Good catfishing and tourney results
The water is clear-to-stained overall with considerable yellow huisache blooms on the surface, primarily in wooded areas. The lake level is 278.71 feet , which is 22.49 feet low. Water temperature is in the mid 60-degree range. A few fishermen found water as warm as 66 degrees. Small black bass are good; when you locate the fish you can usually catch 10 or more in a short time. Action on large black bass has been fair to good, but as the lake water temperature continues to rise, fishing is improving. A number of six, seven, and eight-pound fish were caught this weekend as the larger bass started to move in shallow and begin working the beds. Fish were caught from one to 12 feet and plastic watermelon red baits were best, followed by white spinnerbaits with twin gold willow blades.
Catfishing has been fair to good with small to medium-size cats being caught from the bank as well as from boats. Shrimp, live worms, and stinkbait are all working well. Crappie and white bass do not exist in adequate numbers to be considered fishable species. Striper action is poor. Zapata is in close proximity to several Northern Mexico lakes where fishing has been running good to excellent. Fishing reports and pictures are now available online at the Falcon Lake Tackle website at www.tackleandrods.com/lake/murray.htm.
The three major tournaments scheduled for Falcon in February are history, i.e., the Tommy Gray Memorial, Bass Champs, and B.A.S.S. Federation Bass Tournaments. Jimmy and AR Johnson weighed in a two-day six-bass catch of 26.54 lbs . for the Tommy Gray first place heavy stringer. They also had the Big Bass of the tournament, weighing 7.09 lbs . The winners of the Bass Champs Tournament were Charles Haralson and Jimmy Steed with a 5-fish limit weighing 26.17 lbs . They won a new fully-rigged Skeeter bass boat and a $5,000 bonus for having a Skeeter (Charles had just placed an order for a boat before the tournament). Big bass of the tournament and for the weekend weighed 8.62 lbs . and was caught by the team of Pace and Lottman.
B.A.S.S. Federation's Jimmy Johnson claimed first place heavy stringer with 20.96 lbs . He also had second big bass of 7.55 lbs . Forest Wilson took 2nd heavy stringer honors with 11.87 lbs ., beating out the senior AR Johnson's 3rd place with a little over 9 lbs . B.A.S.S. Federation Big Bass winner was Roberto Abrigo, who weighed an 8.42 lb . fish, which also qualified for 5th place heavy stringer. The fish were moving in shallow as the day progressed and by mid-afternoon's weigh-in, a number of all-sized fish were begging for the watermelon red plastic baits. Three to six feet of water depths produced the most fish, but Roberto's 8.42 lb . fish came off a Carolina rigged bait in the hardwoods with eight feet of water.
Launching at Falcon is not a problem as the State Park and Zapata County Ramps are both working. Most of the lodges and RV park ramps on the water are operational also. The ramp at El Tigre Island is closed to the public. Last report was that the San Ygnacio Ramp is working only for small boats. It is recommended you call and check before planning a trip to San Ygnacio. Beacon Lodge has developed into a first class tournament facility and their launching, dock, and pier facilities are excellent. They can accommodate club tournaments of small to 300-plus entries. The improved security for your vehicle is worth the small charge they levy for launching and it costs nothing if you are their guest.
Launching below the dam on the Río is best accomplished at the Salineño access point. Fishing in the River varies from day to day based on a number of factors. The amount of water being released seems to have a direct impact on the fishing (and launching), but for the last few weeks fishing has been reported as fair to good. A couple of locals made a trip to the river this week after checking the website and finding they were releasing a volume of water. They caught three big fish weighing seven, seven, and 11 pounds .
Mexican licenses and boat permits are required for boats that carry fishing equipment into Mexican waters and are available locally from Falcon Lake Tackle's retail store in Zapata or by mail (call (956) 765-4866 or e-mail lbridgeman@starband.net). Everyone in the boat must have a Mexico fishing license, whether fishing or not.
For all your tackle, marine supplies, and fishing/hunting theme gift requirements, check out the Falcon Lake Tackle On-Line store at www.tackleandrods.com. We have thousands of items listed available for immediate shipping. To post your Falcon fishing reports and view boats for sale or enter a free listing of a boat you have for sale, visit our other website, www.falconlake.com.
(Larry E. Bridgeman is the owner of Falcon Lake Tackle in Zapata , TX . Visit the Falcon Lake Tackle website at www.tackleandrods.com.)
