been so busy around here that all I'm getting to do is think about it. We have been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. And we would like to thank all of you who have stopped by our store. Sometimes when we get covered up we may not get to thank you properly, and I want to make sure you know that your patronage is really appreciated. We can't be here without you.

Soft plastics are still the dominant bait around these parts. The Brush Hog is the best selling thing around, but big Worms and Lizards are catching a lot of fish too. I will have to say that the spinnerbait is probably number two in the catching category, and it is about time. That being said, a friend of ours caught a ten and a twelve ten minutes apart on a football jig. Go figure..

Fish killing is in full swing as well, as many of our visitors are here on a meat run. It is appalling to see the big fish being killed. Nothing changes.. I guess having a payment on a $50K boat has caused these people to drive for days and catch fish to feed the Fam.. Hard times indeed.. I was hoping Osama.. Errr.. Obamma would have the economy fixed by now..

Gary Harlan had a couple of fellers out this week, and Jim and Jack put the smackdown on a few nice fish. They had a ten and two eights and a bunch of other fish.. Show Offs.. Said they caught these in a very short period.. And yes they are all still swimming..

Everything is bigger in Texas.. Those fish have some bellies..

Another ten..

And I must apologize if I have names lost and misplaced. Like I said, It has been nuts around here. Kind of reminds me of the time my old Brittany had four coveys pointed at one time in a fencerow. When they busted he took off and got his privates hung up in barbwire number two.. He ran around Half Nuts till the day he died..

Water temps are on the rise so fishing should be improving today, And I'll report on today's reports ASAP.

February 4, 2010: It is still cloudy here in Zapata, but no rain today. Looks like we will be getting a break from the rain, and some decent temperatures thru the weekend. Hallelujah! We got almost two inches of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the very back of some creeks are a bit off color. Not that the water has been real clear lately any how, especially in the river creeks I have been fishing. The valley received two to four inches of rain in the last 48, so we should be holding steady on the lake level.

A lot of the main lake pockets are starting to hold a few fish in the shallows, and occasionally there have piles of fish in a fifty yard area. But not all folks are catching a big number of fish. Twenty fish reports seem to be on the upswing, but that is not killing them by Falcon standards. There have been a heard of seven to ten pound fish caught lately, but keep in mind we have a lot of people fishing down here. I don't ever remember seeing this many boats on the lake, especially during the week.

We are probably selling more brush hogs than any other soft bait, but there are a lot of baits that are working. Beavers and Hoo-Daddys have been in demand, and spinner baits are catching fish too, not not as prolifically as the plastics. And don't forget to take some big lizards with you as well. And no one in their right mind will leave the ramp without a pack or two of Plum Ol Monsters.

We have seen some pics of fish that are ready to explode, and I mean they look overstuffed. Kind of like Rosie.. I wonder if daytime TV is taking a page from the Sharelunker program. Cause they have some whoppers on the screen. Those gals are pretty chunky.. Yeah that's it.. They could call it the Air-a-Chunker..

San Antonio Bass Club, SW Research Bass Busters, and the Bass Masters of East Texas are all headed to town this weekend. And if you guys don't have motel reservations then you better bring your sleeping bags. Rooms are at a premium all month long here. And it don't get much better in March. Hope there are some fish left. Bass Champs is on the weekend of the 20th, and a lot of those fellows are here prefishing as well.

The FLT Bass Blast! is coming together and it is scheduled for April 11th. I'm not sure where we are going to weigh in just yet but it will be settled by next week. Click the link above for more details.. And you can E-mail me for an entry if you like.. But you don't want to miss the groceries and door prizes here the night of registration.

I hope to get out tomorrow to fish, as I have not gone out in this mess they call winter.. It is nice to be able to pick the good days to fish just the day before they get here.. I feel sorry for a lot of the guys that scheduled this time weeks before and got stuck with crappy weather.. But.. It Beats Workin!

February 2, 2010: When you live this close to the bottom of the map, it ain't supposed to be this cold.. And cloudy.. And wet.. We got a 1/4 inch of rain night before last, but yesterday we had a nice afternoon to fish.. But nobody told the fish.

Reports yesterday were mostly on the fair to poor side, and all I can attribute it to is the colder water temps that we have had the last few days. Where we were warming to the mid and upper sixties the last week, the last few days have started in the very low sixties, and maybe getting up to 65 in the mid-day.. If the sun was out for a while. But with the predicted cool, cloudy, and possibly heavy rain predicted for the next few days, I can't see the water warming up much past 64 or so in warm spots. There may be an exception or two in protected spots.

Most of the very shallow fish, that were in as little as eighteen inches of water, seem to have backed off to at least five or six feet. And a lot of the staging fish are still out on the edges, in ten to fifteen feet. And they are not in a super eating mood.

There are very few bait fish in water less than fifteen feet, so the bass in the shallows are there for one thing. And it ain't eating. There are huge wads of bait in the twenty foot range, and often times there are fish suspended in and around the schools. I targeted these fish yesterday, but had little luck in getting them to bite. Of course except for some pet fish I did not have a good day. Even the bass have taken a downturn after the State of the Union Speech.

Remember when the State Of The Union speeches actually talked about the state of the union? Instead of a bunch of crap about... Crap... Here's the state of the union.. It pretty much sucks..

Falcon is sitting at 12.36 feet low, and Amistad is at minus 1.94. Pretty good shape for this time of year. Both are letting out about the same amount of water, and we have been holding pretty steady.

Here are the results from the Crappie survey done by TPWD last month. Looks promising.. If we can keep these meat mongers from filling up three freezers with fillets.. It's just ridiculous..

Kathy Smith caught her PB this week.. A 10.44 pound beauty.

I know that when the water stabilizes around 65 or higher, and the sun shines on the water for a few days, this place should go nuts. I just hope it happens this year. But it could be that the next ice age has started and we may never warm up. Pretty soon we will be selling ice augers and tip-ups. And before you know what happened we'll be tipping our jigs with leaches, trolling for walleye, and catching smallies along the rocks..

As a matter of fact, I probably have as much proof that an ice age is on or doorstep as Big Al had that we were headed towards becoming a global inferno. I see that our leaders had a nice time in Copenhagen (not the kind you spit) hobnobbing with other idiots about the disaster on our doorstep. What a crock.. Hundreds of thousands spent on a family vacation for the royalty.. You DO know that Nancy is the Queen of America, don't you?? Just ask her.. But she'll tell you that the rules don't pertain to her and the Fam.. Just you.. If we don't vote them all out we are as stupid as they think we are.. There.. That should brighten your day..

Come on summer!! See you on the water..

January 30, 2009: Pressure: Defined in most dictionary's as the the force per unit exerted against a surface by the weight of the air above that surface. But in this case, I will have to redefine the word.

Pressure on Falcon could be better described as boat weight pressure on the waters surface, causing a squeezality effect on the mass area affected, congested by spheroid fiberglass objects traveling not necessarily on an axis non-congruent with the center of gravity relative to the core flow of the Rio Grande with non-sequetor intervals of nirvana, exasperation, and near orgasm. In other words, there are a hell of a lot of boats here raising the water level, fishing mostly up the river, some filled with some frustrated fishermen, and others who have landed some whales. Which ultimately lead to tall tales.

Today the weather was much improved, as we got into the low-mid sixties, with winds in the 10-15 range, which equated to much improved fishing conditions. And we heard of some good stringers and some big fish caught. The Permian Bass Club is holding their championship here this weekend, and the rumor is that the leader after Saturdays fishing had over 21 pounds.. For three fish. Hopefully I will get all the details soon. A seven pound average does not suck.

If we continue to warm up, things should get out of control here pretty soon. I'm just trying to keep the news about the crazy fishing here on the down low, so things do not get out of hand.. Good luck trying to get a room here in the next 45 days.. See you soon..

January 29, 2010: If I didn't know better I'd say there was a hurricane blowing into town.. But I know it is just global warming sending another cold air mass down the plains. Yesterday we had thirty plus winds from the south.. Today we have the same from the other direction. And it ain't pretty.

But there are some die-hards that are hitting the water as we speak, and of course I gave them the standard warning about the wind.. These are some dangerous waters today. The wind is supposed to lighten up a bit later in the day, and the weekend is predicted to be somewhat calmer, with highs in the 60 degree area.

I can't imagine this north wind being good for the fishing. But at the same time I just looked at the calendar and it is still January. So I can't bitch too much. And then there is always that bad ass cold front that comes in February.. Sometimes late. Just to screw things up once the spawn has really got going. And it is usually a wet one too.. I hate winter..

The phone has been ringing off the hook around here, with people looking for a place to stay in February. But the bad news is that there just ain't much available.. If any. So if you have ANY plans for coming in the next couple of months, get on the phone now. I have never seen it this busy here at Falcon.

There were a couple of groups that found fish yesterday, but most folks gave up after fighting the wind for a few hours. It was not pretty. And if you planned on fishing any kind of open water you were pretty much out of luck. And there are a lot of folks standing around looking at the trees sway in the breeze here this morning. There are however, quite a few folks that drove a long way here to fish, and by golly they are doing it. Hope they can stay dry. Sun is peeking out here at mid day. The south side of the creeks got hammered yesterday, and today the north side is getting it. Hide where you can fellers.. It'll get better. Someday...

January 27, 2010: I have always said that the spawn is the toughest time to fish Falcon. And this early spawn is no different than any other year. And reports have varied wildly as pertaining to results. There have been a few folks that have whacked the fish, and a lot more that have done fair. Reports of thirty or more fish are rare, but then there is always that exception or two. Most two man boats have been averaging ten to twenty fish a day, and the fishing has slowed with the cooler temps and cloudy skies. That's not to say that there has not been some grandes caught.

Most of the bigger fish have come in reel deep water.. That is if you stick your rod in the water and it hits bottom before your reel gets wet, your in the right spot.

I fished six hours on Tuesday, and I had about fifteen fish with the best five going about 31 pounds. But I reached nirvana early as the first fish I boated was an 8-2, and she was in 2.5 feet of water.. My time has come.. But I did catch some nice fish on top of a hump in the Hedieona that had fourteen feet of water on top and deep water right beside it. It also had a lot of brush on it.

I caught all my shallow fish on the Ol Monster in Plum, (of course) and the deeper fish I caught on a Mag Fluke in Watermelon Red or Magic. The shallow flipping bite was so subtle that I was left wondering a few times if I had a bite or not.. And after I pulled the set trigger and started to set the hook on ANY weird feeling I started to catch more fish. Now the Fluke was a whole nother story.. But I was fishing it later in the day, as the sun was warming the Cockles of my heart. Kind of like watching The View.. Makes you hot all over.. But they were nailing the big fluke like it's supposed to be.

I have been trapped in the store the last few days, and the weather is deteriorating as I speak. I am supposed to fish tomorrow, but Jim and the Twins get a rash if I stay wet all day.. So I may pass.

The lake is holding steady, and that is good for the comfort level of spawning fish. Amistad is releasing about 1150 CFS, and we are letting out about 900.. We are currently just a bit over 12 feet low. Water temps were up to 66 on Monday, But I'll wager that they are a bit cooler today.

Several folks have asked about Sugar, and the last reports I have from there have not been good. I know it will come around but it is trailing the action on Falcon so far.

And I hope you guys are not misinterpreting what I am saying in these reports. Yes there have been some good fish caught, and yes some folks kicked their ass.. But not everyone is doing it. It's still fishing..

Charlie Haralsons clients really caught some good fish last week. Here's a 12-2 and an 11 plus respectively..

The Second Annual FLT Bass Blast! tourney is a go, and it will be held on the 11th of April. Food, Goodies, and BS will be aplenty. Come fish with us if you can. Check the link for more info.

Some genius hit our boat trailer again yesterday at the boat ramp. And I am getting kind of tired of it. But at least it was the same fender as last time. I guess some folks get their drivers license out of a happy meal box, and have not yet mastered parking lot navigation or etiquette. Those shiny things on the side of your truck are called mirrors. Please learn to use them. There are other rigs in the parking lot, in case you hadn't noticed. This is not NASCAR and trading paint is not acceptable at the ramp. And thanks for the note..

And speaking of parking lots, why is it that when I park at the store, inevitably some giant woman in a beat up POS parks ten inches from my truck and uses both feet to get her door open. And after she removes about a half a foot of paint off the side of my rig she stands there looking at me like "What?" And usually I will have to rescue her from being stuck between the two vehicles.. Last time I had to use a whole tub of "I can't believe it's not Butter" to lube her ass enough to get her out. And when she busted loose she shot out of there like a cork from a Pop-Gun.. Saved her thirty steps across the parking lot..

I better quit before I get in any more trouble..

P.S. TPWD is here doing a catfish survey on the lake with some deep Gill Nets. Their best five yesterday went over 200.. All the big ones were blues.

January 23, 2010: Stop what you are doing.. Drop that list of chores.. And Roll on down to Falcon. If you can find a place to stay. Finding a room in February in Zapata is like finding a bag of M&M's at a Jenny convention. If one shows up, it could start a stampede..

The fish are headed shallower as I speak, and a lot of fish have been reported caught in as little as two feet of water.. But no fishing pattern comes without a disclaimer.. These fish are not everywhere. But in a lot of creeks there are a lot of fish up shallow.

A brush hog is a good choice, as is a senko in a green or watermelon base. Spinnerbaits are starting to catch more and more fish. In short, your favorite shallow water bait is a good place to start.. I prefer the Zoom Ol Monster in plum, especially if the skies are overcast.. And when the sun comes out, The W/M Red, Gold, or Mardi Gras brush hogs have been very good.

There are five bass clubs in town, and besides that there are no bass boats left in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, or Missouri.. Freedom Bass Club, Atascosa Bass Club, Uvalde Bass Club, River City Bass club of Austin, and Helotes Bass Club are all here this weekend. And I hear that in a lot of creeks up the river it is standing room only.. You guys play nice out there.

I heard a mixed bag of results yesterday from the club fishermen, with the big stringers being around twenty pounds. And I did not hear of any monsters being caught in any of the tourneys. I did however hear of a few more tens from folks that are fun fishing. I will post results as they come in, time permitting.. We have been busier than a gun dealer at the NBA All-Star game.. But I'll get it done..

If you are in Zapata next weekend, there is going to be a FREE fishing seminar put on by Bill Slick, who used to fish professionally. It will be held at the Rec Hall at Lakefront Lodge, and it will be from Noon to Three O'clock. You never know when you might learn something new. I also hear there is going to be a Q & A session so if you have something you want to know about, this would be a good place to hear some opinions. This would also be a good place to bring those young-un's for some free instruction. Everyone is welcome, no matter your skill level..

The lake is still inching up, and we are currently sitting at 288.88 or 12.14 feet low. Water temps in protected pockets are up the the high sixties, but mid sixties are everywhere. A few more days of this, and the full moon this weekend should really get them moving to the shallows. And like I said, some of them are already there.

I ask you to please treat these spawning fish with as much care as possible. There are going to be a lot of them caught this year. These big fish are mean, tough, fat, and nasty when they are in the water.. Kind of like Rosie on steroid's.. But in the air they do not do so good. Please get them back in the water ASAP. Our future fishing depends on it. And we want you and your grandkids to be able to enjoy them too.

Ken Caught another beauty this week.. On A Swimbait.. Go Figure..

Dennis Wenzel caught this 10-12 fishing with Doug Fett this week.. Spinner Bait in 18"of water..

And Johnny Romane caught this 10-4 yesterday.. He was guided by his brother Rick Romane I hear.

We have heard of a lot of big fish caught shallow, but like I said they are not everywhere.. But if you ain't here, you won't be here when they are..

January 22, 2010: I know it is Friday, and I don't want to get you in any trouble.. But it just might be the day to drop what you are doing and get yourself down here. The water has warmed to 65 degrees in a few parts of the lake and the shallow bite is on.. Or if it ain't, it's damn close.

Reports of lots of shallow fish caught yesterday, and I mean shallow.. Like three feet. I'm getting goose bumps thinking about it.. As a matter of fact, I did get back out on Wednesday, and I did pretty well in four to six feet of water.. And yes I was about as far up a creek as a man can get.. I was like a fiberglass suppository..

And I was flipping the bushes of course with a Plum Ol Monster.. And catching fish..............

Holy Cow! I started this report at 5:50 this morning.. It is now 7:47 in the PM.. It is crazy around here. There are five bass clubs in town. And a plethora of fishermen from across the southern tier..

More of the same today.. Lots of shallow fish.. Some folks struggled.. Big Lizards with a green base were reported good. The spinnerbait is coming on for the shallower fish. Heard of several fish over ten today. Still some fish in the 10-20 foot ranges, and concentrations of fish are spotty. But the fish are definitely on the way to the bank.

Will try and get a detailed fishing report out in the early AM!

January 19, 2010: Seems like it was just a week ago that we were freezing to death, pissin' and moanin' about how cold it was.. And wet.. And windy.. But we have been blessed with three days of sunshine, light winds, and warming water temps. It has been downright awesome.

I went fishing yesterday, and my goal was to cover a lot of the lower lake. But the fog also decided it was a nice day to be out and it also covered a lot of the lower lake. So I started fishing north of where I had intended to start. I stopped at the mouth of Pierce's cove, and fished a bluff just north of the creek. No one was home but I left a note on the door. I then went to the mouth of the Benevides, and caught a three pounder on a Mag Fluke. Thought I had something going.. I beat the hell out of it for another twenty minutes with nothing to show. I headed in to the creek about a half a mile and fished a shallow flat full of brush and hardwoods, with lots of laydowns. I was surprised to see how clear the water was, and it was easy to see the bottom when the finder said five feet, and if it was rocky I could see even deeper.. And yes I saw some swimming fish. But I could not entice a bite out of any of them. And I saw no nests.. Yet.. But it's coming.

Then I ran to Government cove, and looked for some deep fish on the creek channels. Only small fish were found there, but there are some impressive balls of shad in the creek channels. And then I headed to the Salanaias for an hour or two, and caught only two fish, and their only common thread was that they were both in trees.. One in four feet.. One in fourteen. I fished all the likely looking points and creek edges. But I did not concentrate on anything shallower than ten feet. I probably should have. I fished a couple of pockets on the Mexican side between the Salanaias and Benavides, and never got bit.. So I decided to head to to couple of deep drops in the Tigers and give them a try. Nada.. Finally found a few on a point between the Little tiger and Big Tiger. Eight feet on top and dropping to sixteen. But no real action to speak of.

When I got back to the dock, a local guide was there and we were talking about the deep fish we did not find.

Now see.. Here's the problem.. The proverbial bank beater out in the middle of the lake fishing for deep fish when they have changed zip codes.. I'm an idiot.. Yesterday evening all the folks that caught fish that I talked to said they caught them in less than ten feet of water. Maybe my ship is coming in.. I should have known it as water temps are certainly rebounding faster than I would have imagined. At 10:00 AM at the mouth of Benavides the water temps were 57 degrees. And at 4:00 the water in the middle of Big Tiger was 63.. If this warming trend holds on a few more days, it could be on..

I heard of fish being caught on Traps and spinner baits in a lot of areas. I didn't throw either. And it sounds like the river might be the place to start.. I'm heading there next time I can get out.

There was a fourteen and a half caught this morning. And it's not in the lake anymore.. I'm not happy..

And speaking of not happy, I was reading this morning that the French are pissed off about the US role in the aid project for the people of Haiti, after the massive earthquake that occurred this week. They say we are supposed to be helping them, not occupying the country. I guess we should wait till the French row their aircraft carriers to Haiti and dispense their WW II K rations to the starving refugees. And those K rations were probably left there by American soldiers that were saving their ass... Again.. Euros.. They should probably just take them some wine.. That would help with the unrest..

And another thing that is pissin' me off.. I see all these commercials about the Olympics saying "Go World!" More Socialism.. More brainwashing.. Are yall thinking about this stuff?? What ever happened to good Ol US patriotism and "Go USA!" I say screw the rest of em and let's go over there and kick their ass.. They can play those commercials in Europe..

And one more thing.. Naw.. I'll save it for next time.. This is supposed to be a fishing report..

Greg Ghere caught this 11 pound, 12 ounce monster a couple days ago.. At least she is still in the lake.. Thanks for letting her go Greg and drop by the store for your free Falcon Lake Tackle hat. Better looking than those plastic Nemo's from the state anyway..

January 17, 2010: I know it's been a while since I posted a report, but I have been out trying to kill Bambi. Actually I wanted to kill his father.. But all I killed was some time.. But no time spent in the outdoors is wasted.. And I couldn't have chosen any worse weather, as it rained the entire time. Did you know that a Kawasaki Mule can get stuck?? And the warranty division will not come and get you out either..

I made it back to Zapata yesterday, and I was amazed that I saw the sun shine. And the prediction is for more of the same for the upcoming week.. Can it be true?? Temps in the seventies? I can hardly wait. We have been suffering thru wet, cold, windy, and cloudy conditions for weeks, and some nice weather will surely be appreciated.

It has rained almost three inches here in the last few days, and the lake is still inching up ever so slowly. We are sitting at 288.74, or 12.28 feet low. Amistad is releasing about 800 CFS, and we are turning out 300. So every little bit helps.

Water temps are STILL hanging around 55 degrees. The only thing colder around here is the beer.. But if this warming trend continues, we should start to see a few big mamas start to show up in the skinny water. And by the end of the month, when the full moon arrives, it could be on.

Here's a couple of pics of deep jig fish, the ones I was talking about earlier in the week.. I'd say Ol Will Allen had a good trip.. And they said they caught a lot of fish..

12-2

11-4

I need to teach these boys how to get the fish in the same zip code as the camera..

Most folks around town are at least starting to smile again, due to the sunshine. It do feel good. And lots of folks out on the lake today.

The second annual Falcon Lake Tackle Bass Blast! has been scheduled for April 11, 2010. There will be more details coming shortly, but you can count on good food, lots of door prizes, 100% payback, a low entry fee, and some big sacks of fish. Should be fun. Mark your calendars.. We'd love it if you can come and fish with us.

The Boys are coming on. Gotta go!

January 13, 2010: It is another miserable day here in Zapata, as we can't seem to shake the cold and wet.. And there has been 1.30 inches of rain collected in my gauge in the last two days.. Most of it last night. There is a heavy shower that has been sitting on the dam all morning, and it seems to be just training there..

There have been a few reports of Giants caught the last couple of days. Charlie Haralson's group on Monday had a 11-2, and on their own on Tuesday they caught a 12-4. But they said they caught so many fish over eight that they quit counting.. They are fishing deep. Jigs.. Go figure..

Several other groups that have braved the weather have done well also, but several others said they have struggled. It is all about finding the pods of fish, and like I have said before, sometimes the areas are no bigger than your pickup.

We are also hearing of some shallower fish, with staging bass on the creek edges and secondary points. All we need is some warming water and I think this place will bust loose. It is a bit warmer today, and you can walk around outside without a jacket. But you will get wet.. It is supposed to be Sunday before we see the sun..

We are getting a lot of calls about water levels and conditions, and I have been telling everyone that we have more fishermen friendly conditions this year. We do not have to contend with near as much jungle style vegetation on the banks, and the monkeys will not be stealing your spinner baits when you get hung up in the trees. I had an orangutan whip my ass last year while I was trying to get my crankbait out of a tall willow. Those things are strong..

At least the wind is not blowing.. I guess last week we should have sprinkled the Sure-Life on the fishermen, instead of in the live wells.

Come on Sunshine!

January 11, 2010: Things have calmed down a bit around Zapata, and it is possible to get a motel room again.. At least during the week. And while we are talking about it, if you are planning a trip to Falcon this spring, (if it ever gets here) make you reservations sooner than later.. I hear that it is getting tough to find a room in February.

It is cool and cloudy this morning, but not as cold as the last few days. I am hoping the Spanish speaking air will push the French speaking air back where the hell it belongs soon. Forecasters say we are going to have a short warming spell thru Wednesday, but don't expect any T-shirt weather. This weekend is supposed to be cold and rainy.. Yummy..

We have just about got the store back in order, and my Dr. Shoals inserts are worn out in my tennies.. Thanks to all of you who stopped in and did business with us in the last few weeks. We had a blast talking with yall.

I have been reading a lot of chatter on the internet about the tough conditions that were experienced during the first two days of the tournament, and I find a lot of it quite amusing. Reports of giant sustained waves and people who do not believe it was possible. And the TD should have cancelled the tournament or allowed trailering and Yada, Yada, Yada.. All I can say is the rules were clear when you left the boat ramp. And you are responsible for your own decisions about where and how you fish. And you are primarily responsible for your own safety.

Yes it might suck that your fish are on the south end of the lake. But it is what it is. If it were me, I'd have fished the Veleno. And I might not have weighed in a big bag. But so be it.. I will try and err on the side of safety every time. And that might have made me the first looser.. But that's OK..

Some folks braved the conditions, made the trip, and kicked ass.. More power to you.. But you assume the risk.. No one else..

We tried to warn anyone who would listen that the conditions were going to be brutal. And I don't think anyone was expecting SE breezes at 6-8..

And about those big waves.. I'm sure there are still some doubting Thomas's out there that don't believe that waves can get ten feet high on Falcon. But there are a whole new batch of fishermen that have been added to the witness list that these can and do occur. I, luckily have not been on ten footers, but I have been out a time or two when they were at least seven. E Yo No Quierro Mas.. They were there.. Trust me.. And by the way, it is not uncommon for us to have higher winds than we had last week.

Fish care during this event kind of took the back stage, as there were significantly less fish caught, and water temperatures were frigid. But I still cannot see how letting a fish float around upside down for hours can be good for it. I know I could have helped a lot of fish in the holding tanks on the release boats. I DO believe that fizzing fish works, when done by someone who knows what they are doing. A few years ago brain Surgery was also experimental.. I can tell you that a fish floating on the surface on Falcon will be Pelican and Cormorant bait in a short time.

The fishing remains decent here on Falcon, and if you are accustomed to a little cooler weather then you will have no problem fishing this week. There is no doubt that The Big Brush Hog, in any watermelon based color will catch you some fish. W/M Red or Gold, and Mardi Gras seem to be the consensual favorites. Jigs and big flukes are still accounting for a lot of fish also. Not a lot has changed.. But the Brush Hog seems to be the best.. And throw it in the thickest brush you can find in five to fifteen feet of water.. It is not "ON" in the shallows just yet.. But it is coming..

Water temps are down to 55 in the early AM, and it may pick up a degree or two later in the day, or maybe you can find a slightly warmer pocket here or there.. 57 was about the max heard of yesterday.

The lake level this morning is holding at 288.38, or 12.64 feet low. And we have been holding our own for a few months. Hopefully we can get another good spawn in before the water draw starts up again. Predictions of a good soaking rain for later this week may or may not come true. But if it gets the valley good and wet again I believe we will be spared a major drop during the height of the spawn.. We'll see.

I'm ready for sunshine, shorts, sunblock or sunburn.. Come on Summer.. And seeing a Bikini Top or two wouldn't hurt anything either.. See you on the water...

January 9, 2010: It's Over! And for some it could not come too soon.. After watching Keith Combs weigh the heavy stringer of the tournament at 41-1, I was wondering if day two leader Michael Yoder had the fish to hold on.. But Yoder had a bag of his own.. He brought 27-9 to the scales, and that was enough for the win, with about five pounds to spare. He was not afraid to chase his fish I'll have to admit.. Britches full of Coconuts.. Congrats!

I am sure you will find better written reports on the web than I can write.. But I will post a few comments on the tourney in a day or so.. And here is a link to the full results..

In the Co-Angler division, Steve Hope caught another big stringer, to catapult him from fourth to first. He brought 27-2 to the scales to win the event by 11 ounces. Congrats to both winners!

Pics ©Falcon Lake Tackle

January 9, 2010: The Brass Monkey has been neutered in Zapata this morning, as lows reached the 23 degree mark here at the shop. And I can tell you that nobody was running Mach II on the lake at daylight.

The final ten Pros and Co's are on the water, and after talking with a few of them their expectations are still high, even with the arctic air in town.

There are also 40 teams of College kids that are on the water this morning, fishing from the boats of FLW anglers that did not make the cut. I hear they were scrapping for boats to get them all on the water, as a lot of these guys had all of the cold they wanted in the last two days. Can't say I blame them.

There is a mass exodus from town this morning, with a lot of wound licking going on. It was a tough two days. It will not, however, affect the ten who survived the elements and lived to fish another day. The sun is out in all it's glorious splendor, and no one is happier to see it than me.. Well except those guys fishing.

Michael Yoder has a seven pound plus lead over Richard Cremo, who is a local boy from Laredo. Both guys have weighed in some awesome stringers the last couple of days.. Should be interesting to see what happens. There are two fishermen with 12 pound deficits to make up in third and fourth. But like I said, this is Falcon, and anything could happen. We'll see soon.

January 8, 2010: It never really warmed up today, and it is still very cold as predicted today. The weigh in is going on, but I have a bad case of the sniffles and I am not going to hang out too long here.. I'm headed to the shop to watch on the internet.. But I hear the live feed is down.. Small spectator group at weigh in again.. Cold!

January 8, 2010: It's around 30 degrees here this morning, and for Zapata, that's cold. Predictions are for little sun, but lighter winds than yesterday, (thank God) but still out of the north in the 10-20 range. It is fairly breezy here this morning. I am not sure how to figure wind chill, but 65 MPH in 28 degree air has to make it as cold as the atmosphere at Tigers breakfast table.. Brrr.. As a matter of fact, it is so cold that Democrats have their hands in their own pockets..

Fishermen should, however, be able to stand up in their boats today.

There is a lot of talk around about swamped boats, water rescues, and broken toys of all kinds and sorts. There were a lot of people scrambling for parts and pieces yesterday evening, to try and get things patched up and ready for the water again. There is not much in the way of inventory in Zapata when it comes to boat parts and accessories, and there were a few people out of luck. Duct tape is in high demand..

There are a lot of stories circling around, and I am not sure what is true and what is not. But there were darn sure some lifetime stories etched into some memories yesterday. I tried to warn them all..

I was at the weigh in for a while yesterday, but it was too cold for me. There were not a lot of folks there either, mostly only folks associated with the event. It was brutal. We'll see how it goes today.

But for those who did get to their spots, the fishing remained good, as evidenced by the top places. I know a lot of the fish came deep, and a few stringers were caught in the fifteen foot range. I think you will see better overall weights today. But a lot of the folks that had some good fish located in open water are more than likely out of the hunt because of the un-fishability of their spots on day one. But like I always say, this is Falcon and anything can happen. Here's a link to the story on FLW's site.

January 7, 2010: Lots of bad things happened out on the lake today.. Big waves made for big problems. Several boats were swamped.. Several folks parked it on the bank. Some not by choice.. Lots of mechanical failures and damaged equipment. Tales of ten footers abound.. I am sure you will be hearing of a lot of stories very soon.

Game Wardens, Border Patrol, and Helicopters were called out to help locate folks that were stranded. Stay tuned for more.

Here's a link to the standings..

January 7th, 2010: There are some rumors of big stringers, lost motor cowls, busted trolling motors, dead batteries, and ten foot waves. Not to mention a few swamped boats. None of this is in concrete, but I have some of it from fishermen on the water.. There are also a few boats that got off the water real early.. And for good reason. It's a tough day to say the least.. It's less than two hours till the first flight is due in, so we'll know more before too long..

January 7, 2010: Server problems have been plaguing me this morning so I have been delayed in updating the site.. Finally..

January 7, 2010: The fog delayed the takeoff till about 8:25, And the north wind is blowing about 10-15 miles per hour here at the present time.. I have seen it a lot foggier.. But I am sure it is still a little soupy out on the water.. Local channel on TV says wind gusting to 30-35 this afternoon.. Hope not..

January 7, 2010: It's 6:42 AM.. It's so foggy you cannot see across the street.. No Wind in Zapata yet.. But I doubt if they will turn them loose in these conditions.. Weathermen.. Fog was not on the menu.. Wind predicted to hit here sometime mid morning. Big wind..

January 6, 2010: As the start of the FLW tournament approaches, I believe that we have had more people in the store checking the weather than buying baits.. Well just as many anyway..

The blow is supposed to be on tomorrow morning, but until it gets here it's anybody's guess what is going to happen. If the winds get too high, it is possible that tomorrow's day of competition could be canceled.. I'm not saying that it's going to happen. But it would be the prudent thing to do if there are eight to ten foot waves on the big water. I've been there and it's not a pretty site.. And when you mix in some temperatures in the forties, it could be down right unbearable. I don't care how much you could win, it won't make much difference if you are not around to cash the check.

I was at the county ramp around 11:00 this morning, and some of the site is ready to go, but it is a work in progress. Both release boats are in the water, and the weigh line has been set up. But I am not sure if I'd put the pop up covers up over them just yet..

I hear that registration is around six this evening, and I plan on going to hear what they say about the predicted wind.

Today is a beautiful day, with sunshine and light SE winds.. And I heard from a couple of folks that the fish were in the trees.. Shallow.. Wish I was there.

I'm not getting a whole lot of info from most folks, but we are still selling Jigs by the handful, and the big plastic baits are going out the door as well.. Some folks are down-sizing a bit in their purchases in case the high pressure gets them a bit finicky..

I'd like to thank all of you who have come thru our shop, and make our existence possible. We really enjoy meeting you folks from all over the country, and talking fishing. We wish all of you good luck and safe passage.

I was watching the "News" last night, waiting for the weather to come on, and I saw a story on how the Texas roads funds are running low. And of course they were interviewing some talking heads about the "Problem". Of course the problem being that they can't efficiently manage the uncountable amount of money they take from us in Fuel tax, Road and Bridge tax, and a plethora of other taxes they levy that pertain to auto and road use..

Anyway, there was this gal on there saying that the 39 cents collected per gallon of gas sold was not getting it done, and that it had not been increased since the early nineties. But being there is an outrage over increasing the tax per gallon at the pump, they are considering another way to tax you. And they are thinking about a tax based on the amount of miles you drive. Isn't that what is already in place?? Seems to me that the more I drive, the more gas I'll need so I'll just assume that I'll be paying more tax. I can't believe what hear out of these "Officials".

But it got better.. She then said maybe we would just have everyone report how many miles each of us drive so they can tax us on those miles.. I wonder what kind of beaurocracy it would take to manage that entity??

And then it got really good.. Something else they might consider is having a satellite link on each vehicle to track the number of miles driven.. And I thought I had heard of every idiotic idea possible..

I was so aggravated I forgot what the weatherman said..

Now I know I'm gonna claim my boat gas as tax exempt.. It is you know..

I better quit.. I'm getting a headache.. See you soon.

January 5, 2010: As predictions of cold and wind for the FLW tourney this week are spreading, so is the moaning and groaning from the fishermen.. I'm not even fishing and I'm moaning.. I didn't sign up for this crap.. But I there ain't too much we can do about it so we might as well just get our minds right and go deal with it. Pretty easy for me to say from this nice warm office.. I hear there are some seventies coming next week.. Think I'll wait till then.. But I am going upstairs and digging out my wool Package Protector.. Best thing I ever got from Frederick's..

Wednesday is supposed to be a decent day, but Thursday could be wet with winds gusting out of the north.. I was watching the San Antonio weather last night and they said this is some of the coldest air to hit our area in about ten years. I just hope the winds do not get out of control.. But I have to temper this prediction with the fact that it is being made by weathermen.. We'll see soon enough..

There have been some pretty awesome fish caught lately, and a lot of them look like they will explode. Please handle these fish with all the care possible, as they are the future of our lake. Cold water temperatures should help us during this big tournament, and I am hopeful that we will have a minimum of dead fish at the weigh ins. I will certainly be keeping an eye on the fish care during this event.

I hear through the grapevine that FLW will be bringing two release boats this time, and I understand that they do not fizz deep caught fish, or fish that are demonstrating the non ability to swim upright. And I hear that they lower them in cages to deep water and release them. I don't like the non-transparency of this operation. And maybe it is because I don't understand the science. I'm telling you that there are going to be a truck load of deep caught fish. And I can't see how leaving a fish upside down for extended period can be good for it.. We'll see how it goes..

Ray Livingston Caught this whopper just before new years. It weighed 11-8..

This is one of two eight plus fish this youngster caught with Gary Harlan one day this week.. Sorry. Lost the name..

More updates coming.. But if I don't post anything soon, you'll know that Old Man Winter got me..

January 4, 2010: I know it has been a while since I wrote, but it has been crazy around here, plus I fished and prefished the South Texas Five tourney. It's early Monday Morning and I am still tired. I'm getting too old for this stuff..

We had some decent weather over the weekend, although it was a bit cool. Saturday was pretty nice with some mixed sun and clouds, and yesterday was pretty cloudy with a light north wind.. Just enough to make you keep your gear on.. And a damn lot cooler than I like it.. But it didn't rain, and for that I am grateful.

Of course by now you know that the town is full of fishermen getting ready for this weeks FLW event, and it is ON in Zapata.. Restaurants, Motels and yes, even Tackle Shops, are enjoying the busy times. And we have had all we can say Grace over.. Thank You..

The lake level on Falcon is holding steady, and we have caught an inch of water in the last week. We are sitting at 12.65 feet low.. That translates to 288.37. Water temps I saw yesterday were never above 58.7, and they were at 56 in the early am. I hear the south end of the lake is a bit warmer, but I have not been south of marker seven in a while..

Here are a couple of observations I have made in the last two or three days. It looks like the Spanish Armada has invaded Falcon when you get around School Bus and Opec creeks out on the main lake channel. I don't think you can jump from boat to boat.. But some places you certainly don't have to yell to talk to the next boat.

Most of the fish are still being caught deep, but not all of them. There were and are some fish up spawning in the shallows. Yesterday we caught fish as shallow as two feet.. Yes I said two feet. But they were few and far in between.

But the majority of fish are still deeper than ten feet, and we have heard of a lot of fish being caught as deep as fifty. That should help you.. We caught most of our fish in 12-14 feet, but that is where we spent most of our time. We went shallow looking for a fattie to add some weight to our stringer.. Didn't happen..

I hear there is a full field for the FLW (150) and a bunch on the waiting list.. And it seems that not just the guys that didn't make it in are a little PO'd. A lot of the guys that are fishing are wondering why they would not let in all that want to fish to help the purse and number of places paid.. It don't make much sense to me either..

I would imagine that we will see the FLW hardware start showing up here today and tomorrow, and if my lens cap doesn't freeze on my camera I'm sure I'll have some pics of the carnage soon..

And just once I'd like to see the county have something done in preparation for an event here. They have a new road going into the the county ramp. And it is about ready for paving as the curbs and base are in, and they oiled it before Christmas.. There is still no asphalt on the ground and I can see them trying to pave it this week while the parade of the year is going down that same street. Welcome to Zapata.. Where Manana does not necessarily mean Tomorrow.. It just means not today..

The weather is supposed to turn sub-zero just in time for the tourney, and let me tell you that everyone is thrilled at the prospect. Looks like we'll be busting out another big pot of soup. And the overalls. I hate winter..

Yesterdays South Texas Five tourney only had 23 entry's, so you might think that 25 pounds might get you a check.. Not.. It did not get me one either.. You would think that a 9.13 might have you in the hunt for Big Bass Dollars.. Not.. Try fourth..

It took 36 and change to win it. There were three stringers over thirty pounds, and two over 29.. Big bass was a 10.79.. Look for a full report in the tourney section later today, or as soon as I can get to it. There were quite a few FLW fishermen who came to the weigh in to check it out. I think they were impressed..

In any case, things should be interesting around here for the next few days.. And I still have a lot of pics to post and things to tell you.. And I'm working on it.. It's good to be busy..

January 1, 2010: If no one has told you Happy New Year yet, let me be the first. It is crazy today here at FLT, as a ton of people are hitting town for the weekend and to prefish for the FLW. And a lot of snowbirds are hitting town as well. I have a bunch of pics to post and a few things to tell you about... Soon!

Happy New Year!