Zapata County Commissioners lack interest
in anything having to do with the lake

Falcon remained at a stable lake level through January ending the month at 268.31 feet. We were battered by recurring frontal conditions which produced cold and icy weather, high winds, and generally unfavorable fishing conditions on two of the four weekends that two of the three major tournaments were held. We fell into the 30° range on 10 of the 31 days with a January low of 31.8° on January 4. Fronts kept driving lake temperatures down, reaching a low of 53°. Lake temperatures recorded were as high as 65°, but as of this minute they have recovered only to the mid-50s. We had high winds of 47 mph on January 3 accompanied by two days of freezing (31.8° and 32°) temperatures.
You had to feel some sympathy for the fishermen and women in the B.A.S.S. Federation and Media Bass Tournaments. Their fingers and hands were so cold that they could hardly sign the weigh slips for their respective tournaments. Even with the negative conditions, Rick Rickman managed to find and catch 23.31 pounds of fish to win the B.A.S.S. Federation Tournament. Jim Raulsten and his partner Jim Edwards captured first place Heavy Stringer in Media Bass with 17.05 lbs. The big fish in those two tournaments weighed 8.43 lbs. and 8.46 lbs. respectively.
The third major tournament (Honey Hole) played to some very nice weather, but the weights of the Heavy Stringer (17.42 lbs.) and Big Bass (8.43 lbs.) were comparable to the results realized in the bad weather tournaments.
The big fish of the month weighed 14.05 lbs. on the boat scales and was submitted for inclusion in the Share-A-Lunker (SAL) program. Unfortunately, once the fish was picked up by Texas Parks and Wildlife and weighed the next day, it tipped the scales at only (a not-so-paltry) 11.31 lbs. This was 1.69 lbs. below the minimum for the Share-A-Lunker Program acceptance. According to the biologist, the fish had spawned out, but the weight of the eggs she had already dropped added to her weight at the time of delivery would have more than qualified her for SAL acceptance. The fish is now going to be held as a display fish, which means no breeding (if she survives). Another bad TPW decision. Falcon loses a major spawner and no one benefits but a bunch of gawking spectators. It would have been much better to return her to Falcon where she could provide a hundred thousand fry a year. The cost of that redelivery is probably more than the TPW could justify spending. A simple inclusion of a portable scale on the transport truck would have obviated all the stress, abuse, and unnecessary transportation of this beautiful fish. It would not surprise me if she succumbs to the strain of eight hours-plus in a livewell, eight to 10 hours in a transport tank, and then ends up on someone's wall, a tribute to poor communication and faulty process.
So that pretty much wraps up the report on major tournaments and big fish. You might think that the fish were turned on in spite of the weather, but that just was not the case. For example, in the Media Bass Tournament, only 54 of the 102 teams weighed fish. An additional 26 teams caught only one fish. The 102 teams registered caught 104 fish weighing 312.46 lbs. The winners through 20th place all received checks starting with $3,000 for heavy stringer on down to $200 for 20th place. The big bass earned Lyle Larsen and Travis Lynch $600. Throughout the month of January most of the fishermen and women reported tough going with one or two bites and/or fish caught for a day's effort. Only three teams in the Media Bass Tournament weighed five-fish limits. However, you cannot deny the fact that December and January are big bass months and we have seen 10.48 lb., 10.0 lb., and 11.31 lb. fish caught and weighed and two of the three returned to the lake to spawn their fry.
In addition to the three major tournaments, five non-major bass club tournaments were held at Falcon this month including Uvalde, Atascosa, Quality (San Antonio), South Texas Bass Anglers (Corpus/Portland), and Helotes. Approximately 75 anglers contested their respective club tournaments and when it was said and done, Fred Vannoy from the South Texas Bass Anglers day and a half 23.81 lbs. took top "All Clubs Honors" for heavy stringers. The fish caught by Uvalde Bass Club's Josh Hiller (8.31 lbs.) was the top big bass for all non-major tournaments contested.
The hunting picked up considerably for deer hunters, and quail hunting continued good to excellent. Patrick Starnes shot a great buck scored at 172 1/8 gross on his ranch in Mexico and, as far as I know, this may have been the big buck of the season. I would love to have a picture if you know of a larger animal taken from around this area. Pictures of this animal and all the big fish caught this month can be viewed on our website at www.falconlaketackle.com.
Duck hunting peaked early in the season and never recovered. Geese never really showed up in significant numbers and last year's hunting was significantly better than we enjoyed this year.
The primary plastic in 4 to 8 ft hardwood pattern is currently producing the most bass. It should yield the number one position to a stronger spinnerbait bite given the occurrence of the improved warming trend.
Right now, watermelon red, red bug, and watermelon pepper neon colors in brush hogs, magnum lizards, and hoodaddys are the best three choices. A few stripers have been showing up on spinnerbaits and/or lipless crankbaits. Catfishing has been fair-to-good most of the month and live bait has caught the biggest fish, while shrimp and Canadian crawlers have caught the most fish, followed closely by stinkbait.
Launching is not an immediate issue, but neither can it be removed from the radar screen. The Zapata County and Falcon State Park main concrete ramps are both operational. No more launching off the rocks and parking in the mud, at least for the present. Beacon Lodge's private ramp is also operational and small boats are now launching at Oso Blanco. The State Park ramp has a pier that can be used to tie-off boats unloading and loading while you take the trailer and tow rigs up to the parking level.
Zapata County Judge David Morales and Commissioner's Court's promise to provide a movable pier at the Zapata ramp to simplify the loading and unloading process has still not materialized. The lack of interest of Zapata County Commissioners Court in applying for available TPW Grants to dredge access channels and provide all-level launching facilities is becoming legendary. In fact, they have a profound lack of interest in anything having to do with the lake as well as a lack of knowledge and concern about what actions are needed to address safety issues.
There is already a $95,000 grant for Ramp Improvements sitting in Austin in Zapata County's name and needing only a moderate tweaking to become reality. The County is, however, too busy (or disinterested) to pursue the request for action we have submitted on a continuing basis through Commissioner's Court since March of 2002. They have even misplaced the new TPW Grant Package delivered to them in the June 2002 Commissioners Court Meeting, which we requested be completed to develop low level handicapped accessible launching ramps and provide funding to dredge an access channel to permit access and egress of boats from the Veleno.
Meanwhile, millions of dollars in tourist revenue are going elsewhere and Zapata businesses must be content to harvest oil and gas revenues while they last. One of these days, Zapata businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and sportsmen and women will figure it out and get serious about putting the word on the politicians. If the County Administration refuses to help, we need to consider other alternatives, such as incorporating a couple of waterfront subdivisions and apply for grants under these entities. Although a lengthy process, it will probably be quicker than moving or motivating a lethargic County Administration. As it is now, we have only three additional major tournaments scheduled for the remainder of the year. There are none in February, one in March and one each in May and October. One of the main reasons for the exodus of tournaments from Falcon is the lack of facilities.
There was barely enough parking for the 102 teams in the Media event and the absence of a stop light at the entrance to Highway 83 again presented a major problem. This is being addressed right now, so if you have ever experienced a problem getting out onto Hwy 83 with your boat, go to the Local section of our website, review the Senator Zaffirini letter, and write Mario Jorge and tell him we need a stop light and not a blinking light. I think they (DOT) are already in agreement about a reduction to a 45 mph speed in this area. It would not, however, hurt to stress that need as well.
Until next month, please kill only what you are going to eat, practice catch and release on all black bass, and carefully handle the fish so as to minimize removal of the slime coating. If you do lift a big fish to take a picture, wet your hands first and take care to avoid damaging the lower jaw. The best and easiest way to release a fish is to remove the hook while the fish is in the water and release them without handling.

(Larry E. Bridgeman is the owner of Falcon Lake Tackle in Zapata, TX. Visit the Falcon Lake Tackle website at www.tackleandrods.com.)